House of Commons is a 21-bedroom housing cooperative located at in the "West Campus" area of Austin, a few blocks from The University of Texas at Austin main campus. The house has a capacity of 27 residents, with 15 single occupancy and 6 double occupancy rooms. We are part of the University of Texas Intercooperative Council, a non-profit student housing organization responsible for the ownership and maintenance of 9 cooperative houses. ICC is owned and operated by its members, and employs a minimal office staff for administrative and maintenance tasks.

HOC has an eclectic and diverse house culture, and has held a reputation for being a little "different" from the other houses in ICC. We come from all kinds of backgrounds and lifestyles -- what seems to unite us as a house are our individual differences. Meals are vegan with a vegetarian option. Most of the food purchased by the house is organically grown and produced. Meat is not allowed on the property. Despite being a vegan/vegetarian house, our members range in diet from strict vegan to omnivore. HOC tends to have a much higher ratio of non-students to students in comparison to other ICC houses. It has been debated whether this is because of our diversity, or is a cause of our diversity. Most likely, it is both. In any case, we are a motley crew. Our occupations range from undergraduate students to international/graduate students to working professionals. As a cooperative, the house provides a social structure that cannot be found in places such as dorms and apartments. House work is shared, which allows us to exist as a community and provide affordable housing. All major decisions involving the house are made using a system of modified consensus, allowing all members to participate in the decision-making process.

Facilities include a commercial-grade kitchen, large dining and living common areas, a salt-water pool, cabled and wireless network access with ethernet ports available in all bedrooms and main common areas, a business class internet connection, 2 shared telephone lines, a laundry room with commercial washers and dryers, vehicle parking, a rooftop sundeck, a spacious front porch, and an herb and vegetable garden. The house has central heating and window AC units in each bedroom.