BUILDING A TENANT ASSOCIATION:
One tenant at a time!
Your neighbors and you:
Chances are you’ve exchanged polite nods with your neighbours in the hallways alreadywhy not turn this small exchange into a potential meet up?
In New York City, tenants have the legal right to organize and work together to improve their living conditions. This means that tenants can form groups, discuss issues they are facing with their landlord, and take collective action.
Some of the rights that allow tenants to organize include: Freedom of Speech: Tenants have the right to talk about their living conditions, discuss problems like repairs or rent increases, and share information with each other.
Right to Form Tenant Associations: Tenants can form groups or associations to represent their interests. These groups can advocate for better maintenance, lower rents, or address unfair treatment by landlords.
Protection Against Retaliation: Landlords cannot punish tenants for organizing. If a landlord tries to increase rent, evict, or harass tenants because they are organizing, this could be illegal. Tenants are protected from retaliation under the law.
Legal Resources: Tenants in NYC also have access to legal resources, like tenants’ rights groups or lawyers, to help them organize and understand their rights.
In simple terms, tenants can come together to discuss problems and try to solve them as a group, and the law protects them from unfair treatment for doing so.
The basics:
Introductions:
Start by stating your name, and if you are comfortable, your apartment unit. To make first meetings and introductions less awkward, focus on being friendly and approachable.
Start with a simple greeting and a smile, and try asking open-ended questions like, “What brought you here?”. Show genuine interest in the other person’s responses. Sharing a bit about yourself can also help break the ice, but avoid dominating the conversation.
Lastly, don’t stress about perfection—everyone feels a bit awkward at first, and just being kind and present helps make things more comfortable.
When do you meet?
Once you speak to your fellow tenants, decide a weekly day and time to meet. Even if the conversations start casually, it is important to remember why you have decided to start meeting. The next step, after you decide when to meet? It’s time to set an agenda.
Agenda, note-taker and timekeeper:
What is a meeting agenda for a potential tenant association? and to keep meetings organized, here is a rough format for what your agenda can be:
1. Welcome and Introductions (5-10 minutes): Brief introductions of attendees, especially if there are new members. Share any relevant background on the tenant association.
2. Updates on Ongoing Issues (15-20 minutes): Status of any maintenance requests or repairs. Rent or lease-related issues. Any legal matters or actions taken by the landlord.
3. New Concerns or Issues from Tenants (20-25 minutes): Open floor for tenants to raise any new concerns. Discuss neighborhood or building issues (e.g., security, cleanliness, noise).
4. Action Items and Planning (15-20 minutes): Brainstorm potential solutions for current problems. Assign tasks or form committees for specific projects or issues.
5. Upcoming Events or Initiatives (5-10 minutes): Discuss upcoming meetings, events, or community activities. Organize any outreach or campaigns (e.g., contacting a landlord, petitioning, etc.).
6. Wrap-up and Next Meeting (5 minutes): Set the date and time for the next meeting. Summarize any action items or decisions made.
Rotation of responsibilites:
If one tenant leads all meetings, they could become a de-facto leader. Instead of this, building leadership and confidence among all tenants is important for an effective tenant association. There are some primary roles of responsibility that should be rotated every week, these are: Facilitator:
The role of a facilitator in a meeting is to guide the discussion, ensure the meeting runs smoothly, and help the group stay focused on the agenda. Some key responsibilities include: Setting the Tone: The facilitator creates a welcoming and respectful atmosphere, encouraging participation from everyone.
Encouraging Participation: They help ensure that everyone has an opportunity to speak, especially those who may be shy or hesitant to speak up.
Guiding Discussion: The facilitator keeps the conversation on track, prevents side conversations or digressions, and helps resolve conflicts if they arise.
Clarifying and Summarizing: They help clarify points when needed, restate important ideas to ensure understanding, and summarize decisions made.
Note taker:
The role of a note taker in a meeting is to capture key information, decisions, and action items discussed during the meeting. Their responsibilities include:
Recording Key Points: The note taker writes down important discussions, decisions made, and any issues raised, ensuring nothing significant is missed.
Documenting Action Items: They clearly note any tasks or actions that need to be completed, including who is responsible for each task and any deadlines.
Summarizing Discussions: The note taker condenses lengthy conversations into concise points, focusing on outcomes rather than every detail.
Creating Meeting Minutes: After the meeting, the note taker organizes their notes into formal meeting minutes, which are shared with attendees to remind them of the meeting’s discussions and decisions.
Time keeper:
The role of a timekeeper (or time taker) in a meeting is to monitor and manage the meeting’s time to ensure it stays on track and adheres to the scheduled agenda. Key responsibilities include:
Monitoring Time: The timekeeper keeps track of the time allocated for each agenda item and alerts the group when it’s time to move on to the next topic.
Ensuring the Meeting Stays on Schedule: They help prevent the meeting from running over time by giving gentle reminders when time is running short for each topic.
Managing Breaks: If there are planned breaks, the timekeeper ensures they happen at the right times and for the correct duration.
Notifying the Facilitator: The timekeeper can also notify the facilitator if the meeting is falling behind schedule or if there are any adjustments needed.
Speaking across languages:
An aspect of tenant organizing also includes acknowledging and trying to find common ground among people from different cultures, who speak different languages. While you may find some who are able to translate during the meeting, you can also play a few games in initial meetings to make everyone attending comfortable:
Find a Shared Word: Each person shares a word in their language that has a similar meaning or sounds similar in other languages. This helps build connections through familiar sounds or concepts.
Picture Story: Show a picture and have everyone describe it in their own language. Afterward, discuss how everyone saw the picture and find similarities in the descriptions.
Non-verbal Communication: Communicate through gestures, expressions, or drawings to explain simple ideas. This encourages understanding without relying on language.
Bring a tenant, or two!
In addition to attending a meeting yourself, knock on your neighbor’s door and bring them along for a meeting! While participation is voluntary, bringing tenants together is the first step.
Additionally, bring food! Your favourite dish or snack, with some water or soda; to share while you start forming a tenant association. We also have resources available on how to organize a community event in a short span of time, and some flyers you can use to start.