See our tenant rights counselors in action

Our new cohort of volunteer counselors, who went through an initial training in January, brushed up on their skills together last Friday afternoon. Central to the training was reviewing the basic rights for tenants in foreclosure situations and getting clarity on what can often be a confusing, inhumane situation caused by banks, investment companies, and their real estate representatives. Photos from the day:

Group shot of everyone in the office Friday 3/22

Gold team takes a stab at the tenant foreclosure rights and process flow chart.

Blue team puts forth their best effort.

Counselors in attendance and their supervisor, Aimee.

Our counselors come from all walks of life, including students at local law schools, tenant rights activists, recently graduated public interest lawyers, and retired advocates for justice. With their passion and commitment, it's possible for us to help thousands of tenants across the state understand and assert their rights each year.

We work to help tenants demand necessary repairs, get their security deposit back, and fight back against unfair evictions, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. If you are a California tenant, call us at 888-495-8020 to reach a counselor.

We're back! Open thread

Tenants Together has renewed its commitment to "Rents & Rants" and we've started posting regularly on Wednesdays and refreshed our layout a bit. Check back weekly for the latest news and commentary!

The best blogs foster a vibrant community as well as us providing fresh content.

In that spirit, we're opening up the comments section in this post to two topics:
1. What kind of content would you like to see on this blog?
2. What other blogs should we be following? We're thinking blogs focused on tenant rights, CA's progressive community, or vibrant community blogs.

Please share your thoughts and opinions in the comments!

Senator Leno Introduces Bill to Promote Fair Treatment of Tenant Security Deposits

Senator Mark Leno (D - San Francisco) has announced the introduction of SB 603, a bill to promote fair treatment of tenant security deposits. SB 603 would require deposit funds to be held separate accounts, require interest payments to tenants on any funds held, and impose penalties if deposit funds are improperly withheld at the conclusion of a tenancy.

"One the biggest complaints California's 15 million renters voice when a lease ends is that they have little recourse in dealing with a landlord who refuses to return their deposits," said Senator Leno, D-San Francisco. "At a time when deposits can be $5,000 or more, the failure to pay interest or properly return a security deposit can be a significant and unnecessary financial burden on many renters. SB 603 protects tenants in this situation by encouraging landlords to return security deposits in a timely manner, as required by law," he said.

SB 603 is co-sponsored by Tenants Together, Western Center on Law and Poverty and California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. The bill responds to widespread complaints from tenants across the state that their deposits are unfairly withheld. According to a recent survey of Tenants Together members, 60% reported that some or all of their security deposit had been improperly withheld.

"It's gotten so bad that tenants paying their security deposits don't ever expect to see that money again," commented Dean Preston, Executive Director of Tenants Together, California's statewide organization for renters' rights. "California's 15 million renters deserve better when it comes to the billions of their dollars being held as deposits," commented Preston.

Security deposits are among the largest financial assets, and sometimes the only asset, that many tenants have. Deposits can be thousands of dollars, particularly in Senator Leno's 11th Senate District that encompasses San Francisco.

Brain Augusta, Legislative Advocate at the Western Center on Law and Poverty, noted the unfairness of depriving tenants of interest on deposits. "Landlords who hold tenants' money, sometimes for years, should be required to pay the renter interest," said Augusta. "This isn't just a landlord-tenant issue. It's about basic consumer protection." Currently, only a handful of jurisdictions in California require that tenants be paid interest on security deposits.

The cause has quickly attracted broad support. Tenants Together recently launched www.YourDeposit.org, a new website to educate tenants and protect deposits. Already, 20 community organizations including tenant groups, unions, civil rights groups, and consumer advocates have signed onto the effort.

SB 603 will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee this spring.

March Tenant News Roundup

News across California:

San Luis Obispo: 40 students displaced after safety violations found at SLO condos
Students in SLO displaced by slum conditions and illegal property divisions that caused overcrowding. According to the article, these conditions had existed at the property since at least 1994.

Alameda: Council members: Rising rents could prompt controls
Tenants in a multi-unit building in the city of Alameda are facing rent increases of 55% or more after a change of ownership. Some council members open to considering rent control in response.

Fresno: Assessor Mailed More Than 2,000 Foreclosure Fact Sheets
Fresno County is one of only two counties in California where the government warns tenants that the property in which they live may be going into foreclosure. The Fresno Assessor provides information for both homeowners and tenants in distressed properties.

LA County: Courts Plan Will Hurt Poor Tenants, Advocates Say
The decision to reduce the number of courts hearing eviction cases will have a detrimental impact on low-income tenants, as they will have to travel long distances to the court hearing their cases. In some cases tenants would have to take public transportation from the San Fernando Valley to Santa Monica for a hearing.


Notable nationwide tenant news:

Your New Landlord Works on Wall Street
More investment companies taking up the business of being landlords, driving up the cost of rent in many communities. Many companies can be absentee landlords who make minimal cosmetic repairs.

R.I. Pols to Talk Tenants' Rights Bill
Rhode Island politicians are discussing a "just cause" eviction bill for tenants in foreclosed properties there. Last year a similar bill passed the Rhode Island House of Representatives, but failed in the State Senate.

Union Members Fight Foreclosure Evictions with Sit-downs and Blockades
Community organizations and unions have been working to stop evictions of homeowners in foreclosed properties.

An international perspective from a TT intern

Last semester UC Berkeley student Daniel joined the Tenants Together team as a Spanish Translation Intern. Dani spent the semester translating outreach and know-your-rights materials from English to Spanish and counseling on our Tenant Foreclosure Hotline. Born and raised primarily in Spain, Dani brought an important international perspective to our work. He is spending this semester abroad in France and sent us a few of the sociological observations he's made so far:

"I've been asking about tenancy in France, and apparently there is a real tenancy crisis here. That is, the cities, especially Paris, are overcrowded and people are being stuffed into small apartments while being asked to pay sky-high rents. There are those who search for an apartment in Paris for months and must face defeat. Some activist organizations even break into people's unoccupied houses and place tenants in need of housing there."

"Also, the requirements for tenancy are much different. If you go to an immobilier (realtor agency), they ask for a lot of private information, not just whether you have a job, but also your bank account, your last paycheck, your tax accounts, and a letter from your employer. It all seems a bit excessive, which is why a lot of people prefer to make private arrangements through online postings, etc."

"On the positive side, they have a rather nice law which says that you can't evict anyone during the winter months, even if they don't pay their rent! There is also a rather helpful social services branch called Caisse d'allocations familiales (CAF) which financially assists students and low income families so that they can pay their rent. Even as a foreign student, I can opt for this aid! So in this sense, the French government is very generous."

Do you have an international perspective? Landlord/tenant struggles share commonalities across borders, and it's always helpful to glean inspiration and lessons from fellow activists, wherever they may be. Please share your observations on laws and organizing models from abroad in the comments.