Legal Definitions - coho

Coho is a slang term for cohousing, which describes a specific type of residential community. In a cohousing arrangement, individuals or families own or rent their own private homes or units, but they also share ownership and responsibility for significant common areas and facilities within the community. While "coho" can also refer to a species of salmon, in legal and real estate contexts, it typically refers to this collaborative housing model.

• Example 1: The "Riverbend Collective"

  A group of young professionals and families decides to purchase land together to build a small community. Each household constructs its own private, detached home with a yard. However, they also collectively own and maintain a central common house that includes a large kitchen, dining room, laundry facilities, and a playroom for children. They share a community garden and a workshop. This setup, where residents have private dwellings but also extensive shared property and responsibilities, perfectly illustrates a cohousing, or "coho," community.

• Example 2: "Urban Oasis Lofts"

  In a dense urban environment, a multi-story building is developed with 30 private condominium units. In addition to their individual apartments, residents collectively own and manage a rooftop garden, a shared fitness center, and a communal lounge area on the ground floor. They also have a shared electric vehicle charging station. Each resident owns their private loft, but the shared amenities and collective decision-making over these common spaces define this as a cohousing (or "coho") development.

• Example 3: "Evergreen Senior Living"

  A community designed for retirees consists of individual, accessible cottages where residents live independently. Alongside their private homes, the residents jointly own a community building that houses a library, a dining hall where optional group meals are served, a craft room, and a small medical clinic. They also share walking trails and a communal pond. This model, offering both private living spaces and extensive shared facilities managed by the residents, is a clear example of cohousing, often informally called "coho."