Tenant Organizing
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Are NYC’s Rent-Stabilized Buildings Really in Crisis?
A two-year rent freeze, affecting about 1 million rent-stabilized apartments in New York, was just approved. Before the freeze passed, landlords said their buildings wouldn’t survive it. But recent analyses suggest the real culprit behind distressed buildings is predatory equity, not rent stabilization.
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Black and Brown Tenant Solidarity in Oakland
Last October, Oakland, Calif., passed a Tenant Protection Ordinance. This strong measure defending tenants against the kinds of landlord harassment that often take place in a rapidly appreciating market includes […]
We Still Need a Rent Freeze in NYC
Rents have become increasingly unaffordable in New York City. NYC has been in a housing crisis for decades. A housing crisis, defined as under 5 percent vacancy rate, in NYC […]
Fighting for the Right to Remain in Southwest Yonkers
Waverly Arms is a federally subsidized building located in southwest Yonkers that my organization, Tenants & Neighbors—a tenant advocacy group—has been involved with since 2008. The building’s tenants have weathered […]
Texas Tenants Win Protections
Way back in 1999 we asked what happened to the tenants' movement? Well, it never quite died, and it might be making a comeback. Last week we wrote about San […]
Tenant Jujitsu: Renters Fight Back in San Francisco, And Win
Shelterforce, as many of you know, began as a tenant organizing newspaper. Though we've evolved to cover a much wider range of topics, both within and beyond affordable housing, we […]
A Light in the Voting Rights Darkness
When we wrote last year about the fights to preserve voting rights and voter turnout against mounting attacks leading up to the presidential election, I think even in our darkest […]
Luxury Housing in NYCHA’s Open Space?
Are there reasons for public housing residents to trust that additional NYCHA revenue will result in improvements in maintenance? Will these improvements be worth the loss in quality of life in their communities?
Marijuana Legalization and Tenant Screening
Jokes abound about the legalization of marijuana use in Colorado and Washington. But it's not always a laughing matter. Affordable housing advocates have been passing around this link on the […]
Tenants Do Vote, Or at Least They Try
One of the canards about why homeownership is so wonderful is that it increases all sorts of beneficial behaviors, including civic participation. We can argue about which of these are […]
Sh*t NY Slumlords Say
The folks at the SurRealEstate blog (the organizing and policy department of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board) poked some fun at slumlords using the Sh*t My ____ Says” meme:
Is This What Gov. Cuomo Meant by ‘Stronger’ Rent Laws?
The latest battle of the Rent Wars has ended in Albany, and the kindest word that I could find to describe it from the advocates of stronger rent laws is […]
New York’s Rent Laws Extended, But at What Cost?
The legislative frenzy that led up to the passage of New York State’s marriage equality bill eclipsed a deal to extend the state’s rent regulations. Some tenant advocates are lauding […]