KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.
Rent is due but some tenants in the Kansas City metro aren’t paying.
Tenants of Quality Hill Towers Tenant Union and Independence Towers Tenant Union are withholding more than $60,000 in rent.
On Friday, more than 100 people met downtown to picket and demonstrate to show that they won't pay until demands are met from landlords.
“We have been living with roaches, broken elevators, and bad plumbing,” said Enrique Rodriguez, on strike and living at Quality Hill Towers.
Enrique Rodriguez says that is why he’s not paying.
“Every time I pay rent it’s kind of heartbreaking moment, that I have to pay rent even though I live in these deplorable conditions,” he said. “I’ve had to deal with discoloration of water when taking baths or showers.”
On Friday, he came home to a notice taped on his door from Sentinel management stating he owed a $50 late rent fee.
“On the form, I wrote, ‘not one cent,’ I will not pay one cent because of the conditions I live in, I will not pay,” he said.
Rodriguez then burned the notice along with KC Tenant's members.
“Our voice is our power, and fighting back is a big power we have,” he said. “Together we will fight against all the late fees, all the conditions, and all the treachery we’ve been through.”
The PR team for Sentinel Real Estate Corporation, which owns Quality Hill Towers, provided the following comment to KSHB 41:
Management has been working with the union in good faith for more than a year and continues to respect and affirm tenants’ rights to organize. However, claims being made by the tenant union are false. The work being demanded either has already been completed or is underway – executing a rent strike will only impede the property’s ability to complete these necessary repairs. This outcome would negatively impact all residents – even those who choose not to participate in the rent strike. What’s more, rental increase examples being used by the tenant union are those of residents switching from long-term leases to short-term or month-to-month leases, which automatically result in their rental rates adjusting from a meaningful discount to comparable properties in the area to market rate for similar units. Since 2020, residents who choose to renew their leases have seen annual increases of approximately 3% on average, which is in line with the renewal rate increase cap the tenant union is requesting. We have also at times offered concessions of $250 to $750 to residents who choose to renew rather than move out or go short-term/month-to-month.We value our tenants and care about their living experience. This is why we continue to take steps to ensure their satisfaction and comfort. We believe the tenant union’s rent strike is misguided, short-sighted, and has the potential to create negative consequences for the entire property. This rent strike is not a legally protected action in the state of Missouri and participation puts tenants at risk of violating their lease agreement. Accordingly, we encourage our residents to maintain their regular rent payments and consider all the facts. The grace period for residents to submit rent is until 11:59 pm CDT on October 3rd.
In response to Sentinel, the Quality Hill Towers Tenant Union released the following statement:
"The Quality Hill Towers Tenant Union has repeatedly invited Sentinel Real Estate Corporation to the negotiating table. Since September, they have refused to meet and bargain with the union. If they have a plan to meet our demands, they have not shared that plan with us. Instead, tenants have received implicit threats. If Sentinel charges late fees and starts filing evictions against the strikers, they will demonstrate that they are acting in retaliation, in bad faith, and that they do not wish to find solutions. The union is prepared to escalate in the event of such actions, but we would rather avoid that. Every day of the strike is an opportunity for them to bargain with the union. We encourage Sentinel to get to the table immediately."
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