TenantNet is a resource for residential tenants covering more than twenty-five states (including New York) and growing. Whether it's too large of a rent increase, a noisy neighbor or a landlord who just doesn't want to make repairs, it's covered with how-to fact sheets, court cases and full-text of many state laws. The history and economics of rental housing are covered including historical sections on New York's Lower East Side. TenantNet has received many awards (Reader's Digest Looking Smart and New York Now's 50 Most Useful Sites being the latest), but we're most grateful for the comments we receive from everyday tenants who (hopefully) have benefitted from our hard work.
- "There you go again telling tenants their rights...#%!@"
- -- local NYC landlord
- "Amazing resource and what an example of how to use the internet."
- -- M.W., Tenant Attorney, United Kingdom
- "With all of the totally disposable and silly uses of bandwidth on the Web, it's great to see it used in a way that helps ordinary people."
- -- S.B., New York City tenant
- "The only site we have seen for information about residential tenants' rights and it's extremely comprehensive. If you rent, you MUST add this link to your list."
- -- Progressive People Links
- "Now, New York tenants can use the power of the law and the strength of a virtual group of advocates to take on landlords. TenantNet, an online resource for residential tenants, provides a wealth of information on the Internet for renters about their rights as tenants."
- -- @NY Internet Newsletter, January 19, 1996
- "You've been evicted, but no doubt your internet account is still intact, right? So log onto TenantNet and find valuable answers about tenants' rights and housing regulations, as well as regular updates on housing news. 'These are trying times for tenants,' begins the page. No lie. But at least we can still surf the Net."
- -- City Limits Magazine, January 1996
- Featured on Hometime National Radio, January 1996
- Featured in Computer Currents, December 1996
- "Though oriented toward conditions and laws in New York, Tenant Net offers a fine resource for people who rent apartments or houses and need to know what their rights are."
- -- Point Communications "Top 5% of all Web Sites"
- "Fantastic!" -- R.D., United Tenants of Ontario
- "An ambitious site that provides heaps of information on tenants' rights. It is mostly geared towards those in New York State, but residents of other areas will find the site applicable."
- -- What's New in Activism Online
- "Power to the People -- especially people who rent their apartments! ...this page has everything the militant tenant needs to know, especially if that tenant is a New York resident."
- -- Iguide/Insites [3 out of 4 rating]
- (editor's note: we're not militant... just capitalists with a conscience)
- "Having a lousy landlord turns Home Sweet Home into Nightmare on Elm Street... Have TenantNet on your bookmark list in case the Big Bad Wolf comes to huff and puff and blow your house in."
- -- Internet Yellow Pages, 3rd ed., Osborne Press
- "...check out Tenant Net, where renters can get the scoop on their rights..., obligations to neighbors, and landlord requirements. New York City tenant law is featured, but national, Canadian, and British regs are also given nods. Learn whether your neighborhood has rent control, how to organize a tenant association, NYC housing laws, and court decisions. History buffs will enjoy the city's housing history, including a glimpse into the Lower East Side at the turn of the century." Net Appeal: 8 Depth of Coverage: 10 Ease of Exploration: 9
- -- Magellan Internet Guide [Three Stars]
- "TenantNet focuses on the sometimes Kafkaesque world of tenant's rights issues in New York City and New York State, but also lists contact information, hours, phone numbers, descriptions, and links for tenants' rights groups and legal data across the country, Canada, the U.K., and Australia. You can read summaries of housing court decisions, learn how to find a good lawyer, how to start a tenant's association, and get general tips on problems like noisy neighbors. TenantNet comes in regular and Netscape flavors, is updated regularly, and gets more comprehensive each time we drop in."
- -- Yahoo Internet Life [4 stars]
- "Everything you need to know about tenant/landlord relations--IF you're the tenant. Landlords are not held in high esteem at Tenant Net, which is slanted toward New York City issues but has information of value to the rest of the renting public as well. Online newsletters and discussion areas, legal stuff, and an on-topic excerpt from Abbie Hoffman's "Steal This Book," which the maintainers proudly note they stole."
- -- That's Useful, This is Cool, December 19, 1996
- A must for renters, this site includes a database of rent-stabilized buildings, brochures by public interest lawyers on when it's legal for the landlord or Con Ed to turn off the electricity and gas and when it's not, and how to squelch excessive noise from your neighbors or from the street.
- -- New York Now's 50 Most Useful Sites Award, February, 1997
- This tenants' rights site focuses on New York landlord-tenant wars, but there's lots of information for renters in the rest of the country, too. The openly nose-thumbing letter to New York Governor George Pataki is a hoot.
- -- Court TV
- Tenant Net is an invaluable resource for tenants and prospective tenants, covering many areas of life as a renter in New York City. The site is especially strong on up-to-date public policy information of concern to tenants. This one-stop education in what New Yorkers can do with and for tenant law is an excellent example of a focused site providing information about non-entertainment activities.
- -- Taub Urban Research Center, New York University
