Tenants Union
Tenants Union of Washington State is a Seattle-based 501(c)(4) non-profit founded in 1977 that delivers free tenant education, counseling, organizing, and advocacy to Washington State renters, including low-income, Section 8, domestic violence survivor, and limited-English-proficiency households.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Tenants Union does
Tenants Union of Washington State is a Seattle-based 501(c)(4) non-profit tenant advocacy organization founded in 1977. It provides free tenant education, counseling, and advocacy services to renters across Washington State through a tenant rights hotline (206-723-0500), walk-in counseling at its Seattle headquarters, virtual Know Your Rights workshops via Zoom, the Section 8 Tenants Organizing Project (STOP) operating from a Spokane office, and a free membership program. Its core customers are Washington State renters, with primary segments including low-income tenants, survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, Section 8 voucher holders, immigrant and non-English-speaking communities, and manufactured home tenants. All services are delivered free of charge with multilingual support in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, and Marshallese.
The organization's underlying technology stack is intentionally minimal and is best characterized as a content and advocacy platform rather than a technology product. Service delivery relies on tenantsunion.org (a multilingual content library covering moving in, tenancy, eviction, low-income housing, and discrimination topics built in collaboration with Solid Ground Tenant Services and reviewed by Legal Action Center attorneys), Zoom-based workshops, a phone hotline with interpretation services, and grassroots organizing infrastructure — supplemented by an email newsletter, Facebook presence, and earned media. No proprietary software, AI systems, or data products are disclosed in source material.
The business model is a donation- and grant-funded nonprofit: revenue streams include individual donations, foundation grants (Inatai Foundation, Group Health Foundation, Herb Block Foundation), and public appropriations including King County Council two-year budget cycle funding for tenant rights education. Pricing is freemium in the sense that all services are free and membership is free; donations are encouraged but not required. The go-to-market is community-led organizing — building membership, mobilizing tenants in campaigns, and providing direct service. The organization has secured diverse revenue sources over its 35+ year history and has achieved repeated legislative and regulatory wins including the Rental Housing Registration & Inspection Program, Fair Tenant Screening Act Parts I and II, SB 6413, and 2019 Just Cause eviction protections.
Tenants Union firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tenants Union
- Legal name
- Tenants Union of Washington State
- Website
- https://tenantsunion.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tenants Union of Washington State is a Seattle-based 501(c)(4) non-profit founded in 1977 that delivers free tenant education, counseling, organizing, and advocacy to Washington State renters, including low-income, Section 8, domestic violence survivor, and limited-English-proficiency households.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tenants Union industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tenant Advocacy and Housing Rights Services
- NAICS
- Other Services to Buildings and Dwellings (56179)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation (BPAJALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA)
Keywords
Where Tenants Union is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Tenants Union business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Membership: The organization operates as a non-profit funded primarily through donations. Membership is free, and the organization encourages annual donations from members. Financial support also comes from foundation grants and public funding.
- Government and Foundation Grants: Receives public funding including King County Council funding for tenants rights education. Also funded by foundations such as the Herb Block Foundation, Inatai Foundation, Group Health Foundation, and Spokane organizations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free services for all Washington State renters |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Tenants Union product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tenants Union of Washington State provides free tenant rights education, counseling, and advocacy services to renters across Washington State. Core offerings include a tenant rights hotline, walk-in and intake-based counseling, Know Your Rights workshops (general and specialized for domestic violence survivors, manufactured home tenants, Spokane tenants, and Spanish-speaking tenants), the Section 8 Tenants Organizing Project (STOP), and legislative advocacy campaigns. All services are delivered at no cost, with multilingual support in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, and Marshallese.
Product overview
Tenants Union of Washington State is a non-profit tenant advocacy organization founded in 1977 that offers educational programs, counseling, and organizing services. The core offerings include the Education Program with tenant counseling and a rights hotline, Know Your Rights Workshops (general and specialized sessions covering domestic violence survivors, Spanish-speaking tenants, manufactured home tenants, and Spokane tenants), the Section 8 Tenants Organizing Project (STOP) for affordable housing preservation, and the Healthy Housing Organizing campaign for rental housing inspections. Membership is free and connects tenants to advocacy campaigns and resources. All services focus on tenant empowerment and housing justice.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tenant Counseling Services Free tenant counseling providing guidance on housing issues, tenant rights, and dispute resolution through a phone hotline, walk-in sessions, and intake form options. Available to Washington State renters at no cost.
- Know Your Rights Workshops Free virtual educational sessions covering Washington State tenant rights and landlord responsibilities under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RCW 59.18). Specialized workshops for general tenants, Spokane tenants, Spanish-speaking tenants, domestic violence survivors, and manufactured home tenants.
- Tenant Rights Hotline Phone hotline at (206) 723-0500 operating Monday 10am-1pm with interpretation available in most languages, including Spanish on Fridays 9am-12pm. Provides direct access to tenant counseling for urgent issues.
- Section 8 Tenants Organizing Project (STOP) A community organizing program for Section 8 tenants and supporters working to preserve and improve Section 8 housing and give tenants a voice in decisions affecting their housing stability. Operates in Seattle and Spokane.
- Online Tenant Rights Resources Comprehensive website resource covering moving in, moving out, during tenancy, eviction, low-income housing, housing discrimination, and additional resources in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Marshallese).
- Free Membership Program Free membership open to people who share the Tenants Union's values and vision for housing justice and wish to contribute time, money, and/or expertise to the organization.
Quantifiable outcome
- Tens of thousands of low-income tenants assisted with housing problems over 35+ years
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Tenants Union
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Tenants Union technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tenants Union partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- Seattle/King County Coalition on HomelessnessmajorCoalition partner working to bring source of income discrimination protections to Renton and Washington State.
- Church Council of Greater SeattlemajorCoalition partner in advocacy for Housing Choice Voucher holders and source of income discrimination protections.
- All HomemajorCoalition partner in coordinating regional efforts to prevent displacement and homelessness.
- Columbia Legal ServicescoreCoalition partner in advocating for fair housing and criminal records policy reform. Collaborated on Seattle City Council resolution on criminal records in housing.
- Washington CANmajorCoalition partner advocating for housing justice and policy reform at the city and state level.
- Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP)majorCoalition partner working on housing justice and homelessness issues regionally.
- Puget Sound SagecoreAlly organization collaborating on housing policy advocacy, South Lake Union affordable housing efforts, and transit-oriented development initiatives.
- Theodora Rescue CommitteecoreTenant association formed to fight the sale of the Theodora Apartments. TU supported tenants in organizing, advocacy, and filing a fair housing lawsuit.
- Washington State Coalition Against Domestic ViolencecoreKey partner in passing the Fair Tenant Screening Act, working on protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
- Washington Low Income Housing AlliancecoreCoalition partner in legislative advocacy and fair tenant screening efforts statewide.
- Northwest Justice ProjectcoreLegal partner providing representation for tenants, including the Theodora Rescue Committee lawsuit and general tenant advocacy.
- Puget Sound SagecoreCo-sponsor of Transit Oriented Development report release event and community conversation on equitable development in Rainier Valley.
- National Housing Law ProjectmajorNational partner providing web-based training for HUD tenants and residents in federally-assisted rental housing programs. TU promoted their Resident Training Academy to Washington State tenants.
- Solid Ground Tenant ServicescoreCollaboration on tenant education materials development. Much of the educational material on the Tenants Union website was developed in collaboration with Solid Ground Tenant Services, a key partner in tenant advocacy.
- Legal Action CentercoreLegal review partnership. Materials were reviewed by experienced Legal Action Center attorneys to ensure accuracy and legal compliance.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Tenants Union competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Right to the City Alliance: National alliance of grassroots organizations building power for housing justice. Comparable as a community organizing coalition focused on tenant rights and displacement, with overlapping organizing models.
Regional players
- Tenants Together: California statewide coalition for renters' rights providing tenant education, counseling, and advocacy. Directly comparable mission and service model, but operating in California rather than Washington State.
- Metropolitan Council on Housing: New York City tenant rights organization providing tenant education, counseling, and organizing since 1968. Comparable as a long-standing tenant rights organization with hotline and counseling services, but serving NYC rather than Washington State.
Broad incumbents
- National Housing Law Project: National housing advocacy and legal organization focused on federal housing policy and HUD tenants. Comparable as a tenant advocacy organization with national scope, and TU has formally partnered with NHLP to promote the Resident Training Academy.
- Enterprise Community Partners: National affordable housing nonprofit that combines development, policy, and advocacy. Comparable as a larger housing justice organization, though more focused on development and policy rather than direct tenant services.
- National Low Income Housing Coalition: National advocacy organization dedicated to ending America's affordable housing crisis. Comparable as a tenant and housing advocacy organization with policy focus, operating at the federal level where TU operates at the state level.
- Legal Aid Society: Major civil legal services organization providing legal representation to low-income tenants. Comparable as a tenant advocacy and legal services organization, though significantly larger and operating in different geographies.
Direct peers
- Northwest Justice Project: Washington State's largest legal aid provider for low-income residents, including tenant representation. Directly comparable as a key partner providing legal services to the same tenant population TU serves through counseling.
- Washington Low Income Housing Alliance: Statewide advocacy coalition in Washington for affordable housing and tenant rights. Directly comparable as a tenant/housing advocacy organization sharing the same geography, beneficiary population, and coalition-based advocacy model.
- Solid Ground Tenant Services: Seattle-based tenant services program that collaborates with TU on educational materials. Direct peer providing parallel tenant counseling and education services in the same geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tenants Union social profiles
Digital presenceTenants Union financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tenants Union leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Tenants Union funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tenants Union M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tenants Union
What does Tenants Union do?
Tenants Union of Washington State provides free tenant rights education, counseling, and advocacy services to renters across Washington State. Core offerings include a tenant rights hotline, walk-in and intake-based counseling, Know Your Rights workshops (general and specialized for domestic violence survivors, manufactured home tenants, Spokane tenants, and Spanish-speaking tenants), the Section 8 Tenants Organizing Project (STOP), and legislative advocacy campaigns. All services are delivered at no cost, with multilingual support in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, and Marshallese.
Is Tenants Union a public or private company?
Tenants Union is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Tenants Union founded?
Tenants Union was founded in 1977. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tenants Union based?
Tenants Union is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tenants Union make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Membership is the primary driver. The others are government and Foundation Grants.
Who are Tenants Union's main competitors?
Right to the City Alliance is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are Tenants Together and Metropolitan Council on Housing. Broad incumbents are National Housing Law Project, Enterprise Community Partners, National Low Income Housing Coalition and Legal Aid Society. Direct peers are Northwest Justice Project, Washington Low Income Housing Alliance and Solid Ground Tenant Services.
Does Tenants Union have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tenants Union.
What industry is Tenants Union in?
Tenants Union's product category is Tenant Advocacy and Housing Rights Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJALAJ, Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation, with a secondary code of BPAIANAA, Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing). Its NAICS code is 56179 and its SIC code is 8600.