once upon a house
“The accounts became clear, and Sundays lighter.”
- The house
In the beginning there was a big, lovely family, and a country house left by the grandparents straight to the grandchildren. Grown up by then, they each had their own household, with great-grandchildren. A pool to open in April, firewood to bring in at All Saints, endless works and improvements, often done by the grandchildren's dad, who paid for things up front. And in the end, three households from the same family who became owners, to look after it and share its costs.
- The mess
Receipts piled up in a drawer. Transfers went out “for the pool” in a group chat. Grandad paid for the winter's firewood without asking for anything, and the spreadsheet someone had started, nobody opened any more.
- The idea
So we built an app, just for our house. Everyone adds what they pay, the app reminds us of the deadlines, and on the 1st of the month everyone knows where things stand. A third party who pays up front can have an account to open the Cocôtte and upload their invoices. They get paid back without having to ask, and without being counted in the overall split.
- Cocôtte
Thousands of shared houses, flats and chalets live the same thing. Cocôtte is that app, open to everyone: every shared place becomes a Cocôtte.