Anywhere from 12 up to 36 households seems to work best. Each community must decide its own policy based on the size of the site, etc. Most communities are happy to accommodate pets. Again, each community creates its own policy based on the specific needs of its residents. It is usually fairly easy to work with a variety of requirements, especially since residents are not dependent on common meals.
Residents form committees to carry out the work of the community.
Each community must decide for itself. A minimum level typically includes cooking dinner in the common house once per month and participating on a work committee or two. After the hard work of the planning stage and the transitional first months after moving in, most communities need to meet formally only once a month. Cohousing rentals are not yet widely available. Few cohousing households can afford to own a second unit, especially if the monthly costs cannot be covered by the rental income.