Both URLTA and common law in Tennessee specify a landlord cannot evict a tenant for reporting damages, items needing repair or codes violations, but Johnson said an affordable housing shortage in Shelby County often means a waiting list of tenants glad to be able to rent even apartments with problems. 

— J. Holly McCall | Tennessee Lookout | February 26, 2024

This comes after months of door to door organizing from everyday people who are struggling to keep up with the bills. They will ask legislators to sign an open letter calling for federal renter protections. They stated that no Tennessee lawmaker has submitted a bill that would fund what renters need- affordable housing, acquisition and retention or protection from abusive landlords.

— Tony Sloan | News Channel 5 Nashville | February 20, 2024

As rent prices continue to soar in Tennessee, renters from across the state are pushing for more affordable housing and tenants’ rights. Tennessee for Safe Homes is organizing the event to encourage lawmakers to introduce bills that would remove the barriers that prevent more affordable housing.

— Tony Garcia & Joylyn Bukovac | WVLT 8 | February 20, 2024

Renters met with lawmakers requesting their support of a federal crackdown on rent hikes, making certain repairs a requirement, and protecting tenants from retaliation in federally subsidized complexes.

— April Thompson | WREG Memphis | February 20, 2024

“The thing that has been very clear to me in my time organizing in Shelbyville is that renters want to organize because the conditions they’re up against are totally unsustainable, and people need solutions. The problem is that the power difference between renters and landlords is so steep that the costs of organizing are too high to bear for most people who want to. Now, as the situation gets worse, people will organize in larger numbers anyway, even against the risks that are out there. It will happen.” - Tristan Call

— Gabby Ross | National Low-Income Housing Coalition | April 24, 2024

“Although landlords are legally required to maintain safe housing and fix safety hazards, many renters report that in the absence of landlord-provided emergency maintenance, they have to either fix the problem themselves or pay out of pocket for a professional to do it… Now, landlords must provide all tenants with contact information, including a phone number, for emergency maintenance needs”

— Jack Willey Press Release | Bedford County Post | May 15, 2024

“Tenants around Nashville rejoice the passage of bill HB1814 sponsored by Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) in the Senate and Representative Dwayne Thompson (D-Cordova) which will require landlords to provide all tenants or the management companies acting on their behalf with the contact information to report questions, concerns, or statements.”

— Logan Langlois | The Tennessee Tribune | May 1, 2024

Renters are still waiting for urgent action from the FHFA to implement common-sense renter protections in all complexes bought using federally backed loans.

— JoAnne Vasil, Pat Marsh, and Shane Reeves | The Tennessean | April 2, 2024

“Shelbyville’s City Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution recommended by the city’s Safe and Affordable Housing Committee and organizers with the Bedford County Listening Project (BCLP) seeking accountability from landlords receiving public funds.”

— Ashley Benkarski | The Tennessee Tribune | September 21, 2023

After several years of work around housing rights an advocacy group for affordable and safe housing in Shelbyville, Tennessee, is celebrating a victory.

– Danielle Smith | Public News Service | February 28, 2023

“For one family, the CDC moratorium has been essential. It’s about to expire.”

– Oliver Whang | The New Yorker | July 30, 2021

– Robin Young | Here and Now | November 9, 2020

– Borrowed Wisdom with Robert Barry Fleming | Actors Theatre | Nov 3, 2020

Host Renee Shaw speaks with Beth Howard and Michael Harrington from Southern Crossroads and Rednecks for Black Lives about building community power and multi-racial alliances among poor and working-class people in the South. She also follows up with activist and hip hop artist Devine Carama, who walked across Kentucky to promote voter awareness and racial justice.

– KET | October 18, 2020

Organizer Beth Howard is calling on her fellow ‘rednecks’ and ‘hillbillies’ to stand up for Black lives

- NowThis | September 11, 2020

— Robin Young | Here and Now | July 27, 2020

— Amy Harmon and Audra D. S. Burch | The New York Times | June 22, 2020

– Chris Kenning | Louisville Courier Journal | June 11, 2020

– Katie Myers | Scalawag | March 9, 2020

– Meribah Knight | Nashville Public Radio | January 27, 2020