OurSharedPlace

About OurSharedPlace

OurSharedPlace is the essential digital command center for families and friends who co-own a vacation property. It solves the inevitable chaos of shared ownership by replacing scattered spreadsheets, endless group texts, and lost email threads with one unified, professional platform. This tool is a non-negotiable for any group managing a shared asset, whether it's a beach house, mountain cabin, or ski chalet. Its core value is eliminating preventable conflicts and administrative headaches, allowing co-owners to focus on enjoyment instead of coordination. By centralizing every critical aspect of property management—from booking and maintenance to finances and communication—OurSharedPlace transforms a complex logistical challenge into a simple, streamlined process. It is the definitive solution for groups who need to enforce fair usage, preserve shared knowledge, track expenses transparently, and protect their investment through organized care. Without it, co-owners risk double-bookings, financial disputes, and the gradual deterioration of both the property and group harmony.

Features of OurSharedPlace

Centralized Booking Calendar

The shared calendar is the essential foundation for preventing conflicts. It allows co-owners to coordinate stays visually, set approval rules, and establish usage quotas to ensure fairness. Crucially, it can be exported via iCal to sync with personal calendars (Google, Apple, Outlook) and major rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. This automatic sync is mandatory to block dates universally and eliminate the risk of double-booking, whether from internal use or external rentals.

Integrated Financial Tracking

This feature is critical for transparent and dispute-free co-ownership. It provides a centralized ledger to track all shared expenses, rental income, and member contributions. The system automatically calculates who owes what and suggests optimal settlement methods to minimize transaction complexity. An annual one-click reset function is indispensable for cleaning the slate each fiscal year, ensuring financial clarity and accountability are always maintained.

Secure Document & Knowledge Hub

Losing essential property information is a constant risk without a dedicated repository. OurSharedPlace provides secure, organized storage for all vital documents, including appliance manuals, warranties, contractor contracts, and receipts. Beyond files, it captures and preserves shared knowledge through a private blog and discussion board for check-in procedures, local tips, and maintenance notes, ensuring institutional memory is never lost.

Role-Based Member Management

Effective management requires controlled access. This feature allows you to invite all co-owners and assign them roles (Admin, Member, Guest) with appropriate permissions. Admins have full control, members can book and participate, and guests have limited view-only access. This structure is necessary to maintain security, organize communication, and ensure that sensitive financial or operational data is only visible to the right people.

Use Cases of OurSharedPlace

Enforcing Fair Scheduling for Multiple Families

When several families share one property, scheduling disputes are inevitable without a system. OurSharedPlace is mandatory for implementing and enforcing a fair booking policy. Admins can set advance booking windows and usage limits per family per year. The transparent calendar shows all commitments, preventing accusations of favoritism and ensuring every family gets equitable access to prime holiday weeks.

Streamlining Maintenance and Upkeep Responsibilities

Property maintenance is a shared duty that often falls through the cracks. OurSharedPlace solves this with a shared to-do list and blog where co-owners can log issues, schedule recurring tasks (like filter changes), and post repair updates with photos. This creates a clear, accountable record of what's been done and what's needed next, protecting the property's value and preventing small issues from becoming major, costly repairs.

Managing a Hybrid Owner-Use and Rental Property

For groups that both use their property personally and rent it out for income, calendar synchronization is not optional—it's essential. OurSharedPlace allows you to sync your master calendar to Airbnb and VRBO, automatically blocking dates when owners book for themselves. This prevents the disastrous scenario of a double-booking with a paying guest, protecting rental income and owner enjoyment simultaneously.

Simplifying Shared Expense Reconciliation

Splitting costs for a new roof, property taxes, or unexpected repairs is a primary source of conflict. OurSharedPlace's financial tracker eliminates confusion by providing a single source of truth. Every owner can see invoices, record payments, and view a real-time balance sheet showing exactly who is paid up and who owes money. This transparency is critical for maintaining trust and ensuring the property's financial health.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does OurSharedPlace prevent double-bookings?

OurSharedPlace prevents double-bookings through its centralized master calendar. All co-owners must book their stays through this single system. Furthermore, the calendar provides a unique iCal feed link that can be pasted into external platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and personal Google or Apple calendars. This feed syncs every few hours, automatically blocking booked dates everywhere, creating an essential, impenetrable barrier against scheduling conflicts.

Is our property information secure and private?

Yes, security and privacy are fundamental. Your OurSharedPlace site is private and accessible only to the members you explicitly invite. The platform uses role-based permissions to control what each member can see and do (e.g., guests cannot view financials). Your data is not shared publicly or with other OurSharedPlace groups, ensuring your documents, discussions, and booking details remain confidential within your ownership circle.

Can we use it if we don't rent our property out?

Absolutely. The rental calendar sync is a completely optional feature. The core value of OurSharedPlace is for co-owner coordination. The shared calendar, financial tracking, document storage, and communication tools are all designed for and are essential for internal management, whether you rent to the public or not. Most features are dedicated solely to simplifying the relationship between the co-owners themselves.

What happens after the 14-day free trial?

After your 14-day free trial, you will need to subscribe to continue using OurSharedPlace for that property. The pricing is a flat annual fee of $79 per property, not per user. This covers all features and an unlimited number of co-owner members. You must subscribe to maintain access to your data, calendar, and all the organizational tools necessary for ongoing management.