Madison Tenant Power

“Tenant union” can mean a lot of different things.

In one city, it might mean a few neighbors collectively demanding repairs from a negligent landlord. Somewhere else, it might mean a mass organization coordinating rent strikes across entire neighborhoods.

A union might combine solidarity-union tactics, rank-and-file democracy, and majority bargaining campaigns.

Here are 5 common types of tenant unions.

Help stock the Little Free Pantry at McPike Park near the skatepark!

Bring:

    •    ready-to-eat meals
    •    peanut butter and jelly
    •    pasta, rice, and beans
    •    canned soups (with pop-tops)
    •    tuna / chicken pouches
    •    reusable water bottles

did you know that Madison Tenant Power has hundreds of organizing guides in our Tenant Power Zine Library? 📚🏘️

start building your own network here: https://www.madisontenantpower.org/resources

these resources are designed to help tenants take first steps toward building strategy, connecting with neighbors, escalating collective action, and defending each other from displacement

inside you’ll find:

• real stories from tenants who won through rent strikes, eviction blockades, and street outreach
• guides for canvassing, tenant meetings, cop watch, and neighborhood organizing

a tenant received a 5-Day Notice accusing them of stealing a neighbor’s package and feared they could lose their home immediately

after talking with her neighbor directly, the neighbor withdrew the complaint. management apologized and canceled the eviction notice and the tenant was able to stay in their home.

this guide walks through each step of the process. an eviction notice is not the same thing as an eviction. communication, documentation, and community support can change the outcome. 🏘️📦

2026 Open House Assembly
Saturday, July 11th, 12pm - 4pm
Madison Labor Temple, Room 109 (1602 S Park St)

RSVP: https://bit.ly/open-house-assembly

This event includes an open tenant forum, interactive teach-ins, and a collaborative strategy conversation.

We’ll kick things off by sharing work from Madison Tenant Power and other housing organizations, highlighting real wins from Madison tenants.

Then, we’ll dive into practical skills like winning repairs, researching for leverage, and starting co-ops.

Next, we’ll work together to map next steps and build momentum for local housing organizing.

Food and childcare provided.

Organized by Madison Tenant Power

phones down, game faces on 🎲 ✨ 💬

join your neighbors for a Tenant Game Night. Monopoly, anyone?

🗓 Sunday, June 7
⏰ 1–4 PM
📍 Gamer’s Library

Tenant Outreach
May 22 3 pm - 5 pm

Invite local businesses and organized rental buildings to the Open House Tenant Assembly.

No experience needed!

Text 608-218-4432 to join a flying team.

Unplug and play 🎲 Join your neighbors for a Tenant Game Night! Connect with your neighbors over housing games and conversation games.

Sunday, June 7
1–4 PM
Gamer’s Library

See you there!

The Small Rental Buildings Era

Corporate landlords are buying up homes and using automation to
raise rents, ignore repairs, and avoid relationships.

Step 1: Research

Find the real owner behind the LLC. Search city property records. Look up the LLC registration.

Step 2: Organize

WhatsApp or Signal. Track maintenance complaints. Tenant meetings in parks, libraries, churches. Shared demand letters.

Step 3: Escalate

Document code violations. Set clear demands. If nothing changes: file complaints, use rent escrow, talk to media.

Step 4: Longterm Alternatives

Community Land Trust (CLT) > Housing Co-op > Co-op federation

fantastic organizing workshop at Neighborhood House ✊🏽

we spent the session digging into “scattered-site housing”—duplexes, small apartment buildings, and single-family rentals

key takeaway: property managers + mortgage lenders = real leverage points

💡 tools we used for research:

👉 find your owner: http://findmylandlord.madisontenantpower.org/
👉 verify ownership: https://www.wdfi.org/apps/CorpSearch/Search.aspx
👉 find mortgage lender: https://rod.countyofdane.com/

bonus: 👉 map rentals on your street: https://www.cityofmadison.com/assessor/property/info.cfm

📚 homework:

who is your building’s owner, property manager, and mortgage lender?
share what you find!

🤝 group commitments:

    1    focus organizing on the east side (Tenney-Lapham, Marquette, Capitol) and connect LLC networks across S Livingston, S Ingersoll, E Johnson, E Gorham, E Dayton, N Butler, and N Hancock
    2    coordinate mass code violation reporting + community patrols (including exterior issues like snow and lawn care as shared leverage points)
    3    target Madison Property Management (MPM), Property Management of Madison (PMM), Capitol Investors