Brian Lim - A Story of Home Co-Ownership

“We’ve never done this before.”

I sat with my wife Janet and 2 close friends (housemates with each other) in the office of the bank representative handling the mortgage of the 100+year old Cabbagetown house we had just bought together. It was the year 2006. “We’ve never done something like this before,” said the bank representative, referring to our situation - a mortgage shared by co-owners who were not related by family ties. The bank representative was not the only one for whom the idea of co-ownership was unprecedented. Friends and family expressed both encouragement and concern as well. 

Why did we decide to co-own?

Because we could not have afforded the size and type of housing space that we were able to buy, near the core of the city, on our own.

Because we had a vision of home-making in close proximity to where we work, shop, and live our daily lives, being able to commute by walking, biking or transit, rather than by driving. This was about stewardship - sharing household costs like electricity, water and heating, sharing some community resources like tools rather than each person owning their own set, reducing our ecological impact by reducing our dependence on driving and the time spent commuting.

Because we wanted to provide a place of hospitality for others - our house was not just a place for family to stay when they came for visits, but it was also a place where we hosted missionaries on furlough, students in need of housing for a term or two, friends and young adults in need of a place of safe community for anywhere from a few days to a few months to a year or two. We hosted small groups, missionary sharing evenings, community dinners and many celebrations.

Because we wanted to be in intentional community with each other - having our own space and living rhythms, but also being present when needed for each other. Having a place that was cared for by all of us enabled different members of the household to be away or doing overseas work for extended periods of time. 

Like any family or community, we had arguments and disagreements and tensions, all of which required commitment and intentionality to work through them and still care for each other. When we first moved in, we sought legal assistance to help us draw up a house community agreement that laid out processes and guidelines for decisions such as renovations or sale of the house. As time went on, our house community grew and changed - Janet and I had a child, one of our housemates got married and added a dog, and then later, a child of their own. We recognized that communities change and the need for different spaces changes as well, so after 7 years, Janet and I moved to another neighbourhood, and sold our shares to our friends at a mutually agreed-upon price.  This was more than fair to Janet and me as it provided us equity to buy our current home, and it was also our hope that it would not place too much of a financial burden on our friends that would prevent them from continuing to own the house.

Today, we continue to see our friends regularly, and that house continues to be a community and a space of hospitality for others.