Best Practices

As you consider a cohousing exchange, these "best practices" might be helpful to keep in mind:​

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1. Decide if you're seeking a real-time swap, or you're more interested in a situation where you travel and then at a different time you host.

2. Consider if your guests would reside at your home or in your common house guest room.

3. Confirm that your community is comfortable with you having guests stay in your home while you're away.

4. Use the resources list to identify options to locate others to swap with.

5. After you make contact with a potential swap partner, consider a video call to meet each other. Get to know everyone's needs, desires, and motivations.

6. Finalize all details and consider using a checklist to make sure you look at a wide variety of factors that all involved can agree on.

7. Have a final video call prior to the swap date to introduce the guests to your community and your home in detail. The checklist will include items that you may wish to review as you chat.

8. Provide your community's website and key docs and review the same from the community you will be visiting.

9. Identify a member of your community who will be ready to welcome your guests. This can include checking in on how the guests are settling in and introducing them to other community members and the local surroundings.

10. Arrange for an in-person meeting if possible to kick off the exchange. You may be able to arrange this at one of your homes and this can help one party get settled and built more trust.

11. Provided details instructions for living in your home (how to live in the community. Include identifying activities to do in the area

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If you have other ideas for items to be included in the list of best practices, please contact David Ehrlich at dave@trackg.com