 | |
| Predecessor | Arizona Tenants Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2001 [1] |
| Headquarters | Tempe, Arizona |
| Location |
|
Key people |
|
| Website | www |
| Part of a series on |
| Living spaces |
|---|
 |
Arizona Tenants Advocates (ATA) is a non-profit renters' union and tenants' rights organization located in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in 2001 by Kenneth A. Volk, a prominent Arizona tenants' rights advocate.
ATA as it exists today primarily helps tenants legally terminate their leases [2] through a break lease program. Additionally, they help prepare letters in response to landlord-tenant disputes. However, the office also functions as a free hotline that helps provide answers to various landlord-tenant questions. Volk noted in a 2006 issue of Global Tenant that "[f]requent topics include evictions, unlawful landlord access, wrongful deposit withholding, landlord seizure of tenants’ personal property, failure to supply essential services or do repairs, and status of leases upon expiration or when a property is conveyed to a new owner." [3]
Due to the excessive heat in some parts of Arizona, air conditioning is regulated as an essential utility in the state. As a result, the organization reportedly receives frequent questions regarding landlord refusals to remedy broken AC units. [4]
ATA has existed in many different incarnations over the years. However, Kenneth A. Volk's interest in tenants' rights began in 1993 when an Arizona State University student knocked on his door inquiring for help regarding a caved-in ceiling. Following that, activists and tenants coalesced as Arizona Tenants Association in 1994. This organization would eventually become Arizona Tenants Advocates. [3]
The group lobbied against anti-tenant legislation between 1994–2000. One of the group's crowning achievements was establishing Tempe's rental housing code in 1997, a first for the state. Around 1998, Volk began activities to help tenants legally break their leases under his proprietorship. [3] In 2001, Arizona Tenants Advocates filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission. [1]
Over the years, the organization has faced several challenges, especially during the housing crash—when many renters suddenly found themselves being kicked out of foreclosed rental properties. [5] [6] Around this time, ATA reported receiving 20–30 calls a week from renters whose landlords had not paid their mortgages. [7]
ATA has also frequently clashed with Rentals Tempe and its owner, Tim Wright. Wright, as of 2003, owned approximately 160 rental properties and had 65 pending civil cases in Tempe justice courts. Additionally, he was involved in more lawsuits than any other landlord in Tempe. [8]
In 2012, Volk also formed an associated organization called Tenants Union of Arizona. [9]
In 2015, Volk commented on a case wherein a landlord claimed he was owed a pet deposit from a disabled veteran who used a service dog. He said that cases like this were frequent, and that landlords will often try to "extort" tenants by making claims to money they are not legally entitled to. [10]
Much of Volk and ATA's work over the years has been to provide a foil against what Volk feels is a primarily landlord-biased court system. [5]
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant. When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner. The term landlady may be used for the female owners. The manager of a pub in the United Kingdom, strictly speaking a licensed victualler, is referred to as the landlord/landlady. In political economy it refers to the owner of natural resources alone from which an economic rent, a form of passive income, is the income received.
Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee.
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user to pay the owner for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial or business equipment are also leased. Basically a lease agreement is a contract between two parties: the lessor and the lessee. The lessor is the legal owner of the asset, while the lessee obtains the right to use the asset in return for regular rental payments. The lessee also agrees to abide by various conditions regarding their use of the property or equipment. For example, a person leasing a car may agree to the condition that the car will only be used for personal use.
A rental agreement is a contract of rental, usually written, between the owner of a property and a renter who desires to have temporary possession of the property; it is distinguished from a lease, which is more typically for a fixed term. As a minimum, the agreement identifies the parties, the property, the term of the rental, and the amount of rent for the term. The owner of the property may be referred to as the lessor and the renter as the lessee.
Subsidized housing is government sponsored economic assistance aimed towards alleviating housing costs and expenses for impoverished people with low to moderate incomes. In the United States, subsidized housing is often called "affordable housing". Forms of subsidies include direct housing subsidies, non-profit housing, public housing, rent supplements/vouchers, and some forms of co-operative and private sector housing. According to some sources, increasing access to housing may contribute to lower poverty rates.
Jeonse, also known as chŏnse, key money deposit or key money, is a type of lease or deposit common in the South Korean real estate market. Instead of paying monthly rent, a renter will make a lump-sum deposit on a rental space, at anywhere from 50% to 80% of the market value, which is then returned at the end of the lease term. The owners make profit from reinvesting the jeonse deposit, instead of receiving the monthly rent. It is also possible to combine a lower jeonse with a lower monthly rent.
Landlord harassment is the willing creation, by a landlord or their agents, of conditions that are uncomfortable for one or more tenants in order to induce willing abandonment of a rental contract. This is illegal in many jurisdictions, either under general harassment laws or specific protections, as well as under the terms of rental contracts or tenancy agreements.
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 is a UK Act of Parliament on English land law. It sets minimum standards in tenants' rights against their landlords.
City Life/Vida Urbana commonly known as "City Life," is a social justice group in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1973, a group of local residents and activists with roots in the civil rights, feminist and anti-Vietnam War movements founded the Jamaica Plain Tenants Action Group, now City Life/Vida Urbana. Since 2008, City Life has focused on preventing evictions of both former owners and renters resulting from a rise in foreclosures. City Life/Vida Urbana is currently based in Jamaica Plain, with satellite memberships in East Boston, Brockton, Lynn, Quincy, and Worcester.
The Coalition for Economic Survival, or CES is a grassroots, non-profit community organization. CES works in the greater Los Angeles area in working to influence policy makers to improve the lives of low and moderate income people.
Landlord–tenant law is the field of law that deals with the rights and duties of landlords and tenants.
The Ellis Act is a 1985 California state law that allows landlords to evict residential tenants to "go out of the rental business" in spite of desires by local governments to compel them to continue providing rental housing.
Rent regulation in England and Wales is the part of English land law that creates rights and obligations for tenants and landlords. The main areas of regulation concern,
The Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act ("Costa–Hawkins") is a California state law, enacted in 1995, which places limits on municipal rent control ordinances. Costa–Hawkins preempts the field in two major ways. First, it prohibits cities from establishing rent control over certain kinds of residential units, e.g., single-family dwellings and condominiums, and newly constructed apartment units; these are deemed exempt. Second, it prohibits "vacancy control", also called "strict" rent control. The legislation was sponsored by Democratic Senator Jim Costa and Republican Assemblymember Phil Hawkins.
Eviction in the United States refers to the pattern of tenant removal by landlords in the United States. In an eviction process, landlords forcibly remove tenants from their place of residence and reclaim the property. Landlords may decide to evict tenants who have failed to pay rent, violated lease terms, or possess an expired lease. Landlords may also choose not to renew a tenant's lease, however, this does not constitute an eviction. In the United States, eviction procedures, landlord rights, and tenant protections vary by state and locality. Historically, the United States has seen changes in domestic eviction rates during periods of major socio-political and economic turmoil—including the Great Depression, the 2008 Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic. High eviction rates are driven by affordable housing shortages and rising housing costs. Across the United States, low-income and disadvantaged neighborhoods have disproportionately higher eviction rates. Certain demographics—including low income renters, Black and Hispanic renters, women, and people with children—are also at a greater risk of eviction. Additionally, eviction filings remain on renters' public records. This can make it more difficult for renters to access future housing, since most landlords will not rent to a tenant with a history of eviction. Eviction and housing instability are also linked to many negative health and life outcomes, including homelessness, poverty, and poor mental and physical health.
Invitation Homes Inc. is a public company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. It is headquartered in the Comerica Bank Tower in Dallas, Texas. Dallas B. Tanner serves as chief executive officer. As of 2017, the company was reportedly the largest owner of single-family rental homes in the United States. As of December 2022, the company owned about 83,000 rental homes in 16 markets.
Margot Black is an American tenant rights organizer, activist, grass-roots lobbyist and former political candidate. She helped found and was co-chair of Portland Tenants United, Portland's metro-wide tenant union focused on tenants' rights to secure, safe, affordable and equitable housing, tenant-union organizing, eviction prevention, and providing emergency assistance for renters navigating housing law.
Cancel rent is a slogan and tenant rights movement in the United States, which advocates for the cancellation of rental payments and suspension of mortgage payments during the coronavirus pandemic. Activists and organizations have also presented other demands, which include the cancellation of housing-related expenses, cancellation of late fees for housing payments, the establishment of a landlord hardship fund, an increase in emergency housing, and an eviction moratorium. The movement was triggered by the economic impact of the pandemic, in which mass business closures and employee layoffs resulted in financial insecurity for many Americans. Tenants faced a range of issues, including the inability to pay rent, harassment or intimidation from landlords, and potential eviction. This situation put tenants at risk of damaged credit ratings, food insecurity, and homelessness. Consequently, activists, tenants rights organizations, and some politicians have called for the cancellation of rent.
A tenants union is a group of tenants that educate others about their rights and responsibilities as renters. Groups may also lobby local officials to change housing policies or address homelessness.
Just-Cause Eviction laws, also known as good-cause eviction, aim to provide tenants protection from unreasonable evictions, rent hikes, and non-renewal of lease agreements. These laws allow tenants to challenge evictions in court that are not for "legitimate" reasons. Generally, landlords oppose just-cause eviction laws due to concerns over profit, housing stock, and court cases.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)