Claiming a society as Secretary or Chairman: prepare your evidence
04 Nov 2026
Quick answer
List a society or claim management: If you want to list a housing society online on COOPMAN, you are doing something different from claiming its management. Listing puts a registered society in the public directory. Claiming is how an office-bearer becomes the society's administrator on the platform. Most confusion disappears once you know which of the two you need.
Listing and claiming side by side
| List a society | Claim management | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Make a registered society findable in the public directory | Give the society an approved administrator who can run it on COOPMAN |
| Where | /list-society | See the claim guide |
| Who | A signed-in user with the society's details | The Secretary, or the Chairman where the rules allow |
| What you provide | The society's public details | Your designation, member details, and at least two supporting documents |
| Check | Listings are reviewed before publication | The platform reviews the claim and evidence |
| Result | Public profile showing “Listed · not yet claimed” | The claimant becomes Society Admin |
| Cost | Free | No fee is listed for claiming; any platform fee would be shown before you pay |
When listing is the right choice
- Your society is registered but does not appear in the directory.
- You are a member, buyer or tenant who wants the society to be findable, but you do not hold office.
- Your committee has not yet decided to use COOPMAN for management, but a public profile would help members and buyers.
Listing is for registered societies. Registration is done by the Registrar of Co-operative Societies, not by COOPMAN; the Registrar's certificate of registration is conclusive evidence that the society is registered. If your society is still being formed, see the registration guide. For what that certificate does and does not prove, see what a registration certificate establishes.
A listed profile shows only fields the society chooses to publish once it is managed. Before that, keep what you submit to public facts – name, area, address – and never upload members' personal details to a listing.
When claiming is the right choice
- You are the Secretary, or the Chairman where your society's rules allow, and the committee wants to manage notices, meetings, the member register, requests, NOCs or finances on COOPMAN.
- The society is already listed and shows “Listed · not yet claimed”.
- You can produce supporting documents showing your designation.
Claiming is not something a member, tenant or former office-bearer should do on their own. If the right person is unavailable, raise it at the committee and record who is authorised; see preparing evidence to claim as Secretary or Chairman.
Common situations
“Our society is not in the directory and I am the Secretary”
List it first, so a profile exists, then claim it with your evidence. Check the listing guide for the details to have ready.
“Someone else already listed our society”
That is fine. A listing does not give the person who submitted it any control. The Secretary or Chairman claims the existing listing.
“The committee changed after we claimed”
Administrative access should follow the office, not the person. Plan the handover of platform access alongside the handover of records; see handing over records after a committee change.
“I am a member and just want to see notices”
Neither listing nor claiming is for you. Create a free account and ask your society to approve you as a member once it is managed on COOPMAN.
Before you start
- Create a free personal account if you have not already; see what COOPMAN registration means.
- Search the directory for the society, including spelling variants and the old and new names of the area.
- Decide: list, claim, or both in that order.
List a society or claim management: frequently asked questions
Can a non-member list our society?
A signed-in user can submit a listing for a registered society; it is reviewed before publication. Listing gives no management rights.
What does 'Listed · not yet claimed' mean?
The society has a public directory profile, but no office-bearer has yet been approved as its Society Admin on COOPMAN.
Can we claim a society that has not been listed?
The usual order is to list first, then claim the listing. Check the claim guide for the current steps.
Does a listing on COOPMAN prove that a society is registered?
No. Only the Registrar's certificate of registration does that. Ask the society for a copy if you need proof.
Is there a fee to list a society?
Listing a registered society is free.
Sources and review
Facts checked against the sources listed on 3 October 2026.
Next step: search the society directory, then list your society or follow the claim guide. The documents guide covers what you can do once your society is managed.
