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TENANT ORGANIZING:

WHY ORGANIZE:

Sometimes the law or the formal system is not adequate enough to address and protect tenants’ rights to decent housing at affordable prices. When these routes fail to solve the problem, it is important for tenants to organize together to use their collective political, economic and social power.

In Nova Scotia , the Act, as well as Residential Tenancies, tends to favour landlords or those with more power. Landlords are able to increase rents as high as they would like and spend very little on maintenance. The lack of government funding for affordable housing and an economic market that favours landlord profit will result in more expensive housing, poor conditions of existing housing and an increase in powerlessness of tenants.

If tenants organize and collectively fight for their rights they will be protected from the inequities of the current laws and have better housing. There are many tenant organizations across the country that have been successful in fighting for better conditions including rent decreases, fighting evictions, and improving physical conditions, some of the groups are:

BC Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre http://www.tenants.bc.ca

Tenant Action Group, Belleville http://www.ocap.ca/tag

Ontario Tenants Rights http://www.ontariotenants.ca

 

POSSIBLE TENANT ACTIONS:

Organizing and Defining the issue:

To get people organized it is important to first discuss the issues and to document all the problems and complaints from as many tenants as possible. Look for other tenants that are in similar circumstances. If you live in an apartment building, many of the other tenants are probably having similar experiences. If there are no other tenants with the same landlord as you, find other tenants in your neighbourhood that have similar problems and help each other to confront your landlords. Strength comes in numbers in this situation, so it is important to include as many tenants as possible.

If you start a tenant’s group you can ask organizations, like non-profit groups or churches, in your community to support your work. This would be useful for resources like photocopying, meeting space, or fax machines.

It is also important to research and understand the possible consequences of any sort of organized action and ensure that all involved are able to participate in whatever capacity they can.

 

TACTICS:

 Letters:

Write a letter or have an outside organization write a letter to your landlord that details exactly what the landlord is doing and why it is illegal. This will let the landlord know that you know your rights and are prepared to fight and get other people to fight for them.  If the landlord thinks that they can’t get away with whatever they are doing, they will probably shape up. Make sure to include your address, what the problem is, the date that you want the problem fixed by, and what action you will take if the problem is not fixed by that date. See Maintenance, Repairs, & Services, for a sample letter. This letter can be changed to address any problem, not only repairs.

 

 

 

Petition:

The simplest way to show that tenants are organized and taking things seriously is to present the landlord with a signed petition of all the problems and demands on how the problems can be improved. This type of list can also be presented to Residential Tenancies for any matter or to the HRM by-law inspectors to enforce that the landlord does repairs.

 

Pickets and Demonstrations:

If your landlord does not fix the problem, you may have to take action that directly affects your landlord. Pickets and demonstrations are good ways to let a lot of people know what your landlord is doing. If you picket at their home or workplace, all of your landlord’s co-workers and neighbours will know what a lousy landlord you have. This would put pressure on your landlord to do what they are responsible to do because your landlord probably doesn’t want to lose the respect of neighbours and co-workers or want to deal with the hassle that comes with a group of angry tenants!

1966. Durham , North Carolina . Tenants protest poor housing conditions and high rent.  

Media:

Calling the media to publicize your fight with a landlord will get you a lot of support and is one of the best ways to get a landlord to not violate your rights. You can get the media involved for an event or simply if the housing conditions at your home are exceptionally poor. This would work especially well if it is used with a demonstration or picket to the landlords home or office or any visual display of resistance. Send a press release and call your local newspaper and news station. The press release should be simple, accurate and brief.  On the top of the page write: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE or PRESS RELEASE, the headline of the event, and the date. Then give a brief description of what you want a reporter to cover. Include who, what, where, when, why, and how. Make sure to do a follow-up call after you send out the press release. Editors see hundreds of press releases and you want to make sure that yours is memorable.

Sample Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

TENANTS PICKET LANDLORD’S HOME IN ORDER TO GET REPAIRS DONE.

TUES. JANUARY 8, 2004

 

What: Tenants picket landlord’s home

Why: To demand repairs!

Who: Any Street Tenants Association

Where: 234 Landlord Lane

When: 3pm Tues. January 8, 2004

Tenants at 555 Any Street are fed up with leaking pipes, broken fridges, and poor heating. Tenants will be picketing landlord Larry Slum’s home at 234 Landlord Lane . We will be telling his neighbours what kind of landlord he is and demanding that he does the repairs needed. Signs, chants, and the dumping of our rotting food (due to broken fridges) will all take place on his front lawn!

 

Come out and report on our event! Call 555-1234 for more information.

Sincerely,

Any Street Tenants Association

Flyers and Posters:

For the same reasons the media is effective, flyers and posters will publicize that your landlord is violating your rights. Tell other tenants what your landlord is doing. Put up posters with the landlords name, pictures, and a description about what is happening (but don’t lie or call your landlord bad names à you could be sued for ‘libel’ for publicizing a lie about someone.)

No landlord wants to see their reputation ruined. This will put a lot of pressure on your landlord to do what they are supposed to do and hopefully keep other tenants from renting from your landlord.

 

Pressure the Government:

There are many things in the Act, such as unlimited rental increases, that clearly favour landlords and are extremely detrimental to tenants. This inequality will continue until there is significant pressure on the government to change their policies. The Ministry in charge of Residential Tenancies and the Act is Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

Contact the Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations:

Honourable Barry E. Barnet- ph: (902) 424-5550

or the Minister’s Executive Assistant

Arien Gough- ph: (902) 424-3667

Visit them at: Maritime Centre, 14th Floor, 1505 Barrington Street, Halifax

Call, write letters, send a delegation of tenants, have a creative action!

 

RENT STRIKE!!

This is by far the most effective form of resistance to a landlord. It is most effective with a group of tenants (and that sure would get the media interested!), but you can also do it on your own. It is illegal to just stop paying rent (you could be evicted), BUT you can give your landlord a bit of a scare. In order to be evicted for not paying rent, your rent has to be overdue for 30 days (in a monthly or yearly lease) or 15 days (in a weekly lease). You can tell your landlord that you are not paying rent until whatever it is you are looking for happens and then pay it on Day 29 (or Day 14 in a weekly lease). That way your landlord thinks that rent won’t be paid till things shape up and you cannot legally be evicted. You can also apply to Residential Tenancies to ask that instead of paying rent to the landlord, you would pay your rent in trust to Residential Tenancies until the problem improves. This may be a bit of a hassle, but it would be well worth it. Landlords losing money makes them really get their act together- and FAST!

Notes on Tenant Organizing:  

Organizing with other tenants can be a very powerful act, but tenants also must be cautious about what actions they take. Starting with polite interactions and letters is the best way to feel out the situation and try to get the problem dealt with with as little confrontation as possible. But sometimes this doesn’t work and tenants must take other actions to demand that their rights are respected. Landlords may react against this and make things more difficult or attempt to evict some tenants. Eviction for this reason is called ‘retaliatory action’ and can be fought at Residential Tenancies. Every case is different and tenants should be aware of the consequences, but this should not prevent tenants from taking any action at all. When we are silent because of fear and intimidation is when we really have been defeated, but when we stand together to reclaim our power over our housing we will gain strength and live safely, comfortably, and free from harassment.  

Some landlords are harder to fight than others and these tactics might not work for everything. You may have to do more than one of these things. Tenant organizing is by no means limited to these tactics alone. Be creative! Talk with other tenants about the most effective way to pressure your landlord for your specific problem. Remember: there are so many of us and so few of them!  

 

The information on this site contains general legal information only and is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional or other legal advice.  Further, this guide only applies to Residential Tenancies in Nova Scotia. 
Last updated: November 19, 2006.