Under New York State law, tenants are free to organize and form tenants’ unions. Harnessing this collective power can help shift the power imbalance between tenants and landlords. In this section, you will find information about the benefits of organizing, tenants’ right to organize, and protections against landlords who try to prevent tenants from organizing or retaliate against them for doing so.
Working together is far more effective than working alone! If your landlord is violating your rights or ignoring your requests, then they are probably doing the same to other tenants as well. You may want to contact your neighbors to see if they are facing similar problems with their housing or your landlord.
You can also contact your local tenants’ organization to get connected to other tenants in your area and meet experienced organizers who can answer questions about your rights and options. Working with a tenants’ organization can help you get the repairs, refunds, and quality of living you deserve. Residents of Ithaca and the surrounding area can contact the Ithaca Tenants Union’s Organizing Help Line by visiting https://www.ithacatu.org/get-help.
A tenants’ organization can help you and your neighbors lay out your options for creating or utilizing your leverage against your landlord, like withholding rent, taking them to court, or reporting violations, as discussed in other sections of this guide.
Generally, tenants’ rights organizations are allowed by law to meet in any common area of the property, as long as the meeting does not block others’ access to the property or its facilities and the meeting is held during reasonable hours in a peaceful manner.
Your right to organize is protected by New York State law. It is unlawful for your landlord to prevent you from joining or forming a tenants’ rights organization. It is also unlawful for your landlord to retaliate against you for doing so. Please refer to New York Real Property Law Section 223-b and New York Real Property Law Section 230.
This guide is a living document, and may be subject to change. It contains general information on your rights as a tenant in upstate New York, and is not a replacement for legal advice from an attorney. To get specific legal advice or representation in court, Tompkins County residents can speak to the Tenants Legal Hotline at (607) 301-1560 or visit https://ithacatenantresources.org/tlh or contact Legal Assistance of Western New York (LawNY) at 607-273-3667.
