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                            TENANT-NET

       The On-Line Resource for Residential Rental Tenants' Rights

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The first (and as far as we know only) internet service dedicated to
residential rental tenants, primarily in New York, TenantNet is a project of
Tenant Watch, a coalition of tenants activists.

These are trying times for tenants. Landlords have mounted intense public
relations campaigns filled with lies, inaccuracies and misrepresentations
about rent regulation and hard-won tenant rights. Tenants are losing basic
services and being price-gouged at alarming rates. There is a very real
chance tenant protections will be repealed in 1997 leaving over one 
million New Yorkers at risk.

TenantNet offers:  - Information on tenants' rights and tenant issues.
                   - Limited referral and guidance
                   - Tenant advocacy

Gopher/FTP   * tenant.blythe.org  -- and go to the /pub/TenantNet directory.

via WWW      * gopher://ursula.blythe.org/11/pub/TenantNet
               (a html web page will open later)


Inquiries    * tenant@tenant.blythe.org 

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To be on TenantNet's Mailing List, email to tenant@tenant.blythe.org with 
your userid and real name.

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What is on TenantNet?

What you want and what you need to be a well informed tenant and
tenant advocate. Phase 1 provides basic information on Rent Control 
and Rent Stabilization. There will be more -- a lot more. 

Start with the "Renter's Handbook" by former NYS Senator Manfred 
Ohrenstein and the NYS Attorney General's "Tenant's Rights" 
booklet (both in the RIGHTS directory). These short booklets 
will be used as the basis for the planned Tenant FAQ.
The New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) 
administers both Rent Stabilization and Rent Control. DHCR Fact Sheets,
the Rent Stabilization Code (RSC), The Rent Stabilization Law (RSL), 
the Rent Control Law are all available.

We hope to provide information on Housing Court, on forming Tenant 
Associations, Building Code violations, the Rent Guidelines Board, on 
finding and working with attorneys or how to represent yourself in Housing 
Court), on pending housing legislation and maybe a list of recalcitrant 
landlords, landlord scams and how various government agencies operate.

Rent regulation is the predominant form of rental housing in New York 
(56%) and a prime focus of TenantNet. Other housing schemes (SROs, Lofts, 
Mitchell-Lama, unregulated apartments and Public Housing are 
also major components of the housing equation and to the extent we are 
able to cover these topics, we hope to do so. As time permits, TenantNet 
will try to respond to inquiries or specific questions. If you don't 
find what you're looking for, let us know.

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WHAT TENANTNET IS NOT

TenantNet is not an apartment referral service or brokerage, is not 
connected with any person or company in the real estate industry, is
not associated or affiliated with any government agency, political 
party or ideology and receives no funding from any of the above.

The information contained on TenantNet is believed to be accurate and 
up-to-date except where indicated, and is for informational purposes only.

TenantNet cannot act as your attorney (and we are not attorneys) and 
makes no representations, expressed or implied, that the information 
contained within TenantNet can or will be used or interpreted in any 
particular way by any governmental agency or court. We can in some cases, 
and to those who are interested, suggest attorneys or tenant community 
organizations to contact for individual case assistance.

Tenant Watch is an informal network of tenants and tenant leaders who,
for the most part, are actively involved in tenant associations and/or 
community groups. Various members of Tenant Watch are also volunteer 
members of the Tenant Advisory Committee (TAC) to the NYS Division of 
Housing (DHCR). Tenant Watch has supported various candidates to the 
judiciary, has had legislation passed in the NYS Legislature and 
pressured DHCR to release over 6,000 cases on CD-ROM.



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