Furniture Policy Basic Principles

The Co-op does not subsidise furniture for tenants nor does it purchase furniture for tenants to own. The furniture fund provides a way of accumulating money to purchase furniture for Co-op members’ use.

Furniture bought with the fund does not belong to the tenant. Its purpose is to furnish a property for the benefit of any Co-op member who may move in.
Tenants have the use of furniture bought by the fund. If you move into a property you have the use of any furniture in that property which was purchased by the fund in the past.

Personal property – in other words, furniture that the tenant takes with them when they move – is not bought with the fund. (However, furniture bought by the fund can currently be purchased from the Co-op by a tenant when they move, with depreciation taken into account.)

It is important to the Co-op that tenants have equal access to Co-op benefits.
The fund should be optional for every property apart from houses shared by independent adults, where it remains compulsory.

There should be a (separate) compulsory whiteware fund for all units to pay for cooker, fridge, and washing machine. However, those living in properties currently not in the furniture fund would have the option to stay outside it until they move to another unit, when they would have to join the fund.