— 01
We define tenants as people who need housing but don't control it. That lack of control is rooted in a fundamental conflict of interests: tenants need housing to live, while landlords own and control housing to generate profit through rent. Those two interests are not the same, and pretending otherwise leaves renters without the power to change their circumstances.
The basic premise of the tenant union is that there are more of us than there are of them. Individually, a tenant who pushes back on a rent increase or demands repairs can be ignored — or retaliated against.
— 02
TVTU aims to organize tenants into unions across the Treasure Valley, building renters into a powerful political and economic class. We are working to build a regional tenants' union that is democratic, transparent, and egalitarian — one where every member has a real voice and leadership reflects our full community.
Our long-term aim is the decommodification of housing: a guarantee of secure, affordable, and quality housing for all people in the Treasure Valley and beyond. We believe the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution, and that real change must be shaped by the tenants who live it.
— 03
Because tenants' struggles result from a lack of power, we are committed to building Tenant Power as the only true solution. We pursue that power by all appropriate tactics — organizing tenant unions building by building and across the region, running mutual aid networks, lobbying for pro-tenant legislation, direct action, and more.
In Idaho, tenant protections are among the weakest in the nation — landlords can raise rents with little notice, fees go unchallenged, and renters often feel powerless to push back. The necessary fights can't always be fought building-by-building, which is why TVTU organizes at the neighborhood, city, and state level to contest the larger forces that shape where and how we live. We intend to organize tenants as a class regardless of ideology, race, sex, orientation, or any other social difference. A landlord can ignore one complaint. They cannot ignore a union.
What Tenant Unions Have Won
Renting in the United States has never been harder, and the Treasure Valley is no exception. But across the country, organized tenants have won real, concrete gains.
Organized tenants have negotiated voluntary rent freezes and fought for citywide policies that protect against sudden, unaffordable increases.
From broken heaters to mold and unsafe wiring, unions have forced landlords to make repairs that individual tenants couldn't get done alone.
Late fees, application fees, move-in fees, and pet fees have all been reduced or eliminated through collective bargaining.
A landlord is far less likely to evict a tenant standing with 30 neighbors than one acting alone. Unity is the strongest protection.
Organized buildings have won 60-, 90-, and even 120-day advance notice requirements before rent can be raised.
Written agreements requiring landlords to address urgent repairs within a set timeframe, with rent escrow as a consequence for non-compliance.
Rather than each tenant negotiating alone, unions negotiate lease terms that apply to everyone in a building or complex.
Tenant unions don't just win building-by-building. They build the political power to change laws, push city councils, and elect tenant-friendly candidates.
Landlords respond to power.
Tenant unions build power. Everything else follows from that.
Real Victories, Real Tenants
These aren't hypothetical outcomes. Across the country, organized tenants have forced landlords and governments to the table — and won concrete, lasting change. Here are four examples of what becomes possible when tenants stand together.
Brooklyn, New York • 2019
Rent freeze + mandatory repairs + anti-harassment agreement
Tenants across eight Brooklyn buildings organized against a landlord who had deferred maintenance for years while raising rents. After a coordinated rent strike by nearly 100 tenants, the landlord signed a formal agreement: frozen rents, a mandatory repair schedule, and written anti-harassment protections for all residents.
Los Angeles, California • 2023
City voted 12–0 to acquire building via eminent domain
When a private equity owner let affordable housing deed restrictions expire and proposed rent increases of up to 300%, tenants organized for years and built enough political power that the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to acquire the building using eminent domain — preserving affordability for all residents in a landmark first.
St. Paul, Minnesota • 2021
Voters approved a 3% annual rent cap — the first rent control in Minnesota history
After years of organizing across St. Paul's renter communities, tenant advocates placed a rent stabilization measure on the November 2021 ballot. Voters approved it, making St. Paul the first city in Minnesota to adopt rent control and capping annual rent increases at 3% citywide.
Portland, Oregon • 2019
Oregon becomes the first state in the U.S. to pass statewide rent stabilization
Years of organizing by tenant unions across Portland and Oregon — including sustained campaigns against no-cause evictions and skyrocketing rents — led to Governor Kate Brown signing SB 608 in 2019: the first statewide rent stabilization law in American history, capping annual increases and requiring just-cause for evictions statewide.
These wins didn't happen by accident. They happened because tenants organized. TVTU is here to help the Treasure Valley write its own chapter.
Get Involved
Whether you're dealing with a bad landlord right now, want to help organize your building, or simply believe every person deserves a safe and affordable home — there's a place for you in TVTU.
Donate to TVTU →Not sure if you're ready to organize a tenant union? Just reach out and we'll get back to you to talk and answer questions as quickly as possible.
Help us do outreach, run tenant workshops, support active campaigns, and grow the union. No experience necessary — just commitment.
Show up to a TVTU public meeting or tenant workshop to learn more and meet your neighbors. First-timers are always welcome.
Follow us on Instagram and share our stuff with a neighbor, a coworker, or a friend who rents. The union grows one conversation at a time.
