Community is the most powerful tool to enact change. Tenants Associations bring neighbors together and build community based on trust and support so that neighbors can use each others skills, resources, and knowledge to express collective concerns and take action. Rising rents and dwindling affordable housing enables landlords to think they can get away with providing substandard housing.
Tenants Associations can offer protection from individual retaliation by representing the tenant body as a whole and organize renter concerns, issues, and knowledge into targeted campaigns that demand change from their landlords. Often, Tenants Associations can achieve results for tenants that might not be possible through litigation. With each new member, Tenants Associations grow stronger and can better advocate for the folks they represent.
We are a non-profit project dedicated to supporting Austin renters who want to work with their neighbors to overcome their housing issues, so we have experience with and resources for developing and supporting Tenants Associations, including trainings, educational materials, and legal support for groups. Additionally, we can point you in the right direction if your housing need is outside of our organizations scope.
Tenants Associations Neighbors get stuff done when they work together. Texas renting culture privileges landlords while offering few protections for renters. In Austin, tenants outnumber homeowners, and this means lots of folks are affected by and have the potential to change the renter-landlord power dynamic.
Tenants Associations can achieve healthier and more dignified housing for all. Tenant Organizing Step One: Conduct Outreach Our first step to improving conditions at properties is talking to renters.
