Tenants

Residents at the Gladstone Court apartment in the Historic Northeast were still recovering from an electrical fire that left them without heat for three days when they received lease non-renewal notices from their new landlord. After organizing with citywide tenant union KC Tenants, they’re able to stay in their homes with affordable rents.

Seven plaintiffs have joined a class action lawsuit against Stonegate Meadows, a low-income apartment complex on East 42nd Street, alleging that the property owners refused to address "uninhabitable conditions" — including problems with black mold, rodent infestations and sewage backup.

Since launching last June, right to counsel has helped hundreds of tenants avoid eviction, proof to advocates that the program is working.

A fire knocked out the heat in a Northeast Kansas City apartment complex Friday, leaving residents in the cold indefinitely. The property owner, who serves on the board of a housing advocacy nonprofit, blames the issue on unhoused people breaking into the building. But the building has a history of code violations.

Under Kansas City's Tenants Bill of Rights, rental housing must have functional heating, sewage, hot water, plumbing and electrical fixtures, and any provided appliances must remain functional. The Healthy Homes program can compel a landlord to resolve any violations.

Republican Kris Kobach promises to sue the federal government every chance he gets if he’s elected Kansas attorney general. Plus, how a new program in Kansas City is already helping hundreds of tenants facing eviction.

Since opening in June, more tenants are receiving legal representation, leading to better outcomes that avoid eviction and keep tenants in their homes.

Since its inception in 2019, the Marlborough Community Land Trust has sold three renovated houses. Each was sold below market rate, in an effort to avoid gentrification.

KC Tenants disrupted the council meeting Thursday afternoon in protest of the ordinance.

Since Kansas City's right-to-counsel program took effect on June 1, a group of attorneys collectively have taken on 139 new cases of tenants facing eviction. Kansas City sees an average of 9,000 evictions every year.

Tenants facing eviction in Kansas City, Missouri, now have free access to an attorney, regardless of income. Plus, a familiar name in Kansas will appear in the Republican primary for attorney general this August.

Tenants can fill out an online form or call a hotline number to get access to a lawyer.