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Be a part of our community

The new member application for the 2023-2024 school year is below, along with our summer 2023 sublease form and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If you have any other questions about the application process, feel free to email membership@chum.coop.

Frequently Asked Questions

After filling out an application, you must undergo a brief interview - someone from the New Membership Committee will contact you to schedule a time. You will also need to schedule a house tour.

If your application is accepted, you will be notified and then given a preliminary room assignment. You will be able to request a different room, and we will honor your request as best as we can.

Once room assignments are finalized, you must attend a new member orientation in the summer. You will then sign a lease and a membership contract and pay a security deposit and a $65 annual membership fee. You will be contacted if you were placed in a preliminary housing configuration and reminded to attend a house tour.

There are many factors that affect one's acceptance into CHUM. Some of these include being able to sign a 12 month lease, meeting with other members, or a general match for cooperative living. We primarily judge applicants based on their suitability for and interest in a cooperative living environment that involves living with people with different backgrounds and life experiences.

Check the calendar for any upcoming events, or reach out to membership@chum.coop.

Rent can range from $550-650/mo for a single room and $350-400/mo for a shared room (not including utilities). You will also be asked to split house-wide charges equally amongst your housemates. These charges will be decided upon by members of your house and will include utilities, food, and home supplies (cleaning supplies, storage supplies, etc.). If you are very price-conscious, note that sharing a room will reduce your expenses considerably. There are a limited number of single rooms in the lower end of the price range quoted above.

Our current houses have a move-in date of August 1. All houses run on a 12-month lease cycle, so you will have to pay for a full consecutive 12 months no matter what. We can try to accommodate people who are unable to pay for the full consecutive 12 months, but we not only prioritize applicants who will be in the house for an entire year, but are also often simply logistically unable to accomodate people who will not be. Finding a subletter is ultimately YOUR responsibility, and if your subletter fails to pay rent or damages the house in some way, YOU are responsible.

In some ways, yes, as we are only looking for people who are willing to commit to a cooperative lifestyle and the democratic decisions made by the organization in the form of our bylaws and collaborative events like house dinners and potlucks. Also, you must be able to commit to the full lease term. Finding a subletter is your responsibility, not ours, though we'll try to help in any way possible! Finally, because we are an affordable housing organization, we seek to maintain a certain percentage of residents who are low-income. However, keep in mind that spaces have filled up very quickly in past years.

CHUM is not the best fit for everyone, and we take this into consideration in our membership and placement processes. That being said, the main reason that many people don’t get into CHUM is simply due to the fact that we have a limited number of spots each year. Even if you are not offered placement in CHUM, you might still be added to a waitlist and have a chance of getting into CHUM in the case of someone else dropping out.