Marieta - Júlia, can you tell me a story?
Júlia - Yes, of course. Marc, do you also want to hear it?
Marc: - Yes, it would be a pleasure!
Júlia: - Once upon a time there were three pig brothers who lived in three different houses. The first pig, the younger brother, lived very happy in a rented apartment, until one day the wolf Crisis, together with his friend Speculation, went to visit him and told him that they would increase the rent to the double of what he was paying until then ... The poor little pig could not pay so much money since he had a temporary job, badly paid, and he had to scape running to his brother's house.
The second brother lived in a house purchased a few years ago. To buy it, he asked for a mortgage to be repaid in 40 years and he paid half his salary to the bank each month... only in interests! The wolf Crisis, together with his friends Unemployment and Bank, could follow the little pig to his brother's house. The wolfs told the second brother that he was unemployed and that the Bank would take his house. Again, the younger brother, this time accompanied by the second brother, left running and went desperately to their older brother's house.
Some time ago, the older brother joined another group of pigs and they developed together a very good idea. They lived in a cooperative housing right!
Marieta: - A what?
Júlia: - I'll explain it... All pigs were both members and owners of the cooperative. Each pig was entitled to one vote and the whole procedures were completely democratic. The pigs were not direct owners of the building where they lived, but they had instead a right to unlimited use of their apartment. The owner was the cooperative, of which formed part in. Every month they pay a low rent, just to cover all expenses of the building (including water, heating, maintenance, garbage, etc..), and all transfers of money within the cooperative were completely transparent.
What a good idea!
The indefinite right of use means you can live a lifetime in the apartment and even inherit the right, and you can also rent it to someone else for a short period of time, or longer if for a justified reason.
From the low rental each month, a portion goes for maintenance, both to the building and the apartments. The savings increase with time and when there is sufficient money, it can be used, for example, to repair the floor, buy a new refrigerator or fix the toilet. Changes affecting the building are decided democratically among all members; changes affecting one's own apartment, the member that holds it is free to decide.
The building also has public areas. For example, a laundry with washing machines and dryers that everyone can use, a place with many containers for different types of recycling, storage, compost machines, places to held parties or meetings, etc.. Each cooperative decides what is best.
The younger pig and the second one were thrilled with their older brother's house and they were very well received there. The wolf Crisis also went to visit them, but, although he blew and blew, and took many friends with him, he could never destroy the cooperative house and the three little pigs lived happily ever after.
Marieta - I liked the story! So cool!
Marc: - Yes, what a beautiful story ... It's a shame that it's not true ...
Júlia - Who told you it is not?
Marc: - You don't need to be too intelligent to see it! We all have to spend the whole salary to the rent or a mortgage for 30 years or more ... Not seeing this is like living in cloud cuckoo land. Don't try to fool me.
Júlia - Well Marc, maybe we need to think about what "we all have to" means. It turns out that there are other places where it is not like that, simply because they looked for alternatives to what they had and now they live with a much higher quality of life.
Marc: - Oh yeah? And where are these places that you say? Hehe... I told you, don't try to fool me. Perhaps they live at the tree houses in the story characters' gardens?
Júlia - No, they are very real and exist in several places. In Sweden, for example, the vast majority of apartments function with this system, the cooperative housing right model.
Marc: - Wow .. I have never heard of it! And this... would it be possible in other places?
Júlia: - Absolutely yes! We only need to get started!
Marc: - So why are we wasting our time? Come on, let's go and start a new housing model!