Basic Requirements
a) In the Co-op’s by-laws, household means: 

• a Member

• any other Members living in the unit

• children of the Member who are under sixteen and live in the unit

• children of the Member who have turned sixteen and continue to live in the unit, and

• long-term guests approved by the Board of Directors under this Article.

• Someone is considered a child of a Member if they would be considered the Member’s child under the Ontario Family Law Act.

 
b) Only persons mentioned in paragraph (a) are part of a Member’s household. Other persons can stay in a Member’s unit only as casual guests or sub-occupants and only if permitted by this by-law. Members must not allow anyone other than the persons referred to in paragraph (a) and this paragraph to use their unit. 

c) Occupants of a unit who are not Members have: 

• no right to occupy the unit independent of the Members

• no right to occupy any other unit in the Co-op

• no right to a place on the Co-op’s internal waiting list.

 
Addition of a Member
a) Someone can apply for Membership in the Co-op as an addition to an existing household. The application must also be signed by all Co-op Members in the household. The applicant will become part of the household if accepted as a Member. The applicant must be interviewed and approved by the Co-op. If not accepted, the applicant can occupy the unit only as a long-term guest if approved by the Board. 
 
b) Long-term guests who have applied for and been granted Membership in the Co-op, and who are joining an existing household, may not apply for an internal move until they have been a Member for a period of at least five years. 
 
Separate Units Criteria
If one or more, but not all, Members who live together in a unit wish to relocate to a separate unit, the following rules will apply:
 
a) The household that that will remain in the original unit is called the “original household” and the household formed as a result of the relocation is called the “new household”. 
b) Both the original and new households must include one or more Members of the Co-op who have been Members for at least five years before the application to relocate is submitted. 
c) The original household cannot be in arrears both at the time the application to relocate is submitted and at the time a unit is allocated for the relocation. 
d) Both the original and new households must be able to afford the full housing charge of the units involved. 
e) The size of both the original and new households must meet the occupancy standards stated in Article 9 of this By-law. 
f) Any new residents in the original or new households must be interviewed and accepted for Membership in the Co-op. 
g) If the original household receives housing charge subsidy from the Co-op, the housing charge subsidy will end at the time of the relocation. Both the original and new households can re-apply, if subsidy is available. Their applications will go to the bottom of the waiting list. 
h) The staff will conduct a landlord and credit check of the Members of both the original and new household and any proposed new residents. The staff will review those checks plus rental history information, both before and after joining the Co-op, and income information about the Members and any proposed new residents. The board must be satisfied with the results of these reviews both at the time the application to relocate is submitted and at the time a unit is allocated for the relocation. 

Turning Sixteen
Persons in a Member’s household who turn sixteen can apply for Membership in the Co-op. The application must also be signed by all Co-op Members in the household, and the applicant must be interviewed and approved by the Co-op. If persons who turn sixteen do not apply for Membership or are not accepted as Members, they will automatically be considered long-term guests. A long-term guest agreement is not necessary.
 
Long-term Guests
a) Members can make a written request to the Board of Directors to approve someone as a long-term guest. The request must be signed by all Co-op Members in the household. The proposed guest must sign the request and consent to a credit check. The Member and the proposed guest must provide any other information requested by the Co-op. 
b) The Board can approve a long-term guest for a fixed period, not to exceed 12 months. This must be stated in the Board’s approval motion. If approval is for a fixed or maximum period, the person will no longer be a long-term guest at the end of the period. Notice of cancellation will not apply in this case. 
c) All Members in the household and their guests must sign and comply with a long-term guest agreement, such as Schedule B attached to this by-law. 
d) The Board of Directors can cancel long-term guest status or change the terms of long-term guest status at any time. The Board must give written notice to the Members in the household and the guest of any meeting where it will be discussed and of the Board decision. Only one notice needs to be given to all Members and others in a unit. There is no right of appeal. 
e) The income of long-term guests is to be included in household income when housing charge subsidy from the Co-op is calculated. This is subject to the Co-op’s Housing Charge Subsidy By-law, if it has one. 

Casual Guests
Members can have only a reasonable number of casual guests. A casual guest may not stay at the Co-op for more than three (3) months in any year.
 
Persons will be considered as staying at the Co-op even if they are away from the Co-op for short periods. If Members wish someone to stay longer, they must ask the Board of Directors to approve that person as a long-term guest as stated in section 8.5 (Long-term Guests).
 
Sub-Occupancy and Absence from Unit
 
a) Section 8.6 applies to all Members, but special rules can also apply to Members who receive housing charge subsidy from the Co-op and want to have a sub-occupant or be absent from the Co-op. 

• Members who receive housing charge subsidy may have a sub-occupant. Any sub-occupant will be required to pay the full housing charge, with no subsidy from Co-op, for the unit for the period of their sub-occupancy. The Member will be responsible for the full housing charge in the event the sub-occupant defaults (see Appendix C)

• Members who are absent from their unit for a period of between one and three months, will have their housing charge subsidy from the Co-op suspended. Members who are away for more than three months will lose their housing charge subsidy from the Co-op, and it will not be automatically reinstated when they return. They will be required to reapply for subsidy from the Co-op, if it is available.

• If the Co-op has a Housing Charge Subsidy By-law, it may say some of the same things. It may also say that housing charge subsidy from the Co-op will be suspended during some absences without being cancelled.

 
b) If a Member wants to leave the Co-op temporarily, the Member can allow someone to occupy their unit as a sub-occupant. All Co-op Members in the household and all sub-occupants must sign and comply with a Sub-Occupancy Agreement approved by the Co-op before the sub-occupancy begins. Schedule C attached to this by-law is a sample Sub-Occupancy Agreement. 
c) Members must have the written approval of the Board of Directors to permit any sub-occupancy. In the case of a sub-occupancy of more than one month, the sub-occupant must also be interviewed and approved by Member Selection. 
d) A sub-occupancy cannot last more than three months. Notwithstanding this, in unusual circumstances the Board of Directors can allow a longer term but not longer than twelve months. 

Evicted Persons
If someone has been evicted from the Co-op or has left after a Notice to Appear was issued, or in a situation of domestic violence, or owing money to the Co-op, a Member cannot permit that person to be a casual or long-term guest or a sub-occupant without advance written approval from the Board of Directors. The Co-op may treat that person as a trespasser and may remove, or have removed, him or her from Co-op property. The Member who permits that person on the Co-op’s property will be considered in default under this by-law.