Title
An Ordinance to Add Title XI (Tenants Bill of Rights) and Chapter 150 (Tenants Right to Organize) of Title XI of the Code of the City of Ann Arbor
Memorandum
The majority of Ann Arbor residents are tenants. The City is in the midst of a housing crises. Rental housing in the City is in high demand and short supply. This housing crises has led to an imbalance in the relationship between landlords and tenants.
The right of tenants to organize and participate in tenant organizations addresses this imbalance because a tenant organization, when compared with efforts by a single tenant, better empowers tenants to advocate for tenants’ rights, such as improvements in housing conditions.
Tenants of federally-subsidized multifamily housing projects enjoy protections for participating in tenant organizations under 24 C.F.R. Sections 245.100-245.135. Michigan state law also protects tenants from retaliation for membership in a tenant organization or a lawful activity of a tenant organization, M.C.L. § 600.5720. Additionally, other municipalities, including Washington, D.C., Seattle, Berkeley, Austin, and San Francisco have enacted local ordinances granting tenants the right to create tenant organizations, meet in common areas, distribute literature to other tenants, and post tenant materials on common billboards. Further, other states, including Minnesota and New York have enacted state-wide protections for tenants including the right to create and participate in tenant organizations.
Similar local ordinance protections in the City of Ann Arbor will better enable tenants to advocate for tenants’ rights, negotiate with landlords, and collectively address issues of concern to tenants.
The attached proposed ordinance would create a new Title XI to the Code of the City of Ann Arbor to establish a Tenants Bill of Rights. Within this Tenants Bill of Rights, the proposed ordinance would establish a new Chapter 150 setting forth a tenants’ right to organize, which would protect tenants and tenant organizers from retaliation by landlords for their membership in a tenant organization or for engaging in certain protected tenant organizing activities.
Reviewed by: Jennifer Richards, Senior Assistant City Attorney
John Reiser, Senior Assistant City Attorney
Body
(See Attached Ordinance)
Sponsored by: Councilmember Radina