About
Who We Are
Madison Tenant Power (founded in 2019) is a tenant union formed by and for tenants to defend our rights to dignity and healthy living. A "tenant" is anyone who is not in control of their own housing.
We are a "people-powered" organization. We are not service providers, but are all tenants united to support ourselves and each other. All tenants are welcome to join our membership.
Read more about our principles of unity here.
We Fight For
Tenant control of our homes
Affordable housing
Timely repairs
Lower rent ($)
Social housing
Walkable neighborhoods
Cross-sector organization in workplaces, homes, and neighborhoods
We Fight Against
State-level bans on tenant protections
Higher rent ($$$)
Eviction
Building neglect
Landlord harassment
Isolation
How We Fight
Communicate!
flyers
door-knocking
tabling
social media + website
Organize!
organized buildings
direct action
court support
Educate!
relationships
community events
educational workshops
Get Involved
We are a volunteer-run organization. We support each other in planning events, organizing workshops, and talking to our neighbors about building issues.
Read more about how we do our work here.
The History of Tenants in Madison
Madison used to have a powerful tenant union called Madison Tenant Union (MTU), which operated from 1969 to 1985. Madison Tenant Union adopted a labor-union model of organizing, organizing tenants into unions that would engage in collective bargaining using a variety of tactics including rent strikes to fight for tenants’ rights. The union was a non-profit; the landlord lobby ultimately successfully dismantled the union by attacking its funding sources.
The relationship between landlords and tenants has always been fraught. What’s more, historical race covenants have had a lingering impact on patterns of property ownership in Wisconsin.
Madison has historically had tenant protections that protected renters from displacement. State-wide preemption laws passed in 2011 have significantly limited tenants’ legal rights in Madison.
The Future We Hope For
Our Vision
good social, affordable housing
walkable neighborhoods safe for kids and for single moms
tenant control over their own spaces
representation by a tenant union
rental buildings that are publicly owned and managed, administered by a tenant advisory board
Our Immediate Goals
Repeal of the state-level ban on rent control and other pro-tenant legislative measures
Implement rent control measures and strong tenant protections
Lower rental prices and protection against rent profiteering / rent extortion
No more state intervention in local landlord-tenant issues.
Our Long-term Goals
Housing will be free and good quality because it is a human right and a necessity.
We will build a resilient community of tenants who know each other and work together, creating closely connected communities who feel empowered to enforce their rights.
We will coordinate cross-sector organization to support workers and working families: labor organizing, neighborhood organizing, tenant organizing.
We will build bridges between various zones of struggle, connecting housing justice to black liberation, abolition, women’s liberation, queer liberation, and reproductive justice. More solidarity, more community.
Tenant power!
