Organizing Against Displacement — In the Words of Those Doing the Work
Across cities large and small, tenants are fighting back. Against rent hikes. Against evictions. Against the slow violence of negligent landlords and the fast violence of displacement. Tenant organizing is some of the most immediate, concrete, and effective grassroots organizing happening right now — and it is deeply aligned with anarchist principles of horizontal solidarity and direct action.
We spoke with organizers from several tenant unions about their work, their methods, and what they've learned.
"It Starts With a Knock on the Door"
Every experienced tenant organizer says the same thing: the work begins with one-on-one conversations. Not flyers. Not social media posts. Conversations.
"You have to actually talk to your neighbors," explains one organizer from a Midwest tenant union who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons. "People are scared. They don't know their rights. They think they're alone. Once they realize that five other people on their floor have the same problem, something shifts."
This relationship-building phase — sometimes called "deep canvassing" — is unglamorous and slow. It involves knocking on doors, having coffee, listening more than talking, and building trust over time. But organizers consistently identify it as the foundation without which nothing else works.
The Power of the Union Model
Tenant unions — as distinct from tenant associations or advocacy organizations — operate on a collective bargaining model. They don't simply lobby; they make demands and back them with collective action. The key tools include:
- Rent strikes: When landlords refuse to address serious conditions or roll back unjust increases, tenants withhold rent collectively.
- Work-to-rule: Tenants stop performing unpaid labor for buildings — no more reporting maintenance issues without written records, no informal favors for management.
- Public pressure campaigns: Targeting landlords' other investments, public appearances, and business relationships.
- Legal solidarity: Collectively challenging evictions rather than allowing them to be processed individually and in isolation.
Horizontal Structure, Real Challenges
Many tenant unions operate without professional staff or hierarchy — decisions are made in open assemblies, and leadership rotates. This reflects anarchist values of self-organization. But organizers are honest about the challenges this creates.
"Flat structure is great in principle," says an organizer with a West Coast tenant union. "In practice, you have to be really intentional about it. Otherwise the people with the most time or the loudest voices end up making all the decisions anyway — and that tends to replicate existing power dynamics around race and class."
Successful unions invest in facilitation skills, rotate chairing meetings, and actively work to center the voices of those most affected by housing insecurity.
Wins, Large and Small
Tenant organizing produces results. Buildings where organized tenants have successfully compelled landlords to make repairs. Eviction proceedings that have been halted when landlords realized they would face collective resistance. Rent increases negotiated down or rolled back under pressure. And beyond individual victories, a growing network of people who have experienced their own collective power — which is perhaps the most important outcome of all.
Getting Involved
If you're a renter — and most people are — your housing situation is political. Finding or building a tenant union is one of the most direct ways to practice mutual aid and direct action in your own life. Start by reaching out to existing tenant organizations in your city. If none exist, consider starting one: all it takes is a willingness to knock on your neighbor's door.