A shuttered room looking out across the lake

Membership

Membership

The collective for people who live near, or love, Lake Como. Owners, buyers and the people who come back every year.

By introduction and by application

We read every application ourselves and reply within a few days, whether or not we are able to offer membership at present.

01What membership gives you

The members' room

A private directory of members: who they are, what they do, and where they are on the lake.

Introductions, properly made

We ask both sides first. Nobody's details are published to the room.

Private property opportunities

Houses shown before they reach an agent, and some that never will.

Trusted local people

Architects, builders, lawyers and household staff we have worked with directly.

Priority requests

One request, answered by the right person rather than the nearest one.

Preferred partners

Terms held with boatyards, hotels, restaurants and drivers around the lake.

Private events

A small number each year: a garden, a house, a boat, forty people.

Members-only recommendations

What we would tell a friend, written down and kept current.

02Who it is for

Three kindsof member.

Everybody here either lives near the lake or loves it, and most are both. We keep numbers low on purpose: a club of this kind stops working the moment it becomes a mailing list.

Owners

People who already have a house here and want it looked after properly between visits.

Buyers

People looking seriously, who would rather see eight private houses than eight hundred listings.

Frequent visitors

People who come three or four times a year and want the same standard each time.

An enfilade of rooms behind a tall panelled door

03Joining

Apply formembership.

Six questions about you, a few lines about your connection to the lake, and an address so we can reach you. It takes a few minutes.

Every application is read by somebody here, and we reply either way, usually within a few days.

Or write to us directly

office@comoprivate.com

If you would rather ask something first, this reaches the same people.

Terracotta pots on a stone balcony above the lake

Questions

What is Como Private?

A private club for people who live near, or love, Lake Como: a directory of members, introductions made through us, and access to off-market property, trusted local firms and the houses, boats and tables worth knowing.

It is not a portal and not an agency. The lake has always had a network of its own; this is the first time it has been written down and given a door. Most of what we do happens by telephone, in one or two conversations, between people who already know each other.

How do you become a member?

By introduction or by application. We read every application ourselves and reply within a few days, whether or not we can offer membership.

We keep numbers low deliberately. A club of this kind stops working the moment it becomes a mailing list.

Do you have to own property on Lake Como to join?

No. Members are owners, buyers looking seriously, and people who come three or four times a year and want the same standard each time.

What members have in common is not a house but a reason to know the same small group of people: the builder, the skipper, the notary, the cook.

Start with the lake

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