Welcome to our recap of the March 14 Husmates Conference!

In today's housing market, buying a Toronto home on your own might not be feasible. But what if you found the right people to do it with? We are thrilled to welcome new potential co-owners into our community who are exploring this unconventional possibility. As a growing trend, co-ownership not only slashes the cost of homeownership but also helps us build intentional communities.

The energy in the room was incredible, and the post-event feedback proves it: the conference earned an impressive average rating of 8.6 out of 10. Even better, around 50% of attendees reported that the event increased their openness to co-owning a home with a stranger, validating that this is an active, viable option for the future of housing.

Here is a breakdown of the speaker discussions from our sessions, focusing on the power and practicalities of co-ownership.

Session 1: The Husmates Origin & Vision

Founders Lesli Gaynor and Parimal Gosai kicked off the day by sharing the origin story of Husmates. They emphasized that co-ownership is fundamentally about building community resilience, not just a financial transaction. They also highlighted the new Husmates match making app, which moves beyond simple credit score matching to focus heavily on shared values, lifestyle compatibility, and sharing daily tasks like childcare or dog care. (To find your match, signup to husmates new web app).

Session 2: Why Co-Ownership and Why Now?

Real estate expert Daniel Foch unpacked the current Canadian housing market, explaining how housing affordability is driven by prices, incomes, and interest rates. He highlighted that co-ownership allows the millennial generation to transform a two-income household's purchasing power into a four-income powerhouse, unlocking access to highly desirable neighborhoods. He also noted how recent upzoning policies present an opportunity to turn single-family lots into multiplexes, making this the perfect time to pool resources. (For more on this, visit CIty of Toronto’s website: Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods initiative)

Session 3: Building Better Cities – Co-Ownership for Creatives

Panelists Zahra Ebrahim, Rajni Perera and Reza Nik discussed the vital role that shared physical space plays for artists, sharing beautiful stories (and barriers) of how they currently navigate shared spaces.

Reza shared his experience running SHEEEP, an experimental architecture studio where planners, graphic designers, and artists share a space. By opening the studio to hot desks and workshops, it created a naturally collaborative and inspiring environment.
Rajni spoke about founding Capsules Studio, which provides artist studios and a shared fabrication commons. She noted how sharing expensive tools like power drills or circular saws is incredibly economical, and how sharing a workspace helps artists tighten up their work practices and build mutual respect.
Zahra brings her expertise as the co-founder of Monumental Projects, she emphasized that while forming a small group is an important first step, staying connected to a broader network of similar collectives is essential for effective advocacy. She noted that larger, unified groups are often more successful at communicating needs to the city and influencing municipal policy changes than individuals acting alone. Zahra described her own Toronto neighborhood as a "porous membrane" where neighbours seamlessly share items like table saws or hop the fence to share morning coffee. She noted that living this way provides daily practice in negotiating boundaries and resisting the feeling that we have to do everything all by ourselves.

Session 4: Mortgages

Mortgage broker Lesley Tenaglia and Husmates Founder Lesli Gaynor dug into the necessary financial practicalities. They explained the absolute golden rule of co-financing: "one debt, one mortgage, one house"—meaning every person on the title is 100% responsible for the loan, regardless of how the down payment was split. They stressed that financial contributions don't always have to be perfectly equal to make a deal work, but you must be "financially naked" and fully transparent with your group about your financial history before applying. They also noted that while bruised credit requires more navigation, it does not necessarily disqualify a group from obtaining a mortgage.

Session 5: Legal

Legal experts Nital Gosai and Leslie Robinson stressed the importance of sweeping agreements to protect everyone's investment. They described co-ownership as a viable alternative to the usual housing market, but emphasized the importance of formal legal preparation. They advised treating the contract as a living document, updating it when circumstances change, such as a change in relationship status. They suggested planning to sign the official paperwork in the window between signing your purchase offer and your actual closing date. To help manage legal fees, they recommended working out difficult topics with a realtor (husmates real estate co-ownership experts) —like conflict resolution and exit strategies—before starting the formal process with a lawyer (Brush up on this topic with our past blog: Creating your legal Agreements: Essential Steps and FAQs)

Session 6: Lived Experience

Our final panel featured Mike, Craig, Jackie, and Celia sharing the beautiful, messy day-to-day realities of their co-housing setups. Mike, Craig, and Jackie share a property featuring a duplex and a laneway house. They spoke about the benefits of sharing a vehicle, taking turns cooking meals, and dividing the mental load of homeownership—like having designated people for finances versus outdoor maintenance. They maintain distinct private entrances. Because of this layout, day-to-day encounters are minimal enough that they sometimes have to schedule time to see each other, though they enjoy the comfort of seeing “signs of life” from their co-owners through the windows. Celia shared her experience downsizing from a three-bedroom home to a custom laneway suite on her property, while sharing her main home.

Splitting the costs of owning a home is a complex process, but as we learned, following key guidelines like formalizing a legally binding agreement and assigning specific roles makes it incredibly manageable and rewarding. Co-ownership is deeply appealing because it allows you to secure your own private space while being part of a wider collective. It's a way to slash the cost of homeownership and gain a built-in community—maybe even living like you are in an episode of "Friends"!. If you haven't yet, download the Husmates app, start connecting with our new husmates members, and discover how collaborative homeownership can change your life.

Read more about Husmates and co-ownership: