Abolish Corporate Landlords & Build Tenant Power!
Nine Former Tenants of Equity Residential Are On Rent Debt Strike. Here's How You Can Help:
Ready for some good news? We launched a rent debt strike! Read on for a recap of the public launch virtual event with House Representative Rashida Tlaib, learn more about the strike at eqrdtu.org, and let us know if your corporate landlord has been violating your tenant rights by going to reportmylandlord.org.
What if home were a sanctuary instead of a speculative commodity? What if shelter weren’t about padding the pockets of shareholders, but a safe and sturdy place to rest our heads? According to Tracy Rosenthal, author of Abolish Rent, more than 68 percent of the world’s wealth is held in real estate, and 79 percent of that is in residential housing. What if the homes and neighborhoods we lived in were actually for living instead of places where we’re crushed by the cost of living?
What if? The ultimate question. And lately our what ifs have been reserved for spiraling into worst case scenarios—what if I lose my job? What if I can’t pay my rent? What if I’m evicted? And who can blame us? But something miraculous can bloom from moments when we’re backed into a corner: courage. It’s often in the most strenuous times that we’re pressured to forge bonds instead of wallowing in isolation.
Speaking of strenuous times: imagine you’re a disabled, retired healthcare provider, you lost your job and suddenly you’re saddled with $51,000 in rent debt to a behemoth corporate landlord. That’s just one of nine real stories from former tenants of Equity Residential—the 5th largest real estate equity firm in the entire country. The EQR 9 sought housing and instead ended up in debt, evicted, and un-housable due to their ruined credit. But despite daunting circumstances, these former tenants started asking questions—and they got organized.
Last week, EQR 9 went on a historic rent debt strike with a bold message: Equity Residential, we owe you nothing! The debt strike has since been covered by In These Times, The American Prospect and Vox. And they’re just getting started.
On Wednesday Oct. 1, these courageous strikers launched their strike at a Debt Collective virtual event: Abolish Corporate Landlords and Build Tenant Power. The event was a platform for them to share their experiences, strategies, and goals with a wider audience. Guest speaker Congressperson Rashida Tlaib, a tenants’ rights champion, voiced her support of the debtors and shared how much she loves how our organizing movement centers our humanity. She said, “just showing vulnerability can be so scary, but it does inspire people to act.” Her recognition of the strikers’ efforts was uplifting and stressed the importance of sharing our debt stories, even if it means we must navigate challenging emotions. Courage really is contagious.
The event also featured speakers from the Debt Collective, including organizer and lifelong student debt striker Dr. Richelle Brooks, creative media strategist Maddy Clifford, Debt Collective co-founder Hannah Appel, and tenant power organizer René Moya. Participants got to hear from several of the EQR 9 who shared their debt stories, including Tay’Laur, Tai’Leah, Paige, Dani, Regina and Angel.
Finally, Laquisha Holiday and qamar omer of Tenant Union Federation and Joe of the Virgil Square Tenants association shared successes organizing tenants to win utilities refunds and much more. There’s a lot to learn when it comes to our historic campaign because it unites tenants and evicted debtors for the first time ever.
Watch the event below:
Here’s how YOU can join the fight against greedy corporate landlords: go to reportmylandlord.org and share your experiences with your former and/or current landlord. If you owe rent debt that you’d like to dispute, or if you’ve experienced deceptive, abusive, and potentially unlawful practices from Equity Residential or another corporate landlord, we want to hear from you! Haven’t dealt with a shady landlord? Please share the tool anyway. Who knows who it could help!
The stakes are high. If thousands of us dispute our debts with landlords, creditors, and collectors, we can make the process of debt collection so expensive and inconvenient that corporate landlords like Equity Residential will have no choice but to relent. And as we continue to uplift our organizing victories, keep in mind that behind headlines like, “the federal government forgave student debt” or a “corporate landlord refunded bogus utility bills” is the work of everyday people, of neighbors, friends, allies and organizers. It’s our collective efforts—not corporations and banks—that are driving systemic changes, and it’s a testament to what can occur when each individual becomes part of a larger movement for debt abolition and housing justice.
Together, tenants have power over landlords. You are not a loan!
In Solidarity,
Debt Collective Comms Team
Fully agree that corporate landlords are one of our biggest issues to solving the homelessness and housing crisises. To add to this conversation, my kids and I became unhoused when a county councilman opted not to renew our month-to-month lease -- this councilman neglected to reveal his rental property on his financial disclosure. While this may not be nearly as prevalent as corporate landlords, I doubt we are the only situation where this has happened. It has been completely life changing.