Relocations and moves – Woodsworth Housing Co-operative

Membership Bylaw, Schedule B, Summary of Time Requirements for membership and unit allocation

Woodsworth Membership Bylaw #84: Schedule B, Summary of Time Requirements

Schedule B details the time requirements in the membership bylaw, including:
– restrictions and waiting periods for some new members can join the waiting lists for relocation
– expiry date for membership application forms after an information session
– timelines for Management and those on waiting lists when accepting or refusing unit offers, including priority moves
– move-in dates for internal and external waiting list members after accepting a unit
These were approved by members when they approved the Membership Bylaw.

1,4. Summary of Time Requirements

Schedule B at the end of this Bylaw is a summary of the time requirements for some actions by the co-operative or by applicants as required under this Bylaw and the Co-operative Corporations Act. In case of conflict the Co-operative Corporations Act and the Bylaw will govern over Schedule B.

Schedule B: Summary of Time Requirements
In case of conflict the Co-operative Corporations Act, the Occupancy and Organizational and this Bylaw will govern over this schedule.

2.3.2. Internal applicants

Internal applicants include residents approved by Woodsworth as long-term guests, children living in a member’s unit who will use the “turning sixteen” process, and returning members who wish to join Woodsworth again and move into their own unit.

Long-term guests (who become members):

2.3.3 (h) A resident who has become a member by living with existing member(s) must wait two (2) years from the date of becoming a member to take sole responsibility for that unit or to apply to relocate independently of that member.

Those already on the internal waiting list prior to confirmation of this bylaw by members on Sept 26, 2023 who joined the waiting list with a one year wait time are exempt from the new time period.

2.3.3 (i) They cannot join the internal waiting list until the required waiting period of two years has elapsed. Any period of time before Board approval as member is not included in the two years. However, they may be eligible to move with the rest of the household.

2.3.3 (j). They cannot inherit a unit alone until they have lived with the household for two (2) years. Exception: Occupancy Bylaw, Article 10.4 Death of a member.

2.3.4 (h-i) “Turning Sixteen’s” living with members (who become members):

A resident who has become a member by living with existing member(s) must wait two (2) years from the date of becoming a member to take sole responsibility for that unit or to apply to relocate independently of that member.

They cannot join the internal waiting list until the required waiting period of two (2) years has elapsed. Any period of time before Board approval as member is not included in the two years.

Those already on the internal waiting list prior to confirmation of this bylaw by members on Sept 26, 2023 who joined the waiting list with a one year wait time are exempt from the new time period.

2.3.5 Returning members:

The applicant(s) must have resided in the co-op as a member for two (2) years.

Application forms:

2.4 Internal and external applicants: Applicants must have attended an information session within three (3) months of submitting an application for membership.

Refused membership and appeals about membership:

3.2 Refused membership: Notice in writing within ten (10) business days of the date of the Board meeting.

3.3 Appeal of membership refusals: Notice of appeal must be received at the co-operative office within twenty (20) business days.

The co-operative will notify the applicant in writing of the Board’s decision within ten (10) business days of the Board meeting at which the decision was made.

3.5 Record of refusals – The co-operative will maintain a written record of refusals for a period of at least seven (7) years after the day the letter was given to the applicant.

Internal unit offers

Minimum Period of Residence for internal waiting list

5.1.2 (a) Joining the internal waiting list: Must be a member resident for a minimum of two (2) years immediately prior to submitting an application to transfer. Article 5.1.2 (a) Minimum period of residence

Restrictions on joining the internal waiting list – long-term guests and turning 16s

5.1.2. (b). There is a wait time of two years after becoming a member before being able to join the internal waiting list. This applies to long-term guests who applied for membership and for those using the Turning Sixteen (16) process. See Articles 2.3.3 and 2.3.4.

Restrictions on joining the internal waiting list – arrears

5.1.2 (c) A household in arrears cannot be on the internal waiting list except a rent-geared-to-income household that is required to move due to government requirements

If member cannot be contacted considered a refusal

5.5.1 If the co-operative is unable to contact the member next in line on the internal waiting list within three (3) business days, the unit will be offered to the next eligible member on the internal waiting list. It is considered a refusal.

Notification of Acceptance of a unit by applicant:

5.5.2 Households on the internal waiting list that have been offered a unit for which they are eligible, must notify the co-operative within three (3) business days whether they wish to accept the unit. If they fail to do so, they will be considered to have refused the unit.

Refusal of a unit (internal waiting list):

5.5.3. Households that are not required to move that have requested a transfer, may refuse up to two (2) units that have been offered and retain their position on the internal waiting list. After the third refusal, the household is moved to the bottom of all waiting lists.

Refusal of a unit if required to move

5.5.4 Households required to move are allowed three (3) refusals only.
See Housing Charge Subsidy Bylaw, Article 2.6. Procedures for over-housing and Occupancy Bylaw, Article 9.4 (d) Three offers

Refusals (priority status waiting list)

5.5.5 Households that have been given special priority status for an internal move as defined in Article 5.2 1 (Priority Internal Waiting List) will be offered three (3) opportunities to accept a unit based on their Accommodation Plan. After three refusals, the household will be removed from the priority waiting list. The member can apply for the internal waiting list.

Moving date when relocating (internal)

5.5.7 Once a member on the internal waiting list has accepted a unit, the member must vacate their unit and move into the new unit on the date specified when the unit was offered.

Members will be provided with at least thirty (30) days notice for an internal relocation.

External moves – see 6.2.8 Moving into Woodsworth: taking occupancy

External unit offers

Offers to applicants on the external waiting list

6.2 (a) Time limit

A household offered a unit will be given three (3) business days to decide whether to accept the unit and sign the Occupancy Agreement.

6.2 (b) Missed time limit considered refusal

If the household does not within three (3) business days, inform the co-operative office that it accepts the unit and signs the Occupancy Agreement, it will be considered to have refused the unit.

If an external applicant cannot be contacted

6.2.4 If the co-operative is unable to contact the household with top placement on the external waiting list within three (3) business days, the unit will be offered to the next eligible household. The first household will be skipped over but will retain its rank on the waiting list.

Refusal of units (external)

6.2.5 Households may refuse up to three units that have been offered and retain their position on the external waiting list. If they refuse three units that meet their stated criteria, they will be moved to the bottom of the waiting list.

No matter how many unit types or sizes or criteria the applicant indicates on their application form, the number of allowed refusals does not change. Management will keep a record of refusals.

Moving into Woodsworth: taking occupancy

6.2.8 If a household on the external waiting list accepts a unit that has been offered to them, they will not be required to take occupancy and commence payment of the housing charges until the first day of the third month following the offer. If the unit is vacant earlier, the household must make all reasonable efforts to move in and commence paying the housing charges earlier, if it can be done without financial loss to them.

For internal moves, see 5.5.7 Moving date when relocating

7. Appeals of waiting list decisions

7.2 Appeals for the waiting list

The applicant will receive ten (10) days’ notice in writing of the consideration of the appeal by the Board of Directors.

The co-operative will notify the applicant in writing of the Board’s decision within ten (10) business days of the Board meeting at which the decision was made.

On the internal waiting list to relocate? This is for you!

The new Membership Bylaw #84 passed in September 2023 and clarified some rules about relocating in the co-op. Please review this to see if it is in your best interests to update your relocation form.

Who will live in the new unit: To join a waiting list, the household must meet occupancy standards for the new unit – a minimum of one person per bedroom except a single person may have a 2-bedroom unit in the mid-rise or Wilton Street.

All prospective occupants of the requested unit must be listed on the Internal Relocation Application form. Members will be allocated a unit based on their household size when they are offered a unit and must meet Woodsworth’s occupancy standards. Applicants, please update Management on contact information and household names. Changing unit size or occupant names does not change your position on the waiting list.

New members who have joined as long-term guests or Turning 16s must be a member for two years before joining the internal waiting list. (Anyone already on the waiting list when the bylaw was approved on September 26, 2023 only needs to meet the old requirement of 1 year.)

Unit preferences: Applicants can put their names down for a maximum of two choices at any one time, for any units they qualify for. They can change their choices in writing without losing their position on the waiting list. Applicants may specify that they only wish to live in a particular area of the co-operative, a particular type of unit or a particular unit or units. Applicants are skipped over if the available unit does not meet the criteria selected by them.

Adding criteria does not give the household any priority for units. Being skipped for this reason does not count as a refusal. However adding special requests may delay being offered a unit.

Accepting or refusing a unit offer: If the co-operative is unable to contact the member next in line on the internal waiting list within three (3) business days, the unit will be offered to the next eligible member on the internal waiting list.

The original member will retain their position on the internal waiting list but the household will be considered to have refused the unit. The co-operative will maintain written records of the contacts made with each household including date and time of contact.

Households must notify Management within three (3) business days whether or not they wish to accept the unit. If they fail to do so, they will be considered to have refused the unit.

Households may refuse up to three units that have been offered and retain their position on the internal waiting list. When an applicant refuses three units that meet their own criteria on the relocation form, they will be moved to the bottom of all internal waiting lists.

Moving date when relocating: Once a member on the internal waiting list has accepted a unit, the member must move into the new unit on the date specified when the unit was offered. Members will be provided with at least thirty (30) days notice for an internal relocation.

For details about joining the waiting list and more, see the Membership Bylaw, Article 5.

The Internal Relocation Application form is part of the Membership Bylaw, Schedule E. There are copies in the Photocopy Room and on the here on the co-op website.

Moving out: leaving Woodsworth

Each member must give advance written notice of termination to the co-op when they will be moving out. The details of termination date and required notice are in the Occupancy Bylaw, Article 10.2. For most months, you must give at least 60 days notice starting from the first of the month. February and March have slightly different notice periods.

If part of a household moves out, the member who is leaving must notify Management in writing. If it is a long-term guest who is leaving, the members who continue to live in the unit must notify the co-op within ten days. They must do this whether or not that person gave notice. While this is true of all households, those receiving housing charge subsidy are also required to do this based on the Housing Charge Subsidy Bylaw, Article 4.4 as well as the Occupancy Bylaw.

A person’s membership and occupancy rights end on the first day that person no longer occupies the unit as a principal residence.

See the Occupancy Bylaw, Section 10. How Members Withdraw from the Co-op.

The Move-Out Bylaw talks about the Co-op’s expectations about the move-out condition of units. It is available in the Bylaw binder in the Photocopy Room and on the co-op website.

Summary of unit allocation procedures

This summary is based on the Membership Bylaw #84 covers internal and external waiting lists:

– Internal relocation requests
– Exceptions: There are some cases where a member or household can’t join the internal waiting list.
– Splitting households (internal)
– External waiting lists for units
– All unit allocations, internal and external
– Unit preferences, internal and external
– Making and receiving unit offers – Woodsworth alternates between waiting lists of the same size.
– Timelines for contacting people, and accepting units, for internal and external unit allocations.
– No fee.
– Move-in date requirements
– Special situations

Internal relocation requests

(a) Members normally are allowed to apply to relocate within Woodsworth.

(b) Members may apply to transfer to any size or type of unit that meets applicable occupancy standards.

(c) Households living in Woodsworth and Returning Members who have been approved by the Board of Directors as members may join the internal waiting list. Households must apply using the Relocation request form. [Membership Bylaw #84, Article 5.7]

(d) There are copies of the Internal Relocation Application form in the Photocopy Room and on the co-op website.

(e) Position on the internal waiting list

An applicant’s place on the internal waiting list is determined by the date that a completed Request for Internal Relocation form is received by the co-operative office, subject to any restrictions on joining the waiting lists, regardless of unit size request changes.

2. Exceptions: There are some cases where a member or household can’t join the internal waiting list.

(a) A household in arrears can’t be on the waiting list. (Exception: on subsidy) [Article 5.1.2 c]

(b) Minimum period of residence in a unit – Members must live in their unit for at least two (2) years before they can apply to relocate. This applies to all relocation requests . However the Board may waive it. See Article 5.2.5. [Article 5.1.2 a]

(c) New members who became members as long-term guests or Turning 16s must wait two years after Board approval of membership before joining the internal waiting list. Exception: if already on the waiting list as of Sept 26, 2023, the old bylaw of 1 year wait applies. [Article 5.1.2 b]

They cannot join the internal waiting list until the required waiting period of two years has elapsed. The time the new member lived in the co-op previously to becoming a member does not count as part of the 2 years’ wait. [Article 2.3.3 I]

They cannot inherit a unit alone until they have lived with the household for two (2) years after membership approval. Exception: Occupancy Bylaw, Article 10.4 Death of a member. However, they may be eligible to move with the rest of the household.

See restrictions on joining the waiting list in Article 5.1.2 (b).

3. Splitting households (internal)

(a) This is in the Occupancy Bylaw but the new Membership Bylaw has more specific information.

(b) There may be a requirement to move if one or more occupants move out and the remaining household does not meet occupancy standards. [Occupancy Bylaw Article 9.4] unless the remaining household has lived in the unit for three years and achieved tenure. For details see [Occupancy Bylaw, 9.4a].

(c) The households on subsidy have their own rules on occupancy. See Appendix C of the Occupancy Bylaw and the Housing Charge Subsidy Bylaw.

4. External waiting lists for units

(a) Households who used the external membership process and have been approved by the Board as members are put on the external waiting list. (Staff transfers the information from the application form to the external waiting list. All prospective occupants must be listed.) [Article 6.1]

(b) Management transfers requests from the external application form to the external waiting lists.

(c) Position on the external waiting list
The record date for determining an applicant’s place on the co-operative’s external waiting list will be the date when a completed application is received by the office.

5. All unit allocations, Internal and External

(a) All prospective occupants of the requested unit must be listed on the application form in order to meet occupancy standards.

(b) All households must meet occupancy standards for the unit size they have requested. There is a minimum of 1 occupant per bedroom except for the mid-rise and Wilton Street where a single member household can have a 2-bedroom unit. [Article 4 c, Article 4d]

(c) The household can be made of up people currently living in the co-op or those who will apply for long-term guest status when a unit is offered to their family / household. [Article 4e]

(d) Management handles waiting lists, unit offers, and moves. Applicants, please update Management on contact information and household names. Delays in response may affect your position on the waiting lists.

6. Unit preferences, internal and external

(a) Applicants can join the lists for a maximum of two choices at any one time, for any unit for which they qualify. [Article 4g]

(b) Applicants may specify that they only wish to live in a particular area of the co-operative, a particular floor, a particular type of unit or a particular unit or units.

(c) Adding special requests may delay being offered a unit. See 5.2.4 (b). This information is listed in the relocation application form.

(d) Applicants are skipped over by Management if the available unit does not meet the criteria selected by the member. This does not count as a refusal. [Article 4h]

(e) Adding criteria such as location does not give the household any priority for units when their preferred unit becomes available. They must be next on the waiting list when a match comes up for their preference. Adding criteria does not give the household the right to skip members above them on the waiting list. [Article 4h] [Article 5.2.4b]

(f) Members can make changes to unit size or other preferences or household names without losing their place on the waiting list. [Article 4g]

7. Making and receiving unit offers – Woodsworth alternates between waiting lists of the same size.

[This is the full Membership Bylaw Article 4.1]

(a) The co-operative will fill vacancies alternately from the internal and external waiting lists unless there is someone with established special priority for that sized unit. See Article 5.2.1 about priority list.

(b) Alternation of waiting lists applies to all sized units: 1, 2. 3 and 4 bedroom units.

(c) One (1) of each unit size will be filled from the internal waiting list and then the next available of that unit size will be filled from the external waiting list. Each unit size (bedroom) waiting list operates independently.

(d) One bedroom units will be filled alternately between the one bedroom internal and external waiting lists.

Two bedroom units will be filled alternately between the two bedroom internal and external waiting lists.

Three bedroom units will be filled alternately between the three bedroom internal and external waiting lists.

Four bedroom units will be filled alternately between the four bedroom internal and external waiting lists

(e) If no one on the appropriate waiting list is qualified for or accepts the available unit, the alternate waiting list for that size unit will be used.

(f) Only moves from the regular internal and external waiting lists count for alternating between internal and external wait lists. A priority move doesn’t count as an internal move. Allocation of wheelchair adapted units does not count as an internal or external move.

8. Timelines for contacting people, and accepting units, for internal and external unit allocations.

(a) Contacting people with unit offers: if unable to contact the person next in line on the waiting list within three (3) business days, the unit will be offered to the next eligible member. It is considered a refusal. [Internal – Article 5.5.1] [External – Article 6.2.4]

(b) Making a decision: a household offered a unit will be given three (3) business days to decide whether to accept the unit [Internal – Article 5.5.2] [External – Article 6.2a]

(d) No matter how many unit types or sizes or criteria the member indicates on their Request for Internal Relocation or application form, the number of allowed refusals does not change. [Internal – Article 5.5.3] [External – Article 6.2.5]

(e) No reply or no contact/no response counts as a refusal. [Internal – Article 5.5.1], [External – Article 6.2.4]

(f) For Priority Moves, after three refusals, they are removed from the priority waiting list. Management must notify the member. [Article 5.5.5]

(g) Once a unit is accepted, the household is removed from the waiting list for other sizes or types of unit. [Article 4k]

9. No fee

There is no relocation nor application fee. [Article 5]

10. Move-in date requirements

(a) Internal waiting list: Members will be provided with at least thirty (30) days notice for an internal relocation. [5.5.7]

(b) External list: They will not be required to take occupancy and commence payment of the housing charges until the first day of the third month following the offer, approximately sixty (60) days. [6.2.8]

11. Special situations

(a) There is a priority waiting list.
Members who require accommodation for disabilities or other special circumstances can request a priority move. There are special rules in place for this. See Management. See Article 5.2.1 of the Membership Bylaw and Schedule F.

(b) A few units designated as wheelchair adapted are filled differently. See Article 9 of the Membership Bylaw, Wheelchair adapted units.

See the Membership Bylaw #84 and the relocation application form