Six tenant rights groups around North Carolina are forming a statewide tenants union. The group will focus on aiding local efforts to unionize renters, and expand tenant rights around the state.
The North Carolina Tenants Union is a network of six local groups from Asheville, Charlotte, New Bern, New Hanover, Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem.
"What we want to do is dramatically expand tenants rights in North Carolina," said Executive Director Nick Macleod.
Macleod says the group will help renters who want to unionize their apartment buildings, mobile home parks or public housing.
"So that they can negotiate leases together and advocate for repairs as needed," he said.
The group will also lobby for stronger tenant legal protections, like capping rent increases, outlawing arbitrary evictions, and requiring landlords to clean up and prevent mold.
The union could also provide legal representation to renters in eviction court — something nearly all now lack. More than 1.4 million households in North Carolina rent their homes. That’s equal to a third of households in the state.