Tenants’ movements have been part of European history for over one hundred years and are still unevenly studied. They developed in reaction to the housing shortages and poor living conditions at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century and were closely linked to the labour movements of this period. Tenants’ mobilizations developed differently in various national contexts and achieved varying degrees of success. In many cases they succeeded in making an impact on the living conditions of the working classes by demanding affordable housing and improved housing standards. Their development in recent decades has, however, been affected by the commodification of housing and the recurrent political and economic crises, which are interlinked and affect collective mobilization and identification among tenants. As the housing crisis deepens across Europe, fuelled by housing financialization, climate and economic crises, tenants are again mobilizing – this time from a more marginal position than ever.