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Introduction

My family has owned our cottage for more than 30 years. It is the one place that has been a constant for us. The grandchildren can’t remember a time without it and we can’t imagine our lives without it. We always said our father had found the secret to a good life: Surround yourself with loved ones and do the things that make you happy. Go to the cottage!

When I was growing up, many of my friends’ families also had cottages, and my contemporaries are now sharing their parents’ cottages. In today’s market, vacation/recreational property prices are on the rise and the availability of recreational property is on the decline, making the cost of owning a second home out of reach for many people. How many times have you wished you could just get away but thought you couldn’t afford it? It always seems that our desires exceed our pocketbooks by just enough to prevent our dreams from becoming a reality. This book will help you achieve your cottage dreams by providing simple steps for forming a partnership to share the costs of operating a cottage. Whether with family members or with friends, if you follow the cornerstones of our system, they will guide you to your own successful partnership!

If your family already owns a cottage, you may have considered how it could be run in the future. Perhaps you have visions of your cottage staying in the family for generations! Having a structured plan for shared use is crucial.

Many people tried to discourage our family from sharing our cottage.We all heard horror stories of families bickering or worse, not speaking— all because of a cottage. A family cottage can hold many intense emotional ties. If only one member of a family inherits it, the other siblings are reduced to begging at the door. Our cottage agreement is a straightforward, helpful way to avoid such stress. It will work not only for people inheriting a cottage but also for those who either can’t afford recreational property on their own or who choose to share a retreat with like-minded friends.

The breadth and width of variations for cottage ownerships are astounding. Although the cottages may vary, the people and their needs stay the same: we love to get away. We need somewhere to go where we will feel in touch with nature. Somewhere where everything doesn’t have to be perfect; where “good enough” will do.

Why Use These Rules?

The relationships of the people that share cottages are a mixture —some are family and some are acquaintances. (My husband shares a hunting camp with ten partners!)

This book and the accompanying paperwork set out a no-nonsense, easy-to-use guideline that deals with everything from succession to laundry. The rules work to prevent potential conflicts, so your relationship with your partners can be as close as two peas or as distant as strangers.Sharing the cottage is made simple with the power of The Cottage Rules !

Who Can Use These Rules?

• Parents planning to will their cottage to the children.

• Parents planning a partnership with the children (before passing away).

• Children easing their parents’ minds about the future use of the cottage.

• Partners forming a sporting/hunting camp.

• Friends or acquaintances purchasing a cottage, chalet, beach house, condo, or other recreational property together.

I think it is important to note that although The Cottage Rules were initially written for a mostly summer use lake-front property, these rules are applicable to any type of vacation or recreational property.

The systems described in this book will give you the plan you need to help you operate your shared property. Whether you have a ski lodge in the mountains, a seasonal hunting camp, or a coastal or island fishing cottage in the Caribbean, California, or the Riviera — no matter where you are in the world, or what type of building you are sharing — The Cottage Rules will work for you!

Every building and its accessories will require:

• Money to run them.

• Repairs to maintain them.

• Chores to clean them.

• Safety measures to follow.

You will also need a plan that outlines what steps to take when a partner leaves the partnership.

With The Cottage Rules as your guide, you can create your own, personalized set of rules that you will use to develop a solid partnership and prevent future disagreemtents. Every eventuality can be considered and dealt with, before its occurrence, saving you from the bickering that can befall a group with stressful decisions to make.

These rules can easily accommodate a broad range of partnerships and building types. Your recreational property will be run successfully with our simple plan to guide you!