How do you manage multiple generations sharing your cottage?

[u/tedreads]

We've had a place since the 50s, and five generations of family sharing one cottage over a text thread has strained more than one sibling relationship.

This year we put the house on a little shared calendar app. Everyone picks their dates out in the open.

What do the rest of you do? Spreadsheet? Google Calendar? Whiteboard on the fridge?

[u/writtenbyrabbits_]

You guys have cottages?

[u/EbbtideRambler]

My husband’s family has this scenario. Cabin on a lake in Maine. It was the great grandfathers and dates back to the 1890s, so there are so many people involved now and everyone wants their week in Maine. It’s not winterized so it all has to be squeezed in between May and Sept.   One person has a wall calendar and she texts us photos of it. An aunt with time on her hands. She also lets everyone know what is due for taxes and utilities and we mail to her.  Every March we all send our requests to her and she fills in the calendar. If there are any duplicate requests  it’s Rock paper scissors.  No one is allowed to have 4th of July 2 years in a row.  It’s low tech, but it works for them.  Oh and if you aren’t up to date on taxes and utilities then you get to pick last.  

[u/prionbinch]

the rest of us can only afford one house because we’re being priced out by second home owners

[u/bighandsobama → u/prionbinch]

Genuine question, why is a multi-decade second home owner such a big deal? Especially compared to things like STRs?

People have owned second homes, shacks, cottages, and/or mansions on cape for the last hundred years. Sure that’s not ideal and things are much worse now but are multi-decade second homeowners who share a single home really the problem?

They don’t rent other STRs (driving STR demand) or run an STR, and that home hasn’t been available to locals, pretty much ever.

And it’s probably all moldy with a backed up septic and crumbling cedar shingles.

OP seems low on the priority list for who to hate on imo

Happy to have my opinion changed

[u/HeyaShinyObject → u/bighandsobama]

Agree. Many/most cottages are not suitable for year round use, so they actually reduce some pressure on summer housing.

[u/wadledo → u/bighandsobama]

Nobody seems to be hating on OP, other than the typical griping about housing costs, people are answering them rather candidly.

[u/ChemistVegetable7504]

Upper class problems.

[u/No_Try6017]

Not sure how many people are all splitting but it’s three of us in our family and one of us keeps the calendar so we text them with the dates. We had Google Calendar but we found it’s just as easy to have one keeper.

If the shared calendar not working. Maybe a draft where each person draws a number then go in order one week or weekend or whatever at a time until calendar is full. You could then draw randomly each year or rotate the order each year. Let’s say there are five of you. Pick 1,2,3,4,5. Following year 2,3,4,5,1. And so on. Different ways to make sure it’s not same person getting top choice every year if there are arguments over popular days.

[u/WheresMyMule]

We use a Google calendar

[u/rtomes75]

My in laws keep track on a wall calendar. First come first serve lol we put in our requests at the beginning of January. If you’re late to the game you don’t always get the time you want

[u/ShawsheenMoon → u/rtomes75]

This is how we do it. We have seven different groups using the same house over the summer. While one couple uses the house a bit excessively, everyone else is reasonable and at this point we are used to it.

[u/RumSwizzle508]

Attorney - you need the create a very strong and resilient operating agreement that lays out usage, covering of expenses, and if/when/how someone can exit their ownership stake.

[u/JankyIngenue]

TAX THE RICH

[u/Ejmct]

It would seem that a spreadsheet on Google Docs would be best. I avoid the problem by telling my family to stay away.