Tenants’ Right to Organize Act

Right to Organize and Speak: Tenants gain the legal right to establish, operate, and participate in legitimate tenant organizations to address issues like tenancy terms and community development (Section 3).

Protection from Retaliation: The bill prohibits public housing agencies and owners from retaliating against tenants or organizers for their participation in organization activities (Section 3).

Protection Against Adverse Actions: There is a rebuttable presumption that an adverse action—such as lease termination, service decreases, or rent increases—is retaliatory if it occurs within 180 days of a protected activity (Section 3).

Access to Information and Communication: Tenants are granted specific protected activities, such as distributing leaflets in common areas, conducting door-to-door surveys, and posting information on bulletin boards (Section 3).

Access to Meeting Spaces: Owners and agencies must make community rooms or other appropriate spaces available for tenant organization meetings (Section 3).

Legal Recourse: Tenants are given a private right of action to file lawsuits in Federal or State court to enforce the provisions of this Act (Section 5).

Capacity Building through Grants: The Secretary is tasked with establishing a grant program to fund tenant outreach, training, and technical assistance provided by independent nonprofit organizations (Section 6).

Direct Funding for Resident Councils: The Secretary must provide $40 per unit per year to each resident council, with annual increases to keep pace with inflation (Section 7).

Fees for Facility Use: While meeting spaces must be made available, owners of a building or project are permitted to charge a reasonable, customary, and usual fee for the use of such facilities (Section 3).

Requirements for Non-Tenant Organizers: If a building has a written policy against canvassing, any tenant organizer who is not a tenant must be accompanied by a tenant while on the property (Section 3).