Yesterday, April 24, NLIHC’s State and Local Innovation (SLI) campaign hosted the latest iteration of its State and Local Tenant Protections Network call, focusing on “just cause” eviction protections. “Just cause” protections, which are commonly known as “for cause” or “good cause” protections, limit the permissible reasons for which a landlord or property owner can evict a tenant or refuse to renew a tenant’s lease when the tenant is not found to violate any law(s). During the call, attendees had the opportunity to hear from housing advocates and academic researchers who are working to advance and support the passage of just cause laws across the country. Specifically, the call was joined by Alexander Kolokotronis, director of the Naugatuck Valley Project, as well as Kenton Card and Evan Davis from the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, and Jeremy Schwartz from Loyola University Maryland, to discuss their work on this tenant protection policy. Notes from the call can be found here.
NLIHC’s State and Local Tenant Protections Network is a virtual convening space comprised of a broad-based coalition of state and local organizations focused on introducing, passing, implementing, and enforcing laws, policies, and programs that strengthen renters’ rights; rectify the power imbalance between landlords and tenants; and divert the threat of eviction. Every month, the Network convenes from 3 - 4 PM ET to troubleshoot and workshop challenges, highlight tenant protection wins, and inquire about technical assistance support to bolster the support needed to advance critical tenant protection policies across the country. Indeed, since no federal-level renter protections exist for renter households in the private rental market, the need for state and local tenant protections is crucial.
Interested advocates can sign up for the Network here!
During the April 24 call, attendees learned more about what just cause protections are, where they have been implemented, and how these protections impact the housing market overall. Speaking to his own experience as a renter, Alex provided insight into how just cause protections are critical for renters today, especially in his home state of Connecticut where housing advocates have introduced just cause protections this 2025 legislative session through “House Bill 6889.” If enacted, “House Bill 6889” would expand the state’s current just cause law, which currently only covers renters who are aged 62 years or older, to allow for renters who live in residences with five or more units to be covered by good cause protections.
Next, researchers Kenton Card, Evan Davis, and Jeremy Schwartz discussed a recent report that highlights the impact of just cause protections on the housing market. Using a case study approach, the researchers analyzed whether just cause protections in California (passed through “Assembly Bill 1482”), Oregon (passed through “Senate Bill 608”), and New Hampshire (codified into law through “State Statute Section 540-2”) had an impact on housing production. Through the team’s preliminary analysis, it was concluded that such protections do not impact housing production. Further reading of the research report can be found here.
In the fall of 2024, NLIHC’s SLI project released a toolkit highlighting just cause protections in detail. The toolkit provides an overview of this protection and where such protections have been implemented. The toolkit also highlights the core components of such protections, as evidenced by existing just cause protections that have been passed in 11 states and more than 25 localities across the country. Just cause protections are essential in promoting housing stability because the presence of such protections offers tenants respite in the face of arbitrary, discriminatory, and retaliatory eviction practices. By delineating the specific causes for which a tenant can be evicted, just cause laws, once implemented, offer tenants a sense of security throughout their lease term.
NLIHC will host its next State and Local Tenant Protections Network call on May 23. The call will be discussion-based and will focus on wrap-ups of the legislative session. Please contact Nada Hussein, Project Coordinator, State and Local Innovation, at [email protected] with any questions related to the State and Local Tenant Protections Network.