Natural building materials, insulation, energy advice, housing co-ops and shared living.
Insulating the roof and replacing old windows usually comes before a new heating system, and an energy adviser can tell you which work to do first. For another way of living, there are housing co-ops and shared-living projects.
France Rénov’ is the French public service for home energy renovation, run by the national housing agency Anah. Its advisers give free, neutral advice on insulation, heating, ventilation and the…
Alternative to commercial renovation companies that cold-call households and sell expensive works
Keywords
Categories
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is an environmental charity near Machynlleth in mid-Wales that teaches low-carbon building, eco-renovation and renewable energy through free information…
Alternative to conventional building and renovation that ignores energy and materials
Keywords
Categories
The Community Land Trust Network is the charity for community land trusts in England and Wales: local, member-controlled non-profits that own land so that the homes on it stay affordable for local…
Alternative to speculative housing whose prices follow the market, not local wages
Keywords
Categories
Compagnons Bâtisseurs is a French network of associations that helps low-income tenants and owners repair and renovate their own homes themselves, with a building professional and volunteers at their…
Alternative to paying a contractor for every repair when money is short
Keywords
Categories
Energy Saving Trust is a British organisation that gives free, impartial advice on insulating and heating a home, and runs government advice services such as Home Energy Scotland, without selling or…
Alternative to energy advice from installers and sales companies that sell the product
Keywords
Categories
Habitat Participatif France is the national association of co-housing in France: groups of households who design, build or renovate their homes together and share some spaces, and it helps them find…
Alternative to buying a flat from a developer or renting alone
Keywords
Categories
The Wohnprojekte-Portal is a free German directory of about 890 co-housing projects and groups, run by the non-profit Stiftung trias, where people can find a shared housing project with room for them…
Alternative to looking for a flat alone on commercial property portals
Keywords
Categories
The ADIL (agences départementales d’information sur le logement) give free legal, financial and tax advice on housing in France: leases and rent, unpaid rent, co-ownership, buying a home, loans…
Alternative to paid legal advice and the vague answers of internet forums
Keywords
Categories
The Mietshäuser Syndikat is a German network of self-organised housing projects that buys buildings and takes them off the property market for good. It is an alternative to renting from investors and…
Alternative to renting from investors and real estate companies that resell for profit
Keywords
Categories
MAIF is a French mutual insurer, owned by its 4.2 million members, that insures homes, cars, bikes and borrowers. It became a société à mission in 2020 and gives 10 % of its profit to environmental…
Alternative to shareholder-owned insurers for home and car
Keywords
Categories
PAP, short for De Particulier à Particulier, is a French property listings site and magazine where private landlords and sellers advertise homes directly to tenants and buyers, without an estate…
Alternative to estate agents and their fees for renting or selling a home
Keywords
Categories
Build and renovate for the long run
Energy and heating
Education and training
Neighbourhood, community spaces and local networks
Repair and do it yourself
Renting and tenants’ rights
Law, consumer protection and advice
Work and cooperative economy
Banking, insurance and pensions
Mobility, cars and transport