Fair Rent Commission Okays New Tenants’ Union Rules

Laura Glesby, New Haven Independent, Oct. 19, 2022

Local tenants’ unions now have an official path forward for being recognized by the city in order to participate in housing-related investigations, thanks to the Fair Rent Commission’s adoption of a new set of union-related rules.

The commissioners unanimously approved those rules and regulations Tuesday night during their latest regular online monthly meeting.

The now-adopted rules pertaining to tenants’ unions flesh out a renter-power law recently approved by the Board of Alders. Thanks to the alder-approved law and the Fair Rent Commission-approved regulations, tenants’ unions are now able to:

• officially register with the city;
• designate a representative (who may or may not be a fellow tenant of the complex);
• launch a public investigation from the Fair Rent Commission office into housing conditions at the apartment complex in question; and
• have a representative assist union members in filing an individual fair rent complaint.

The regulations stop short of allowing tenants’ unions to collectively appear before the Fair Rent Commission with a complaint about rent or living conditions within individual units. They also require tenants’ unions to have their registration forms notarized before submitting them to the city.

[Read the entire article at www.newhavenindependent.org/article/fair_rent_recognizes_tenant_unions]