This is a critical feature of a cohousing community if residents are expected to comfortably live in homes that are smaller than their comparably-priced, market-rate counterparts. While it is not often that families have guests stay in their homes, many homeowners want a dedicated (or dual function) room that can accommodate a mother-in-law, grown children, grandchildren, family friend, etc. While most guests are quite comfortable to occupy the private domain of their hosts, there are times when guests prefer staying in a nearby hotel so as not to disturb their hosts or to simply come and go as they please.
Provide a couple of guest rooms in the Common House or within the common space (eg. along the covered street) to allows the guests to become more familiar with the entire community and have some autonomy from their hosts. This room should be well situated – not located in an undesired nook that didn’t serve any better purpose; and should be well-appointed with a comfortable bed, bedside table and lamp, a small desk and chair, and a closet - essentially a small hotel room. An adjoining bathroom is preferable, but it’s possible for it to be shared with another guest room (but never more than 2 rooms per bathroom).
The room should have a nice view and yet provide some privacy. In order to encourage use, the rooms should be free or of nominal cost to members of the community. The rooms are not intended for long term stays, just a few days. A scheduling system and usage policy should be developed that is appropriate for the community.
Nearly all the communities visited have some sort of provision for guests. In some rare cases where a guestroom is not provided, a children’s play area doubles as a guest room. For long term stays, arrangements may be made with other residents in the community who may have spare rooms or are away for the duration of the visit.
