A group of individuals in north London who set up a housing co-op to solve their joint housing problems
Friends, we did it! In October 2024 MAJ completed the purchase of a 2 bedroom flat in Haringey and our member and her son have been living there ever since. It is a lovely little flat and it will stay in common ownership for generations to come. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing community of friends, comrades and supporters – thank you!
What we’ve been up to
It’s been a very busy year for MAJ, raising money to buy another flat and offering support to new and fledgeling co-ops. We don’t want to hoard our accumulated knowledge, we want to spread it far and wide! We’ve had numerous outreach meetings this year with newly formed co-ops and people interested in forming one, passing on decades worth of shared knowledge and contacts that we wished we’d had back when we first started. This work has become increasingly important to us as we want to see more people housed, and we believe the best way to do that is to show that the co-operative model of taking control of your housing is practical and possible. As part of this outreach work we will be hosting a workshop at the Antiuniversity Festival 2024 which is running from 12 – 19th October in London and online. This will be our third Antiuniversity workshop and we hope it will be as vibrant and well attended as the last one. Find out more and come along https://festival.antiuniversity.org/events/how-and-why-to-set-up-a-housing-co-op
New Property – fingers crossed!
At the start of the year we hit the ground running to raise money to purchase a new flat for our co-op, and we are now incredibly close to taking one more property out of private ownership and making it into a secure co-op home for two people. We are not quite there yet, but we want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made loans and especially donations, no matter how big or small, that make housing two more people in London a real possibility. Obtaining the funds we need has been a real nailbiter. Our figures stack up though, so we just need our solicitors to do their bit.
Fundraising and thank you’s
Fundraising efforts included two comedy nights compered by brilliant comedian Siân Docksey and starring 12 acts who performed for free – thank you to Siân and all who performed. As well as enjoying the shows, we were thrilled and touched at how enthusiastically you donated your talents, embraced the co-op movement and encouraged the audience to do the same!
We owe a huge thank you to Argyle Street Housing Co-op, Yarrow Housing Co-op, South Camden Housing Cooperative and Sanford Housing Co-op for their solidarity in lending us money. Co-ops supporting other co-ops is an exciting precedent that we want to encourage, and in future we hope to see other established co-ops helping those who are raising funds to get started or expand. Thank you ASH, Yarrow, South Camden and Sanford for leading the way and showing what can be done!
We also want to warmly thank all individuals who have made donations or taken out loanstock. This solidarity not only puts us in a position to hopefully house two people currently in dire housing need, it also enables us to hold this property and all our properties as safe, affordable housing in perpetuity. For those of us who could not hope to be safely housed otherwise, we are incredibly grateful. Your generosity is life changing.
Donate!
Of course, once we have the keys and are safely in our new homes there are still challenges. Each property we have is a fixer-upper to some degree and keeping them in good shape means having money in the pot. One house recently received a much needed new roof and windows, another will soon need damp proofing, and there are other smaller tasks that need doing to winterproof all our existing homes. Buying our new property may mean that some of these works are temporarily put on hold, as we need almost every penny to go toward this. As a result we are still gratefully receiving donations and offers of loanstock, so spread the word, and if you are in a position to help, please get in touch!
And once again, thank you so much
Mary Ann Johnson is a small - but very active! – housing cooperative.
We are now in the process of expanding the co-op and looking to buy another property to house our newest members – a woman and her son, who are about to become homeless again this summer (for the third time in two years!).
We are again reaching out to our friends and supporters to ask for donations or loans towards buying that property.
Why should I support MAJ?
Before going into the financial details, it’s important to stress that any contribution will go far beyond housing just this one family – the flat we buy will remain forever in common ownership and, in the long term, will be used as an asset that will allow the co-op to grow and house more people.
This might not solve the housing crisis, but it will remove one more property out of the hands of greedy landlords and give it back to the community. We honestly can’t think of a better way to use our collective resources!
The ask
We need to raise around £200K in the coming months and we are asking our friends, comrades and supporters to contribute via Loanstock
What are Loanstocks – these are loans that are given to housing co-ops for a set period of time (minimum five years, but, ideally, longer) and are repaid in full (as a single sum) at the end of that period.
It would be brilliant if you can lend us the money with no interest, but, if you need a return on your investment, please speak to us, as we can offer a small interest each year (better than your savings account!).
Loanstocks are legally arranged, but rest assured – MAJ has never defaulted on any of its loans and your money will be in safe hands!
(or download a printable version of the form here)
You can make a direct bank transfer (of loanstocks or donations) to:
Mary Ann Johnson Housing Co-op
Account number: 65007763
Sort code: 089299
For loanstocks, please make sure you also fill in the form above (online or send us a printed version) to let us know your loan terms.
We would love to chat to you about this, explain it all in more detail (including sharing our financial documents) and discuss how best you can help us make this dream a reality.
Don’t have money but know some rich folks who might be up for helping a small rad co-op? Feel free to share this page or direct them to us.
With gratitude, love and solidarity,
MAJ Housing Co-op members
Now that all our current members in need of housing are finally housed, we’ve been discussing next steps. We are thinking about the financial, organisational and political issues involved in further expansion (getting more members and seeking another property), while also trying to be more ‘outward-facing’ and engaged locally. We are supporting two London groups with advice and help to set up as housing co-ops and acquire housing, and are aiming to collaborate further with other local groups and individuals around housing issues – this should (hopefully!) become easier as covid gradually recedes…
We are getting solar panels installed on two of our houses, and are looking into buying the freehold on our flat, so that our homes become more sustainable and secure.
MAJ members continue to be involved in Haringey Solidarity Group, Rebel City, St Ann’s Redevelopment Trust, PCU (the therapists’ trade union), local food co-ops and choirs. We continue to be active in Radical Routes (mainly Secretarial Working Group). We have one member currently doing the Co-op Culture Barefoot Co-op Development Training, and hopes that this can be put to good use in Radical Routes and locally.
Not much going on in the gardens at present, but our Disco Shed (built at Manor Road last summer) has been a focal point of several outdoor social gatherings during autumn and winter!
We’re looking forward to seeing more people in real life again and not just on Zoom, and hoping for better days ahead…
We did it! MAJ purchased a new ground floor flat in Tottenham at the beginning of the year, securing a family home for two tenants. It is such a sense of achievement when we get another property under our belts because every home we secure takes the power and profit away from unscrupulous landlords and places it with us, the tenants. As is always the case when Mary Ann Johnson Housing Co-op buy somewhere, the new place is a real fixer upper and we are having to work hard to get it livable before our members move in. And there is always more work to be done when you get stuck into it, as we discovered when we began work on the bathroom.
Having thought it was a simple task of stripping the old tiles and replacing with new, we discovered that the plasterboard wall behind the shower was damp and unsound, so instead of just replacing tiles we will also have to remove and replace a portion of internal wall. At one point during our Sunday work day, three hammer and chisel wielding co-op members were busily ripping out tiles which was all good messy fun!
Other rooms were given a fresh lick of paint, and despite the horrific weather caused by Storm Ciara another work party busied it’s-self clearing stuff out of the rain lashed back garden.
There is still a lot more to do, from fixing the boiler to making space for a fridge (we can’t figure out where the previous tenants kept theirs – there is no space for one or sign that one ever existed in the kitchen!) and other structural issues, as well as decorating, laying floor coverings and getting it cosy. It’s a lot of work but satisfying to think that this is an affordable home to be managed by its tenants and not by greedy landlords for profit. Thank you so much as always to our funders who make all of this work possible – your generosity means one more Tottenham family have a secure and affordable home.
Mary Ann Johnson Housing co-op 
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