Organizing an Apartment Complex
LessonObjectives
- Learners will understand a process for organizing tenant associations at apartment buildings and complexes
- Learners will be able to place this knowledge in the context of their city
- Learners will be able to use this knowledge in their organizing and advocacy
Image: Adobe
Process
Talk to your neighbors
Negotiate and win
Form the union
Hold a meeting
Make demands
Research
Do YourResearch
Look for a local tenants' union or association
If your city already has a tenants group, reach out to them. They'll know the local landscape and are likely to have good resources, and might even be able to send organizers to your building or connect you legal representation. Try to collect any information specific to your city and apartment -- any relevant local laws, information about your landlord, any housing programs your building benefits from, etc.
Do YourResearch
Know Your Rights
Tenants in Texas don't have many rights, but you need to know what they are. You need to understand what you can do and what you can't do while organizing.
"Tenants Rights in Texas" Lesson
Talk to Your Neighbors
You have to know people to organize them
Realistically, this is a necessity the second you move into a new building -- but if you haven't started yet, start now. Organizing is about trust and one-on-one relationships and the foundation of that is getting to know your neighbors personally. Introduce yourself, talk, be social, and lay the groundwork for organizing with as many of your neighbors as possible.
Talk to Your Neighbors
Turn your casual conversations into common ground
As you get to know your neighbors, start talking about the tenant issues you're experiencing. Find out what problems they have, where yours overlap, and what new problems they have to share. Use these conversations to establish the need for change.
Talk to Your Neighbors
Build your team
In the process of these conversations, you'll start to identify other tenants that share your motivation and desire for change. You can start planning with them and dividing up work -- you'll have different skillsets and experiences that will allow you to take on different roles.
"Building a Team" Lesson
Hold a Meeting
Spread the word and invite however you can
By now, you've noticed some recurring themes about the problems your fellow tenants are facing. Invite everyone to a meeting to discuss these problems. If you can, print some invitations and flyers. Put them up in common areas and slide them under doors. One-on-one conversations are the best method, though: canvas the property with your team and try to directly talk to as many residents as you can.
Tip: Expect your landlord to become aware of your organizing around this point
Hold a Meeting
Make your meeting accessible
Plan out what you need to make this meeting accommodating to as many of your neighbors as you can. Is a language other than English common in your complex? See what you manage in terms of translation. Hold your meeting in space that's easily physically accessible and safe for attendees. If there are a lot of families, look for volunteers to handle childcare during the meeting.
Hold a Meeting
Be welcoming and clear about intentions
Open up your meeting with introductions and briefly explain who you are and why you're doing this. Many tenants will be suspicious that you might be affiliated with the landlord -- make clear that you're their neighbor, you want change in your complex, and you want the tenants to work together to achieve it.
Hold a Meeting
Get everyone talking about their issues
The meat of this first meeting is to get everyone talking about their shared problems. After everyone has shared, look back at the discussion, make connections between these problems, and make clear that these issues are not individualized but systemic to this complex (and neighborhood, city, country, etc.) From there, discuss what solutions you want to see and then the only possible way of getting them: collective action.
Hold a Meeting
Follow up and meet and meet again
End this first meeting with a good understanding of next steps and divide up responsibilities. Set a date and time for the next meeting. Follow up and remind folks. Keep meeting and making sure everyone feels involved and heard.
"Effective Meetings" Lesson
Form the Union
It's time to make it official
Once you have a good amount of tenants onboard, form the union! Tenants unions don't have a formal, legal process like labor unions -- it's simply a group of tenants deciding they want to bargain collectively. Obviously, your union will be more powerful the more tenants are in it, but you don't even need a majority to be effective -- an active and engaged minority can get a lot of wins.
Form the Union
Commit in writing
Write some sort of bylaws for the union -- these don't need to be too long, but you need to lay out how membership works, what official roles do, how these roles are chosen, etc. Have members sign a form or pledge when you officially create the union.
Tip: Throw a party along with the creation of the union!
Form the Union
Be aware of retaliation
Some landlords might try to retaliate against you in the process of forming a tenants group. Protect yourself by being up-to-date on your rent, abiding by the rules of the lease, and documenting everything to have proof if the landlord tries to fabricate any claims against you. Being in the union helps protect you from retaliation!
Make Demands
Time to start pushing for what you want
Inform your landlord that you're now a collective bargaining unit and to direct any communication to the group, instead of individuals. Have a group email and phone number. Through the group, tell the landlord what changes you want to see.
Make Demands
Protect yourself and your group.
Document everything. Keep track of all correspondence with the landlord. Take pictures. Make copies. A lot of organizing is vital clerical work. Reach out to legal aid about legal representation -- most cities in Texas have legal aid groups that will represent or advise tenants groups.
Make Demands
Escalate
If your landlord hasn't agreed to your demands, decide as a group how you want to proceed. A good first step might be making your campaign public -- talk to the press, make signs, hold street actions. Most landlords aren't going to want that type of publicity.
"Executing a Campaign" Lesson
"Working the Press" Lesson
Make Demands
Make connections
Are there other tenant unions in your area? Connect with them and make this a neighborhood issue. Does your landlord have other properties? Build associations there and put more pressure on your landlord. Put pressure on local politicians, businesses, or organizations that associate with your landlord. Make them take a stance.
Make Demands
Consider further moves
If none of this has worked, you'll need to decide what to do next. Tenant groups are capable of more actions that further leverage your collective power, but these should be consider carefully -- remember, Texas is a very landlord-friendly state. Talk to legal aid and make informed decisions as group before doing anything that puts your members at risk for eviction.
Negotiate, Win, Regroup
Get your landlord to the negotiating table
Once you get your landlord to agree to negotiations, your group should decide together on your most important demands and what you would accept from this first round. Bring a legal aid representative if you can, and prepare to get an agreement in writing.
Negotiate, Win, Regroup
Keep fighting
Celebrate your win and get ready for the next fight. Plan with your group for how you'll win the demands you didn't get this round, how you'll grow your group, and how you'll keep building power long-term.
Resources
BASTA Austin "Tenant Organizing 101"
"How to Organize Your Building"
LATU Resources
Tenants Together "Form a Tenants' Union!"
IUT'S Guide To Setting Up a Tenants’ Association
Organizing an Apartment Complex
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Transcript
Organizing an Apartment Complex
LessonObjectives
Image: Adobe
Process
Talk to your neighbors
Negotiate and win
Form the union
Hold a meeting
Make demands
Research
Do YourResearch
Look for a local tenants' union or association
If your city already has a tenants group, reach out to them. They'll know the local landscape and are likely to have good resources, and might even be able to send organizers to your building or connect you legal representation. Try to collect any information specific to your city and apartment -- any relevant local laws, information about your landlord, any housing programs your building benefits from, etc.
Do YourResearch
Know Your Rights
Tenants in Texas don't have many rights, but you need to know what they are. You need to understand what you can do and what you can't do while organizing.
"Tenants Rights in Texas" Lesson
Talk to Your Neighbors
You have to know people to organize them
Realistically, this is a necessity the second you move into a new building -- but if you haven't started yet, start now. Organizing is about trust and one-on-one relationships and the foundation of that is getting to know your neighbors personally. Introduce yourself, talk, be social, and lay the groundwork for organizing with as many of your neighbors as possible.
Talk to Your Neighbors
Turn your casual conversations into common ground
As you get to know your neighbors, start talking about the tenant issues you're experiencing. Find out what problems they have, where yours overlap, and what new problems they have to share. Use these conversations to establish the need for change.
Talk to Your Neighbors
Build your team
In the process of these conversations, you'll start to identify other tenants that share your motivation and desire for change. You can start planning with them and dividing up work -- you'll have different skillsets and experiences that will allow you to take on different roles.
"Building a Team" Lesson
Hold a Meeting
Spread the word and invite however you can
By now, you've noticed some recurring themes about the problems your fellow tenants are facing. Invite everyone to a meeting to discuss these problems. If you can, print some invitations and flyers. Put them up in common areas and slide them under doors. One-on-one conversations are the best method, though: canvas the property with your team and try to directly talk to as many residents as you can.
Tip: Expect your landlord to become aware of your organizing around this point
Hold a Meeting
Make your meeting accessible
Plan out what you need to make this meeting accommodating to as many of your neighbors as you can. Is a language other than English common in your complex? See what you manage in terms of translation. Hold your meeting in space that's easily physically accessible and safe for attendees. If there are a lot of families, look for volunteers to handle childcare during the meeting.
Hold a Meeting
Be welcoming and clear about intentions
Open up your meeting with introductions and briefly explain who you are and why you're doing this. Many tenants will be suspicious that you might be affiliated with the landlord -- make clear that you're their neighbor, you want change in your complex, and you want the tenants to work together to achieve it.
Hold a Meeting
Get everyone talking about their issues
The meat of this first meeting is to get everyone talking about their shared problems. After everyone has shared, look back at the discussion, make connections between these problems, and make clear that these issues are not individualized but systemic to this complex (and neighborhood, city, country, etc.) From there, discuss what solutions you want to see and then the only possible way of getting them: collective action.
Hold a Meeting
Follow up and meet and meet again
End this first meeting with a good understanding of next steps and divide up responsibilities. Set a date and time for the next meeting. Follow up and remind folks. Keep meeting and making sure everyone feels involved and heard.
"Effective Meetings" Lesson
Form the Union
It's time to make it official
Once you have a good amount of tenants onboard, form the union! Tenants unions don't have a formal, legal process like labor unions -- it's simply a group of tenants deciding they want to bargain collectively. Obviously, your union will be more powerful the more tenants are in it, but you don't even need a majority to be effective -- an active and engaged minority can get a lot of wins.
Form the Union
Commit in writing
Write some sort of bylaws for the union -- these don't need to be too long, but you need to lay out how membership works, what official roles do, how these roles are chosen, etc. Have members sign a form or pledge when you officially create the union.
Tip: Throw a party along with the creation of the union!
Form the Union
Be aware of retaliation
Some landlords might try to retaliate against you in the process of forming a tenants group. Protect yourself by being up-to-date on your rent, abiding by the rules of the lease, and documenting everything to have proof if the landlord tries to fabricate any claims against you. Being in the union helps protect you from retaliation!
Make Demands
Time to start pushing for what you want
Inform your landlord that you're now a collective bargaining unit and to direct any communication to the group, instead of individuals. Have a group email and phone number. Through the group, tell the landlord what changes you want to see.
Make Demands
Protect yourself and your group.
Document everything. Keep track of all correspondence with the landlord. Take pictures. Make copies. A lot of organizing is vital clerical work. Reach out to legal aid about legal representation -- most cities in Texas have legal aid groups that will represent or advise tenants groups.
Make Demands
Escalate
If your landlord hasn't agreed to your demands, decide as a group how you want to proceed. A good first step might be making your campaign public -- talk to the press, make signs, hold street actions. Most landlords aren't going to want that type of publicity.
"Executing a Campaign" Lesson
"Working the Press" Lesson
Make Demands
Make connections
Are there other tenant unions in your area? Connect with them and make this a neighborhood issue. Does your landlord have other properties? Build associations there and put more pressure on your landlord. Put pressure on local politicians, businesses, or organizations that associate with your landlord. Make them take a stance.
Make Demands
Consider further moves
If none of this has worked, you'll need to decide what to do next. Tenant groups are capable of more actions that further leverage your collective power, but these should be consider carefully -- remember, Texas is a very landlord-friendly state. Talk to legal aid and make informed decisions as group before doing anything that puts your members at risk for eviction.
Negotiate, Win, Regroup
Get your landlord to the negotiating table
Once you get your landlord to agree to negotiations, your group should decide together on your most important demands and what you would accept from this first round. Bring a legal aid representative if you can, and prepare to get an agreement in writing.
Negotiate, Win, Regroup
Keep fighting
Celebrate your win and get ready for the next fight. Plan with your group for how you'll win the demands you didn't get this round, how you'll grow your group, and how you'll keep building power long-term.
Resources
BASTA Austin "Tenant Organizing 101"
"How to Organize Your Building"
LATU Resources
Tenants Together "Form a Tenants' Union!"
IUT'S Guide To Setting Up a Tenants’ Association