Menu
People are at the center of everything we do. We have discovered the perfect balance of bedrooms to common areas, optimizing layouts based on group size, social dynamics and long-term use.
We take great pride in how our homes feel, and our residents take great care of them. We put extra care into making spaces that feed the soul, including thoughtful details and higher-end furnishings.
We are systems thinkers and builders. We’ve designed elegant solutions to unique domestic needs like food sharing, applicant interviews, and how to do the dishes. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel!
We approach housing as a service, and are constantly looking for new ways to be helpful to our residents. We are developing a suite of add-on services to plug in to the community.
Our members are all about collaboration, so joining OpenDoor means access to brilliant, creative and well-connected friends in your home and beyond.
We are digital natives, using technology to make it easier to live in community. From rent payments to door codes to decision making, we’ve built tons of solutions.
Sharing a home means sharing a kitchen, and collaborating with friends to cook, eat and clean.
We equip our kitchens with everything from pots + pans, plates and bowls, mugs and forks down to spatulas and tupperware. We also add special extras like espresso makers and Vita-Mix blenders- its a dream kitchen!
We furnish the common areas to feel cozy and serve a range of needs and uses- from dinner parties to acoustic music nights and group discussions.
The living rooms, dining rooms, outdoor patios and other shared spaces are laid out, furnished and decorated with a balance of beauty, functionality, adaptability and durability.
Our homes have a mix of shared bathrooms and private ensuite bathrooms in the bedroom.
When sharing, most folks share with 1 to 3 others, and generally shared baths are available to all, meaning if one is occupied, another is available for use.
Many residents leave daily toiletries in the bathroom, and store specialty items in their bedrooms.
Each resident has a space to call their own. Since most of our residents are long-term, we generally only furnish bedrooms when it's necessary to optimize the layout. We never do bunk-beds or double-occupancy rooms- we feel its important for people to have their own refuge.
Our homes are always located in neighborhoods in which it's possible to live without a car. We prioritize access to rapid transit and walkable to restaurants, coffeeshops and stores.
We provide ample secure bike parking at our homes that is dry and easy to access.
Less than half of our residents choose to have cars. Onsite parking varies by property, but is generally limited and is an additional fee.
We have shared food programs at all of our homes. Residents buy groceries collectively, elegantly managing for all unique diets and needs. "Family dinner" usually happens about twice a week, and meal prep rotates among residents who pair up to cook for the group.
We have shared food programs at all of our homes. Residents buy groceries collectively, elegantly managing for all unique diets and needs. "Family dinner" usually happens about twice a week, and meal prep rotates among residents who pair up to cook for the group.
We don't allow pets at any OpenDoor properties- sorry!
This is due to three main reason:
1) Allergies - having pets would mean people with pet allergies would not be able to live in the home.
2) Fairness - with 12 housemates, you can't have 12 dogs! So it wouldn't be fair to allow one person a pet and not another.
3) Wear and tear.
We hold all the utility accounts, so you don't have to worry about paying them, splitting cost, etc.
We also manage the wifi system professionally, because let's face it- no one is happy when the internet is down!
In some of our older properties we bill separately for utilities and pass through the exact cost of utilities per resident. In our newer homes utilities are included in the cost of the rent.
In many of our new development projects we are building renewable energy systems onsite, and we're always looking for ways to improve the energy efficiency of our homes.
Romantic couples are welcome, and usually comprise around 20% of our residents. There is a couples fee which helps to cover the additional maintenance + utilities in the property.
It's none of our business, but we advise residents to be extra considerate about entering into romantic relationships with their housemates. That said, we've had a number of happy couples emerge in our homes!
We do our best to provide some personal storage space for a few boxes, camping gear, sports equipment, etc.
When space is tight, we sometimes charge for storage lockers to make it fair.
Every resident of an OpenDoor home has some kind of chore or responsibility. Participation and contribution is how a healthy community operates, and we all clean up after ourselves. Residents self-distribute chores by matching up with things they care about.
In some of our newer projects, OpenDoor provides deep cleans every other month- deep cleaning tile grout, washing windows, cleaning floors, etc.
As humans, we need to learn to steward the shared resources in our world, and not leave a mess for the next generation. That starts with the dishes! In all of our homes, there is a strict No-Dishes-In-the-Sink policy that is passionately upheld by silly antics and humorous reproach.
Living in community is an opportunity to improve collaboration skills and learn how to share resources, make compromises, and coexsist as a group.
We train residents with a house meeting process and governance model that allows the group to make agreements and settle ongoing issues around the house.
Many small decisions are made online over Slack, where residents can communicate with each other and the OpenDoor team.
We believe that for a strong community to emerge, residents need to have choice over who they share their home with.
So when a room opens up, residents get the first chance to send us their preference of who they would like to move in. Over 5 years, we have filled over 95% of open rooms with these referrals from existing residents.
When someone new moves in, OpenDoor does an orientation call to welcome them, and there is also a property-specific onboarding checklist that our community manager runs them through to make sure they are well set up in their new home. Existing residents then welcome them into the fray and show them the ropes even further.
Our homes are great places to entertain. From weekly dinner parties to special acoustic music nights, we've crafted event guidelines for you to host events without annoying your housemates or your neighbors.
We also support resident-driven events that welcome the whole OpenDoor community, encouraging residents across all the homes to connect.
People are always amazed to hear how little conflict happens in our homes. In part, it's because we encourage a culture of honesty and transparency. But we also provide professional mediation and conflict resolution if a community needs support in working something out.
We also provide regular trainings and workshops on respectful and honest communication.
