Rent strike facts for kids

A rent strike is when a group of people who rent homes decide together to stop paying their rent. They do this to protest against their landlord until certain problems are fixed or demands are met. It's often a last resort when landlords aren't listening. While it can be a strong way to make a point, it also carries the risk of people being asked to leave their homes.

Historically, rent strikes have happened because rents were too high, homes were in bad condition, or landlords made unfair rules. Sometimes, bigger community issues have also led to rent strikes.

Famous Rent Strikes

Europe

Glasgow, Scotland

During World War I, many men from Glasgow went off to fight. Landlords saw this as a chance to raise rents on the women and families left behind. Rents went up by as much as 25%. If families couldn't pay, they faced being forced out of their homes.

This unfair situation led to a big protest and a rent strike. Women like Mary Barbour, Helen Crawfurd, and others led the way. They were sometimes called 'Mrs. Barbour's Army'. These women and the Glasgow Women's Housing Association worked together. They would stop officials from delivering eviction notices. They even used flour bombs or threw people into trash bins to prevent evictions!

The strikes quickly spread across Glasgow and even to workplaces. This was a huge success because Glasgow was making weapons for the war. The protests grew beyond Glasgow to other cities in the UK. Because of this, the government passed a law on November 27, 1915. This law, called the Rent Restriction Act, stopped landlords from raising rents above pre-war levels.

Leeds, England

In January 1914, about 300 families in Leeds went on a rent strike. Their landlords had raised rents by a small amount, but it was still too much for many. The families held a big meeting and decided to protest across the city.

They formed a Tenants Defence League to help organize the strike. They held public meetings and talked to people in different neighborhoods. The strike lasted for eight weeks. Some of the organizers were sadly forced out of their homes and found it hard to rent elsewhere.

Kirkby, England

In October 1972, about 3,000 families in Kirkby, near Liverpool, started a 14-month-long rent strike. They were protesting a new law called the Housing Finances Act, which caused rents to go up. A group of women formed an Unfair Rents Action Group. They organized the strike to fight against the rent increases.

Gothenburg, Sweden

In the 1930s, a group called the Gothenburg Tenants' Movement worked to lower rents. They encouraged people to boycott, cancel contracts, and go on rent strikes. Nearly 2,000 properties were affected, and thousands of families got their rents lowered.

Landlords fought back, and during a conflict in 1936-1937, many families were evicted. But in the end, the landlords lost. This marked a change, and tenant protests became less common in Gothenburg.

Northern Ireland

During a time called "The Troubles" (from the 1960s to the 1980s), people involved in the civil rights movement also used rent strikes. They stopped paying rent and local taxes to protest against people being held without trial.

University College London

Starting in 2015, students at University College London began a rent strike. By 2016, over a thousand students were involved, refusing to pay rent. They won a lot of money back in rent reductions. This idea spread to other universities in the UK. Students started "Cut The Rent" campaigns. These strikes continued in 2017 and 2018, winning over £1.5 million for students.

Africa

South Africa

In the 1980s, there were huge rent strikes in South Africa. These strikes were part of the bigger fight to end Apartheid, which was a system of racial separation. People wanted to own their homes. The government even sent soldiers into Soweto in 1987. In some areas like Soweto, officials eventually stopped trying to collect rent. They even gave ownership of many rental homes to the families living in them.

North America

Anti-Rent Movement of New York (1839–1845)

This was a revolt by renters in upstate New York. It happened between 1839 and 1845. The renters were tired of the old "manor system" where powerful landowners, called patroons, controlled everything. They refused to pay taxes and demanded changes to land ownership. They successfully fought for land reform.

New York City Rent Strike in 1907

In 1907, rents were rising in New York City because there weren't enough homes. About 10,000 families in lower Manhattan went on a rent strike. A 16-year-old named Pauline Newman was one of the main organizers. Many housewives and women working in clothing factories also helped. The strike lasted from December 26 to January 9. It led to about 2,000 families getting their rents lowered.

New York City Rent Strike Over Repairs (1963-1964)

In the winter of 1963-1964, a rent strike began in Harlem, New York City. This strike was led by Jesse Gray, who had been helping renters since 1953. The main reason for this strike was not high rents, but rather that landlords were not fixing problems in the buildings.

National Wave of Rent Strikes in the US (1960s-1970s)

Rent strikes became popular across the United States in the 1960s and early 1970s. This was because landlords often ignored needed repairs in both private and public housing. Two main groups led these protests. One group, led by Marie M. Runyon, involved renters and students. They got a lot of media attention. The other group included members of the Black Panther Party and the Young Lords party. They took direct action to show how the government was failing. They also encouraged people in poor New York City neighborhoods to take over empty buildings. After the Harlem strikes, this tactic spread to university towns and public housing areas.

South America

Tenants' Strike of 1907 in Argentina

In 1907, a large movement against rising rents started in Buenos Aires and other cities in Argentina. Many people lived in crowded rental homes called conventillos. This protest grew into a rent strike. It began in August 1907 and lasted about three months. More than a hundred thousand renters took part, and 32,000 workers also went on strike to support them. Activists who believed in anarchist and socialist ideas were very involved in organizing this movement.