KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri's, Healthy Homes Rental Inspection Program visited Quality Hill Towers on Tuesday, where a tenant union is in its 43rd day of withholding its rent.
The visit comes as tenants at 817 Jefferson Street report the building has been without heat recently, and tenants at 929 Jefferson Street report excessive temperatures in their units.
"Everybody's been really uncomfortable," said Susan Turner, a union member and resident at 929 Jefferson.
Two thermometers in Turner's unit read around 80 degrees on Tuesday morning. Turner had windows open and a ceiling fan on.
"Resident comfort remains our priority, and we’ll continue to monitor and adjust as needed to achieve optimal indoor temperatures," Sentinel Real Estate Corporation, the property owner, said in a statement to KSHB 41 News.
In some units, heat was blowing at over 100 degrees, but window A/C units helped, according to the city.
Property management turned off the boiler in 929 Jefferson to allow the building to cool down, according to the city.
"That being said, I can calm down a little bit because it's been a really hard week," Turner said.
Seven floors above Turner lives George Pacheco.
The Healthy Homes team visited his unit on Tuesday to assess the temperature.
"I asked what it was reading, and he just said, 'Scorching,'" Pacheco said.
Property management blamed rising heat on the temperatures in upper-floor apartments like Pacheco's.
"I constantly have my air condition going," Pacheco said. "It's freezing outside."
Just a couple buildings down at 817 Jefferson, residents have been without heat recently.
On Tuesday, property management said the boiler was being replaced and that it would be up and running by the end of the day, according to the city.
Resident and union member Hell Woods said their building experienced heat issues last year, too.
"I'm feeling angry, I'm feeling scared, I'm feeling done, I'm over it," Woods said.
Woods said they'll continue to withhold their rent.
"This is, it's justification every single day of why we absolutely need to be on strike," Woods said.
Quality Hill Towers said its actively working to maintain comfortable temperatures across impacted units.
—
KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
