International Tenants’ day 2022

This year in light of the global housing and energy crisis, IUT has chosen to be inspired by the UN’s themes of Mind the Gap. Leave No One and Place Behind and World Cities Day focus on Act local to go global as the recommended themes when Tenants celebrate International Tenants’ Day around the world.

Therefore, the IUT is calling for a moratorium on evictions, energy price caps and long-term climate allowances for low- and middle-income households.

IUT President Marie Linder says:

– On the occasion of International Tenants Day, we call on governments to take their responsibility to protect vulnerable households affected by rent and energy arrears caused by inflation and energy price explosions. With the amended proposal for a new Energy Efficiency Directive, the European Parliament takes a step in the right direction.

But we need more, not just in Europe: Governments should implement a cap on energy prices. Governments must implement moratoria on evictions and as well a cap on rent prices.

The war on Ukraine and the energy crises should not hit one of the most basic needs of human beings- the need for a safe and sound home.

Tenants around the whole world are united in their fight against housing exclusion and homelessness and to make housing decent and affordable for all.

Read more in our full press release.

Read more about the celebrations on International Tenants’ Day 2022. 

International Tenants Day originated in 1986 when the French tenant organisation CNL proposed a special world day for tenants. The board of the IUT agreed and decided on May 22 1986, to designate the first Monday in October as International Tenants’  Day. The IUT announces a theme each year but tenant organisations are of course free to choose their own topic/theme for this day.

The date chosen by the IUT Board was made with the background of the UN resolution taken in December 1985, by the UN General Assembly, to designate the first Monday of October every year as World Habitat Day.

Event suggestions include:

• Organise a discussion or debate either physical or online on how your city or community can act and contribute to a fairer deal for Tenants
• Organise a film screening either physical or online to bring people together in a common space and promote local creativity.
• Use this occasion to publicise, reward and demonstrate tangible improvements in Tenant issues in your community.
• Engage a well-known person or local expert to support your event to bring positive attention to The International Tenants’ Day
• Organise public information campaigns, use local actors, musicians, or poets to create awareness of the issues affecting your city or community.
• Approach local media to write articles, do radio or television pieces on the themes, or organise interviews or panels with policymakers, government officials, academics, journalists, other professionals, and Tenant representatives.
• Essay writing or painting competitions can help create awareness of International Tenants’ Day in schools and colleges.
• Offer a university lecture or Master class on the theme of the International Tenants’ Day
• Organise a picture exhibition
• Launch reports and projects about the theme of the International Tenants’ Day
• Organise video interviews with Tenant champions
• Organize a donation event to assist your city or community
• Engage in a Twitter chat on the theme of International Tenants’ Day
• Promote and create a web page or a web banner on your website with information about the International Tenants’ Day
• Promote International Tenants’ Day through social media

The IUT supports its members in making their own choice at a national or regional level as to which sub-themes they may want to promote and which events they wish to organise.

Please send pictures and descriptions of your events so we can publish them on the iut. nu website. Please send it to info@iut.nu.