Plans To Launch ‘Bermuda’s First Tenants Union’
Bermuda Is Love, in partnership with the Bermuda Autonomous Tenants Association [BATA], has launched a new campaign to “organize tenants, strengthen communities, and establish Bermuda’s first tenants’ union.”
A spokesperson said, “The campaign comes at a time when rising rents, housing insecurity, poor housing conditions, and displacement are affecting growing numbers of people across Bermuda. While individual tenants often struggle to resolve housing problems on their own, the campaign seeks to build the collective power needed to improve housing conditions and advance lasting change.
“The housing crisis is not simply about a shortage of homes. It is also a tenant crisis.
“Housing is ultimately about power. A tenant crisis exists when people who rent their homes lack the knowledge, relationships, confidence, and collective organization needed to protect their interests and shape the decisions that affect their lives. While housing problems are often experienced individually, they are created by systems that can only be changed collectively.
Tenant unions provide that collective voice.
“Just as workers organize through trade unions to improve wages and working conditions, tenants can organize to improve conditions in their homes and neighbourhoods. Through democratic organization, education, mutual support, and collective action, tenant unions enable ordinary people to defend their rights and advocate for safe, secure, and dignified housing.
“The goal of #TenantsUnited is to establish Bermuda’s first democratic tenants’ union, giving renters the opportunity to organize collectively, defend their rights, support one another, and build the power needed to create lasting housing change.
“The Bermuda Autonomous Tenants Association [BATA] is an independent, democratic organization dedicated to building tenant power across Bermuda. BATA’s mission is to educate tenants about their rights, support people experiencing housing issues, develop tenant leaders, build neighbourhood tenant associations, and advocate for housing as a human right.
Campaign Events
“The campaign will feature a series of public events designed to educate, empower, and organize tenants.
Sunday, August 9 – Tenant Rights Workshop
- Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
- Location: Human Rights Commission, Milner Place, 32 Victoria Street, Hamilton HM 11
- Learn about Bermuda’s landlord and tenant laws, your legal rights and responsibilities, and practical steps you can take when housing problems arise.
Saturday, August 15 – Free Legal Advice: Housing Law Clinic
- Time: 9:00am – 11:00am Location: Human Rights Commission, Milner Place, 32 Victoria Street, Hamilton HM 11
- Meet one-on-one with volunteer lawyers for free advice on tenancy agreements, repairs, eviction issues, rent disputes, and other housing matters.
Saturday, August 22 – Tenant Organizing Training Session
- Time: 9:00am – 11:00am
- Location: Human Rights Commission, Milner Place, 32 Victoria Street, Hamilton HM 11
- Learn how to build relationships with neighbours, identify shared concerns, and organize collectively to improve housing conditions.
Sunday, August 30 – Tenant Care Package Workshop
- Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
- Location: Human Rights Commission, Milner Place, 32 Victoria Street, Hamilton HM 11
- Join community members in preparing care packages to support tenants and neighbours facing housing challenges.
“Additional organizing meetings, neighbourhood gatherings, and educational events will be announced throughout the campaign.
Become a Member
“Bermuda Is Love and BATA are inviting tenants from across Bermuda to become members of the Bermuda Autonomous Tenants Association. Members will have opportunities to connect with fellow tenants, learn organizing skills, share experiences, develop campaigns, build neighbourhood tenant associations, and help shape the future direction of the organization.
“Whether you are currently facing housing challenges or simply believe tenants deserve a stronger collective voice, you are invited to get involved.
“Housing justice begins when tenants organize.”
Pay your rent.
Rule number 2 respect the landlords property
Rule number 3 if the landlord has not done something there is no need to blast his/her name to smither-reens and not say how he reduced the rent and often had to wait 2 or 3 months for rent
Rule 4 if you really get strong when apartments and houses go on the market landlords will just advertise higher rents or not advertise at all and pick from those known to pay rent and we know who they are
Rule 5 if you are a tenant, its okay to clean the grounds around you or after your party
Rule 6 start your own savings and investment plans to have something for a downpayment for a house of your own
Rule 7 when you become a landlord remember not to repeat all of the faults you viciously criticized your landlord for and now you are one, you are worst. You dont have to pay back. You show us how to be a good landlord.
Rule 8: don’t ask the landlord if a friend can stay for a week and it ends up being a family of 4 for a year
Rule 9 show up to meetings…it is not PTA and help this new group to be fair and not bullies
Rule 10 remember life is not fair but in Bermuda we want everybody else to be nice.
NBRemember while you took your cruises, bought a big car,were a Carnival participant had the latest Cup Match outfits, your landlord made big sacrifices to own one or more houses and when he tried to guide you ,you left in 5 minutes because you dint want to sacrifice. So as others pass you by..look in the mirror first.
Where are the revisions to the Landlord Tenant Act and the Rent Control Act, which have been ‘in the works’ for at least five years before being presented in the HOA last fall, only to be delayed more?
Believe that they were to be dealt with in the session just concluded. Nothing. The can has been kicked down the road once again.
Revisions were to make tenants more accountable and give landlords some incentive not to change use to BnB or leave empty.
Tenants can form an association all they want, provided that they can find people who will actually do the volunteer work needed. This is highly unlikely to happen. Everyone is ‘too busy’ to put in the time or wants to get paid for it. Those who are the beneficiaries of the work won’t want to pay. They expect the services of such an organisation to be free.
Another small group with lofty aspirations that will fizzle out in no time at all.
What next, a landlord association with aims of collecting a data base of undesirable tenants and a collective legal fund to deal with such tenants? An awful lot of people would find themselves on that list and finding accommodation will be extremely difficult for them. Nobody can force a landlord to rent to a known undesirable tenant.
“What next, a landlord association with aims of collecting a data base of undesirable tenants”
That started in the 1980s
A landlord group was attempted to be started in the 1980s. As above, not enough people willing to put in the required time.
Lots of paperwork.
Should be much easier now with social media and a savvy computer landlord willing to setup something to share undesirable tenant names and experiences.
Also a place to leave references for desirable tenants.