Write a letter to the landlord that details exactly what is happening in the building and why it is unfair or illegal. This can be done by just one person, or by a group of people. The letter can include demands, a list of things that need to get repaired, or a list of clauses of the Residential Tenancies Act that are being violated. This often lets the landlord know that you know your rights and are not afraid to enforce them. Having other people sign on to the letter shows that you have support from other tenants or organizations. Make sure you also include your address, a timeframe to act, and what action you will take if the problem is not addressed.

This is a simple way to show that tenants are organized. The petition can have all the problems in the building (or even the city/province, if you’re directing your petition at the government) and demands on how they can be fixed. Making a petition is very simple, but make sure you have people include their full name, address, and phone number. These are also a great way to get people’s contact information if you’re looking for other people to get organized and join the fight. Online petitions like change.org are an easy way to get a lot of signatures, but they don’t allow you to get contact information to follow up with people. It’s worth weighing the pros and cons of a paper vs digital petition.

A great way to get your demands to be visible and to gain support is by flyering or postering the neighbourhood. Flyers are generally smaller and can be slipped under peoples’ door to let them know about upcoming events, demands, or give them more information about the building. Posters are put up around neighbourhoods and buildings and are a good way to mobilize the public and let them know the issues you’re facing.

If your landlord does not fix the problem, sometimes you’ll need to take a more visible route of action. Protesting is a great way to publicize the issue you’re having and rally community support for your demands. You can choose to picket at your building, the landlord’s office, or in a public space. If you choose to protest somewhere where the landlord’s neighbours or coworkers are, it can force the landlord to act so it doesn’t damage their reputation. Make sure when you do a protest you can be visible – some people choose to do speeches on a megaphone, others could lead chants, and people can have banners, signs, and other props to get your demands across visually. With actions, always take steps to ensure you’re staying within the law and not doing anything that will discredit your reputation and demands.

Calling the media is one of the quickest ways to get attention and support behind your issue and is often very effective in getting a response from the landlord. You can call the media for any reason, but they like to cover events like actions and protests. You could also call them for a general interest piece around what’s happening in your building. To call the media out, you will need to come up with a list of news outlets and reporters and their email address. Then, draft a short press release to send to news outlets.

A press release should be titled “PRESS RELEASE:” and then the headline of your event. It should also include a date, if applicable, and a brief description of the issues, target, and demands that you want the reporter to cover. This can include quotes from tenants. The most important aspect of a press release is the contact information for the person who will be doing interviews.

You can also use social media to get the word out. Sometimes tenants like to share press releases online when they release them to the media. Other times, social media can be used to take pictures of the issue and share tenant testimonials and videos. In the modern age, anyone can be a reporter if they’re savvy with a smartphone.