United Tenants of Albany Inc

06/06/2026

Today the Hippie Hotel Tenant Union launched, representing more than 70% of the residents at the Willett! Tenants spoke about roach infestations, bats in their apartment, unresponsive and inadequate management, and general safety and security needs - that ain't right! Today, HHTU sent their demand letter to Cole Realty Group to sit down with the tenant union and negotiate in good faith. Shout out to Assemblymember Gabriella A. Romero for coming and standing with the tenants! And thanks for the amazing pics ❤️

03/05/2026

Spotlight on Service shines a light on local organizations doing the work, showing up for others, and making our community better. This Spotlight on Service features United Tenants of Albany Inc

15/04/2026

See you April 22!

Learn more about housing discrimination and get help if you've experienced it. United Tenants of Albany Inc's Fair Housing Enforcement office is holding this event on Wednesday, April 22 at 2 pm at the Arbor Hill Library, 148 Henry Johnson Blvd.

26/02/2026

UTA is hiring! One Tenant Organizer moved out of state and one Court Advocate is joining the Fair Housing Office - so we've got two fresh vacancies and much work to get done! These are both highly dynamic and super rewarding jobs ❤️❤️❤️ submit your resumes directly to [email protected]. Full job descriptions can be found on our website https://utalbany.org/about/job-openings/ 🫡

12/02/2026

This is Patrick Chiou, the owner of Albany Management Group. Chiou is both a local developer and local landlord. This photo was taken yesterday as the Hinckel United Tenants Union protested outside of Albany Management Group's main office, demanding a meeting with Chiou after 75% of the building joined the union and drafted an 11-point demand letter that was sent to the landlord last month.

During the protest, tenants discussed the pest infestations, exposure to mold, inadequate heat, piling garbage, and more behind a sign that read "No Union Busting! Negotiate Now!" During the protest, Chiou drove by in his luxury car, rolled down his window, and started taking photos of the tenants in attendance. He began audibly laughing at the group as the interaction went on. After a few seconds of what was felt to be either an act of intimidation of taunting, he sped off, unsurprisingly unwilling to meet with the tenant union.

See photos from yesterday's protest in the comments.

01/12/2025

HEAP is open!

Governor Hochul announced that New Yorkers can now apply for Home Energy Assistance Program benefits to help offset rising heating costs this winter.

21/11/2025

Do you want to learn how to build power in your apartment building? Are you sick of landlords profiting off your rent and stress? Do you believe a better world is possible?

We'll be holding our Tenant Union Organizing 102 at the Albany Public Library on December 6. You can RSVP here: https://forms.gle/###7zeR7zKP9ETTA6

If you missed 101, we'll have a brief review of door-knocking, the organizing conversation, inoculation and retaliation. During this session we'll do a deeper dive on some of those topics, leadership identification & development, tenant union structures, and how to run a good meeting! Hope to see you soon :)

20/11/2025

In a last minute backroom deal cooked up this weekend, the Mayor's office whipped 9 Common Council Members to support an initiative to overturn our local affordable housing ordinance that took years of research and negotiations to win.

The proposal does two things:
1. Raise the income level that inclusionary zoning serves from low-income to median income.
2. Grant developers a buyout mechanism so that they don't have to build any working class housing.

These changes are a big deal. Developers could pay their way out of providing low-income housing for as little as $5,000 per unit, assuming they'd even need to, since rents would be higher than $2,000 per month under this "affordability" rubric.

Developers already get hundreds-of-thousands of dollars from tax-payer subsidies, and now we're giving them a cheap 'out' at low-income tenants' expense.

But the deal's not done. We're working to make sure tenants are prioritized, that these rollbacks don't go through as planned, and that we are heard! They will have to hear from you before they go forward with a vote. Please make sure you go to the December 1 Common Council meeting and let them know you don't support developer handouts!

Sending a big thank you to CCMs Anane, Balarin, Farrell, Hoey, Johnson, and Kimbrough for standing strong on this!

We'll keep you in the loop moving forward.

30/10/2025

Albany tenants are winning!

Yesterday, the Amsdell Tenants Union steering committee sat down with the landlord/owner Sam Dean & property manager of The Amsdell. The tenants brought 16 demands to the table, and ownership agreed to 14 of the demands (!), including commitments to functional sprinkler systems, repaired elevators, better ventilation in units and common areas, pest control, sound security, and heightened privacy.

Demands the tenants are awaiting responses on include: rent abatements until advertised amenities are materialized and air & water testing. The landlord has been given a timetable to bring responses back to the tenant union.

We want to send big congratulations to the ATU and its fierce steering committee - Here's to many more victories in this fight!

30/10/2025

We're so excited for this program and so thankful to Assemblymember Romero for her support and collaboration in this project ❤

I proudly presented United Tenants of Albany Inc with $20,000 from my state discretionary funds for an important initiative that will allow UTA to provide housing assistance to those who have been displaced due to Unsafe Unfit (USUF) designations.

This investment in our community will ensure that these tenants who have lost their housing—through no fault of their own—will have the support they need. This includes securing temporary shelter or long-term housing, and efforts to hold landlords accountable. Housing is a human right and I will always fight for tenants’ rights to a safe, dignified place to call home.