A tenant association is a group of residents in the same building who band together to advocate for their rights and address any problems they have with their landlord or management.If there is a tenant association in your building, you have the right to join.Your landlord is forbidden by law from interfering with the tenant association's operations or retaliating against its members for their participation in the association.
Step 1: Ask your landlord something.
If there is a tenant association in the building, your landlord or an employee at the management office should be able to tell you.Landlords aren't allowed to interfere with the operations of an association if they are not happy with their tenants forming it.Representatives from management companies attend the association meetings to address issues.
Step 2: Look for fliers.
The next gathering may be advertised on a bulletin board or in common areas by the tenant association.Notices about meetings and issues of interest to the tenants are posted by tenant associations in some cities and states.
Step 3: Attend the meeting.
All you have to do is show up for the meeting.It can be a good way to meet your neighbors even if you don't take an active part in the association.The residents interact with one another, so pay attention to how the meeting is organized.If the issues raised in the meeting are problems you've encountered yourself, or if you have any additional problems that you would like addressed, listen to them.
Step 4: Talk to the officers.
Ask the people in charge of the association what the process is after the meeting.If the association is disorganized, there is nothing more formal that showing up at meetings.Some associations may require you to fill out a written form or pay dues if you want to join.
Step 5: How do you want to get involved?
If you have skills or interests that would be useful to the association, you might want to volunteer.If you have legal experience, you might want to give a presentation on landlord-tenant law and tenants' rights in your state.If you speak Spanish and your complex has a large Spanish-speaking population, you might volunteer to translate association flyers and literature into Spanish, or provide a written summary of meetings in Spanish so those who have trouble understanding English can participate as well.Don't underestimate the value of your connections in the community.If you have friends or associates who are lawyers or work in city or county government, you could be an asset to the association.
Step 6: Talk to your friends.
If you're interested in forming a tenant association, you need to find out if you can get at least a small group of fellow residents on board for an initial meeting.If you are having problems with your landlord or management, it's a good idea to form a tenant association.You could find power in numbers if you banded together.You can make your community a better place to live by being more effective at getting the problems solved.If you go door-to-door, you can get your fellow residents to talk about their problems with the landlord.They might be interested in helping you form a tenant association.
Step 7: An initial meeting should be held.
You can hold a tenant's association meeting in any of the buildings that are designated as a common area.You can find out when the best times are for neighbors to meet by contacting the most enthusiastic or interested ones.When the most people show up is when you should schedule your initial meeting.Paying attention to the traffic in and out of your building can give you a good idea of when most people are available to come to a meeting.
Step 8: The ground rules should be set.
If you want to accomplish anything as a group, you need to make sure the meeting is organized and follows a basic schedule.Introduce yourself and any other residents who are forming the association with you.List the general issues that will be discussed during the meeting.Bring an egg timer or similar device to measure the amount of time each person has to speak.It allows you to end the meeting at a reasonable hour while giving people a chance to speak their minds.
Step 9: You can choose your association's structure.
To keep order at meetings, you may want to designate certain people to be in charge of the association.It's up to you and your fellow residents.You may not want a formal structure, apart from a few officers.In a large building or complex with many buildings, you may want to have captains in charge of each building so that groups of residents have one person to speak for their interests.A looser structure with only a president and vice-president would be a better choice.Some tenant associations have members voting on every action taken by the association.This may be a good fit for smaller associations, but it could be too much for larger groups.
Step 10: The officers should be elected.
If you've decided to use a formal organizational model, you will need to take a vote among resident members of the association to decide who will be in charge and how long.If you had the idea to form the association, you will probably be chosen as an officer.If there is a resident who has experience running a business or association, or someone with legal experience, you may want to talk them into taking a leading role.If you want to require the payment of dues to pay for community events or other expenses, you can open a joint bank account in the names of several officers.An association account can be used if you decide to go on a rent strike.Association members can use it to deposit their rent money.
Step 11: The association's benefits can be maximized.
Tenants can get the best possible home in exchange for their rent with the help of a tenant association.Tenants have the right to a safe home.Depending on the state where you live, other rights may vary, but at a minimum your landlord must make any major repairs that deal with water and plumbing systems or the structural integrity of the building.The tenant association has more power than an individual tenant because of the amount of rents.A group that represents a majority of tenants is more likely to be ignored by a landlord.Consider the situation from the landlord's point of view, and you'll see that he may be able to deal with just one tenant complaining.A group of tenants threatening to not pay rent that represents half or more of his monthly income is a different matter.You can create a tighter sense of community with your tenants associations.The tenant association sponsors social events that help build relationships.Tenants can offer services, such as babysitting or dog-walking, if you create an online forum or social media page.
Step 12: People should be given time to vent.
Depending on the condition of your building or complex and how negligent your landlord has been, you may have some angry residents in attendance.It's important to allow everyone a chance to talk.Maintaining a general sense of order may require people to let off steam.Don't pressure anyone to come forward if you want to speak.If you want to get a feel for the general concerns that are presented, you may want someone to take notes.Making a list of categories such as "maintenance concerns" and "rent increases" will help you prioritize later on.
Step 13: Prioritize the problems.
You should come together to decide which problems should be addressed first after you get a feel for the residents' concerns.Problems that affect the most residents at the top of your list, followed by problems that fewer people have to deal with, have a severe impact on their quality of life.If you want to get landlord agreement on, you should first deal with a few smaller problems.It will strengthen the association's unity and encourage other residents to join if the tenant association is able to chalk up some early victories.
Step 14: Committees are formed.
Depending on the size of your association, you may want to designate specific groups of people to keep on top of issues in a particular area.Try to get residents to lead committees that have experience with the issues likely to come up.They know how to prioritize individual complaints.If you have a committee in charge of maintenance requests, you might want people with experience in maintenance or construction on that committee.In the early stages of forming your association, don't neglect recruiting and welcoming new members.Community events such as cook-out or pot-luck dinners can be arranged by a social committee.
Step 15: Follow through with demands.
If your landlord still won't cooperate, you have to be willing to take action, even if it means coming together as a group.If there are significant health or safety issues that affect all or most tenants, you have the right to refuse rent.State or local building inspectors may be able to come and look at the property.If your landlord ignores the tenant association's demands and you are considering taking action, make sure you check your state law and follow the correct procedures.You can usually find this information by talking to someone who works at your housing agency, but you might want to consult an experienced landlord-tenant law attorney.