What Do We Want?

First and foremost, we need to end draconian measures that prevent property owners from enforcing leases, collecting payment, or removing unethical, bad actor tenants.

Tenant protections are important in crowded, urban environments where housing is scarce. But, small landlords provide affordable housing and are also completely unprotected from unethical tenants. Flexibility for small landlords means more affordable housing. Inflexible, draconian mandates take units off the market and drive up rents.

In Oakland, CA, the rental board website lists 19 ways a landlord can legally harass their tenants and sue them. But there are zero ways that a tenant can legally harass their landlords, even if they live in the same home. This is silly and really one-sided. BOTH landlords AND tenants need protection against unethical behavior.

Some of us live in the same home with people who aren't paying and won't leave. Some of us are facing mortgage debt of tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, with tenants who can't or won't sign for the government rent relief (which won't actually cover the entire duration of the eviction moratoriums). We want our choice back to do what we choose with our homes. That we live in.

Not all landlords are bad and not all tenants are good. We need to change this binary mindset and understand that demonizing ANY group of people as a monolith is wrong and harmful. And it harms tenants in the long run. Small landlords have personal relationships with their tenants, which means flexibility and better outcomes. 

We need you. If you believe that it is unfair to demonize one group (landlords). If you believe that the single mom who rented a room in her home should lose her home or that an unwanted grifter should be treated better than a greedy, corporate landlord, we need you to take action. Subscribe to our newsletter, share your story of good landlords, and see our Take Action page for ways you can help.