Two KC area tenant unions initiate largest rent strike since 1980 amid poor conditions

Two Kansas City area tenant unions have initiated the largest rent strike on record for the metro after they said attempts to negotiate with building owners failed to produce results in fixing poor living conditions, KC Tenants announced Tuesday.

Union members of Independence Towers and Quality Hill Towers said they’re withholding over $60,000 in combined rent payments for the month of October. They said they have issued clear demands for rent caps, new ownership, and collectively bargained leases.

“Every day is an opportunity for the targets to negotiate with us. We won’t stop until they do. Every first of the month is an opportunity for tenants to strike. More will join us until we win,” said Elliot West, a tenant on strike at Independence Towers, in a statement.

This is the first rent strike in the city since at least 1980, the organization said in an email. KC Tenants said it would also be the first-ever strike to target the Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA), the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac regulator, which backed the loans used to purchase both properties.

Since the unions announced their intentions to strike Friday, they said Fannie Mae and and Quality Hill Towers have responded, but that demands were not met.

In an email, the FHFA told the KC Tenants they are committed to doing everything within their power to work with Fannie Mae and make repairs to the properties.

Sentinel, the Quality Hill Towers landlord, distributed a “friendly fall reminder” to pay rent and called the strike “misguided and short-sighted.” Neither Fannie Mae nor Trigild, Inc., the receiver at Independence Towers, have engaged since the notification about the strike.

In a statement Tuesday, Megan Kivlehan, spokesperson for Quality Hill Towers, said that management has been working with the union in good faith for over a year and said claims made by the tenant union are false.

“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,” Kivlehan said.

Residents are being encouraged by management to maintain their regular rent payments, and Kivlehan said Quality Hill Towers is extending a grace period until 11:59 p.m. Oct. 3 for rent payments.

Trigild, the court-appointed receiver of Independence Towers, did not respond to requests for comment.

Poor living conditions

The strike comes as residents of both buildings say they’re fed up with enduring poor living conditions and improper management.

Tenants at Quality Hill Towers previously told The Star they’ve endured burst pipes, unresolved sewage backup and pest infestations at the Kansas City apartment at 817 Jefferson Street. Their complaints were met by ignored maintenance requests, eviction threats, retaliation and rent hikes, the tenants claim.

On Sept. 5, around 60 Quality Hill Towers residents and activists announced the formation of the largest tenant union in the city . The union includes 148 members, accounting for about 63% of the building’s tenants.

At Independence Towers, residents said they’ve dealt with pest infestations and chronic plumbing problems causing water damage and mold. Residents said they’ve also gone without heating and air conditioning for extended periods. The problems, including broken appliances and faulty window latches in part to blame for a toddler falling to his death in July , have been well documented.

On Sept. 3, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, the Congressional representative for Missouri’s fifth district, toured the building , expressing his dismay over the dire living conditions.

“Some of it is worse than your words, I don’t know how I’m going to describe it to people, “ Cleaver said.

Independence city officials said they’re well aware of the living conditions residents have endured at the high-rise complex on Jennings Road. Still, Independence Towers passed its latest city inspection in 2023, even as activists have been demanding action and questions have been raised about the city’s inspection process through its Rental Ready program, meant to safeguard tenants.

Lawyers previously told The Star the city could be doing more to hold building owners accountable, while city leaders claimed their hands are tied because no tenants have filed formal complaints. Tenant advocates and attorneys say the process to file complaints in inaccessible to many tenants, and puts them at risk of eviction.

The Independence Towers union launched publicly on May 2 after residents had gone without hot water for two weeks. Their union has 40 members, equaling 65% of its occupied units.

Both unions are part of an organized national effort targeting properties with federally-backed loans. Representatives were sent to a meeting on May 28 with the FHFA Director and top executives from Fannie Mae, to share their stories. The unions claim both properties have failed to make urgent and necessary repairs and have misused funds meant for upkeep of the buildings.

In a news release, KC Tenants said, “The director made no satisfactory commitments in that meeting.”

Elected officials and community organizations are expected to join the picket line with the unions sometime this week.

The Star’s Kendrick Calfee contributed to this piece.