TENANT ORGANIZING

We support tenants who are organizing together to improve their living conditions and state and local tenant protections.

We’ve represented tenant unions who are paying rent into court (the legal way to do a rent strike), helped them file fair rent commission complaints to freeze rent increases or address unsafe conditions, and supported tenant-led campaigns to improve local housing code enforcement and to cap rent increases and end no-fault evictions at the state level.

All tenants in Connecticut have the right to form a tenant union.

Tenants are stronger when they act together for their shared interest in safe and affordable housing and a say in how their building or community runs. A tenant union can be made up of tenants in a single building, who share a landlord, or who live in the same city or neighborhood, but the idea is that they make decisions together and act as a group. In Connecticut it is illegal for a landlord to raise your rent, evict you without a reason, or decrease the services you get within 6 months of you joining or organizing a tenant union.

Want to get organized?

The first step is to talk to your neighbors about what they’re experiencing, gather contact information, and call a meeting to get to know each other and hear if there are common concerns. Organizing typically starts with a small group and builds from there.

If you or any of your neighbors are facing eviction, we also offer: