List of tenant unions in the United States

Last updated

This article is a list of active tenant unions in the United States of America.

Contents

Active tenant unions

The list does not include union locals of tenant unions. The list also does not include broader tenant advocacy organizations

Arizona

California

Connecticut

Illinois

Kansas

Kentucky

Massachusetts

Michigan

Missouri

Montana

New York

Nebraska

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Dakota

Texas

Virginia

West Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

Legal protections for tenant union organizing by state, 2018. The color red indicates that a state has no legal protections for tenant unions (Category 3), while states colored in green afford multiple legal protections for tenant unions (category 1). Tenant right laws by US States, 2023.png
Legal protections for tenant union organizing by state, 2018. The color red indicates that a state has no legal protections for tenant unions (Category 3), while states colored in green afford multiple legal protections for tenant unions (category 1).

In a 2018 survey of state law, two states and D.C. were found to have substantial protections for tenant unions and tenant union organizing (Category 1 states listed below); twenty-nine other states protected tenant union organizing (Category 2 states listed below); and nineteen states had no laws protecting tenant associations or tenant association organizing (Category 3 states below). [11]

Legal Protections for Tenant Union Organizing in the United States by State
StateCategoryProtections [12]
Alabama 2Uniform and Residential Landlord Tenant Act prohibits retaliation for organizing or being involved with a tenants union.
Alaska 2Uniform and Residential Landlord Tenant Act prohibits retaliation for organizing or being involved with a tenants union.
Arizona 2Uniform and Residential Landlord Tenant Act prohibits retaliation for organizing or being involved with a tenants union.

Tenants at mobile home and residential vehicle parks have additional rights.

Arkansas 3No laws found.
California 1Substantial protections for tenant union organizing. In some circumstances, tenant associations have substantive rights, such as an opportunity to purchase some regulated housing developments or the right to raise some health and safety claims.
Colorado 2Landlords may not retaliate against tenants for making complaints to the landlord or to governmental entities.
Connecticut 2Landlords may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being involved with a tenants union. Tenant unions often have an opportunity to purchase buildings during a conversion to a condominium. Tenant associations have additional rights in state housing projects and in mobile home parks.
Delaware 2Landlords may not retaliate against tenants who organized or are officers in a tenants’ organization.

Tenant associations in manufactured home communities have additional rights.

District of Columbia 1Tenants have the right to organize, to meet and confer through representatives of their own choosing with the owner, and to engage in concerted activities for mutual aid and protections. Tenant organizers often have the right to canvass in multifamily housing accommodations. Owners may not interfere with tenants' self-organizational activities.

Under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, tenants associations often have an opportunity to purchase rental buildings when the owner wishes to sell them.

Florida 2Landlords may not retaliate against tenants for organizing, encouraging or participating in a tenant organization.

Tenants of mobile home parks have additional rights.

Georgia 3No laws found.
Idaho 3No general tenant protection found. Tenants of floating home marinas have the right to form a tenant association. Tenants of mobile and manufactured home parks have additional rights.
Illinois 3No general tenant protection found. Tenants in assisted housing developments receiving governmental funding have additional rights.
Indiana 3No general tenant protection found.
Iowa 2Landlords may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or becoming a member of a tenants union.
Kansas 2Landlords may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or becoming a member of a tenants’ union.
Louisiana 3No laws found.
Maine 2Tenants cannot be evicted if the eviction action was brought in retaliation for tenant union organizing.
Maryland 2Landlords cannot include in rental agreements any provisions permitting eviction based on tenant union organizing. In Montgomery County, landlords cannot retaliate against tenants for membership in a tenants organization.

Mobile home park tenants have additional rights.

Massachusetts 2In an eviction process, a tenant may raise a defense that the action was brought in retaliation for organizing or joining a tenants union. Any person who retaliates against a tenant for their tenant union activities is liable for damages.

Tenants of manufactured home parks and public housing developments have additional rights.

Michigan 2Tenants may not be evicted action if the eviction was based on retaliation against a tenant for tenant union activities.

Tenants of public and affordable housing developments have additional rights.

Minnesota 2Housing-related neighborhood organizations may bring legal actions for violations of landlord-tenant law on behalf of tenants. They may also request an inspection of facilities. Landlords may not retaliate against tenants for filing complaints.

Tenants in manufactured home parks have additional rights.

Mississippi 3No laws found.
Missouri 3No laws found.
Montana 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.

Tenants of mobile home parks have additional rights.

Nebraska 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.
Nevada 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.
New Hampshire 2In eviction proceedings, tenants may raise a defense that the eviction is retaliation for tenant union activity.

Tenants of mobile and manufactured home parks have additional rights.

New Jersey 2Landlords may not evict tenants for their membership or involvement in any lawful organization. Landlords may not evict tenants for refusing to comply with terms of tenancy which the landlord altered to retaliate for tenant organization activity.
New Mexico 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.
New York 1Landlords may not interfere with the right of tenants to form, join or participate in tenant organization, and may not punish, harass, or retaliate against tenants for exercising these rights. Tenant unions have the right to meet on the premises in any common use area without having to pay a fee.

Limited-profit housing companies must adopt regulations recognizing tenant associations. Tenants in those properties have additional rights. Tenant associations providing services have some additional rights.

North Carolina 3No laws found.
North Dakota 3No laws found.
Ohio 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing with each other for the purpose of dealing collectively with the landlord.

Low-income housing programs may provide grants to tenant associations.

Oregon 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.

Tenants in manufactured home and floating home parks have additional rights.

Pennsylvania 2Landlords may not terminate or decline to renew a lease due to a tenant union organizing or membership.
Puerto Rico 3No laws found.
Rhode Island 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.

Tenants in mobile home parks and federally insured or assisted housing have some additional rights.

South Carolina 3No laws found.
South Dakota 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.
Tennessee 3No laws found.
Texas 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.

Tenant organizations in low-income housing have additional rights.

Utah 3No general tenant protections found. Residents of mobile home parks have additional rights.
Vermont 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.
Virginia 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.
Washington 3No laws found.
West Virginia 3No general tenant protections found. Tenants in house trailers, mobile homes, manufactured homes, and modular homes are protected from eviction for tenant union organizing or membership.
Wisconsin 2Landlord may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or being a member of tenant unions.
Wyoming 3No laws found.
Oklahoma 3No laws found.
Kentucky 2Landlords may not retaliate against tenants for organizing or becoming a member of a tenants’ union.

Provides some services to tenants living in low incoming housing, including advisory services for creating tenant organizations to “which will assume a meaningful and responsible role in the planning and carrying out of housing affairs.”

Hawaii 3Tenant organizations have the right to sue in the organization’s name to abate nuisance.

Resident advisory boards are established for public housing projects.


See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "a guide to tenants unions in the u.s." abolition notes. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 "Tenants Unions". Autonomous Tenants Union Network. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Tenant Union Federation". tenantfederation.org. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  4. Pharo, Zoe (2024-11-18). "STOP, Not Me We merge". Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  5. "Lawrence Tenants". lawrencetenants.org. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  6. "RENTERS TOGETHER MHK". RENTERS TOGETHER MHK. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  7. "The Ann Arbor Tenants Union". Ann Arbor Tenants Union. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  8. Khalique, Amina; Das, Dipita. "Michigan Tenants: Know Your Rights" (PDF). We the People Michigan. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  9. "NC Tenants Union". NC Tenants Union. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  10. "Bowie Tenants Union". Bowie Tenants Union. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  11. Bangs, Christopher (Fall 2018). "A Union for All: Collective Associations Outside the Workplace" (PDF). Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. XXVI (1): 59–61.
  12. Bangs, Christopher (Fall 2018). "A Union for All: Collective Associations Outside the Workplace" (PDF). Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. XXVI (1): 125–149.