Community Action Tenants Union is a national tenants' union in Ireland. Established in 2019,[2] it is a mass membership organisation of "renters, council tenants, mortgage holders and people in emergency & precarious living situations".[3]
CATU members are organised in local branches across the island of Ireland,[5] with committees elected by local members. A national committee coordinates the work of local branches.[1] CATU organises campaigns at local and national level, and its work is grounded in principles of direct action.[6][7]
CATU has its roots in advocacy and direct action groups, as some housing rights activists sought to move beyond advocacy and towards organising tenants.[8] Some worked with other organisations such as the Scottish tenants' union Living Rent to learn from their tactics.[8] In addition to this, organisers were also inspired by the National Association of Tenants Organisations (NATO) which had represented tenants in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s, and lead a national rent strike in the early 70s.[9] From these international and historical inspirations, the Community Action Tenants Union was founded in October 2019.[2][8]
CATU's membership increased during the COVID-19 pandemic,[8] when the union called for the Republic of Ireland to extend its COVID-19 eviction ban.[8]
In 2023, a CATU branch in Derry was established.[10]
CATU currently has over 29 branches across the island of Ireland, including branches in Cork, Galway, Dublin, Limerick, Kerry, Louth, Cavan, Wexford, Waterford, Belfast, Derry, Lisburn and Monaghan. [11]
Campaigns
CATU has active public housing campaigns aimed at improving the conditions of tenants in public housing and increasing public housing stock. CATU branches have also been actively campaigning against the proliferation of short term lets, particularly in the West and South of the island.[12]
In July 2025 the union held an all-island housing demonstration attended by 10,000 people. The march centred around key housing demands such as an increase of public housing, rent controls for private tenants, banning evictions and improving community services. [13]
CATU has been opposed to new rent rules introduced by the Government of Ireland in 2026, and has denounced the introduction of the "market rent" rule which would allow landlords to reset rents to market rent in between tenancies or every 6 years. [14] In 2025, the union gave a statement to the Dáil Housing Committee [15] in relation to this legislation and the effect it would have. A few weeks later, opposition TD's refused to sign off on the Government's proposals on the basis on these and other concerns.[16]
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