Arizona Tenants Advocates (ATA) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

renters'

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

and

tenants A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to hold land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord. Although a tenant does hold rights to real property, a l ...

' rights organization located in

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

. It was founded in 2001 by Kenneth A. Volk, a prominent Arizona tenants' rights advocate.

Current activity

ATA as it exists today primarily helps tenants legally terminate their

leases A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

through a break lease program. Additionally, they help prepare letters in response to landlord-tenant disputes. However, the office also functions as a free hotline that helps provide answers to various landlord-tenant questions. Volk noted in a 2006 issue of ''Global Tenant'' that " equent topics include evictions, unlawful landlord access, wrongful deposit withholding, landlord seizure of tenants’ personal property, failure to supply essential services or do repairs, and status of leases upon expiration or when a property is conveyed to a new owner." Due to the excessive heat in some parts of Arizona, air conditioning is regulated as an essential utility in the state. As a result, the organization reportedly receives frequent questions regarding landlord refusals to remedy broken AC units.

History

ATA has existed in many different incarnations over the years. However, Kenneth A. Volk's interest in tenants' rights began in 1993 when an

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

student knocked on his door inquiring for help regarding a caved-in ceiling. Following that, activists and tenants coalesced as Arizona Tenants Association in 1994. This organization would eventually become Arizona Tenants Advocates. The group lobbied against anti-tenant legislation between 1994–2000. One of the group's crowning achievements was establishing Tempe's rental housing code in 1997, a first for the state. Around 1998, Volk began activities to help tenants legally break their leases under his

proprietorship A sole proprietorship, also known as a sole tradership, individual entrepreneurship or proprietorship, is a type of enterprise owned and run by one person and in which there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business entity. A sole ...

.Global Tenan

In 2001, Arizona Tenants Advocates filed with the

Arizona Corporation Commission The Arizona Corporation Commission is the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Arizona, established by Article 15 of the Arizona Constitution. Arizona is one of only fourteen states with elected commissioners. The Arizona Constitution exp ...

. Over the years, the organization has faced several challenges, especially during the housing crash—when many renters suddenly found themselves being kicked out of foreclosed rental properties.AZ Centra

Around this time, ATA reported receiving 20–30 calls a week from renters whose landlords had not paid their mortgages. ATA has also frequently clashed with Rentals Tempe and its owner, Tim Wright. Wright, as of 2003, owned approximately 160 rental properties and had 65 pending civil cases in Tempe justice courts. Additionally, he was involved in more lawsuits than any other landlord in Tempe. In 2012, Volk also formed an associated organization called Tenants Union of Arizona. In 2015, Volk commented on a case wherein a landlord claimed he was owed a pet deposit from a disabled veteran who used a service dog. He said that cases like this were frequent, and that landlords will often try to "extort" tenants by making claims to money they are not legally entitled to. Much of Volk and ATA's work over the years has been to provide a foil against what Volk feels is a primarily landlord-biased court system.

References

External links

*
Tenants Union of Arizona Website

Difference Between Lease & Rent

Arizona Residential Landlord Tenant Act
{{US housing by state Housing rights organizations Landlord–tenant law Real property law in the United States Housing in Arizona

Current activity

History

See also

References

External links