Who decides?
The private housing cooperative is governed by a board of directors whose members are elected, and can be discharged, at the cooperative’s annual general meeting, or AGM. The statutes of the housing cooperative specify what is your responsibility, and what is the responsibility of the cooperative. In simple terms, as the tenant-owner you generally make decisions about your home and any grounds belonging to it, while the cooperative is in charge of the building and land generally. If, however, you want to make any major changes that affect the structure of the home in some way, such as electricity or plumbing, you must have the cooperative’s permission.
Board or AGM
The ultimate decision-maker depends on the matter in question. Some decisions are made by the housing cooperative board, while others need to be passed on to the cooperative’s AGM, where all members have the right to vote. The exact details of all this will be regulated in your cooperative’s statutes.
Statutes and laws
The housing cooperative’s statutes are the regulations for members’ joint interests. If there is any doubt about a matter in the building, the statutes can usually resolve the issue. There are also laws and regulations governing how a private housing cooperative should work; these include the Swedish Cooperative Housing Act and the Swedish Co-operative Associations Act.