North Lawn Apartments tenants continue rent strike amid unmet repair demands, ownership change

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.

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Residents at North Lawn Apartments in Kansas City, Missouri, are on a rent strike as they battle unresolved emergency conditions and navigate a recent ownership change at the property.

Tenants said they have dealt with extreme heat with no air conditioning or electricity, overgrown grass, flooded sewage and safety concerns.

The Kansas City Tenants Union, representing nearly 100% of tenants at the property, has given the new owner until 5 p.m. Friday to schedule a meeting, or tenants said they will continue the strike.

On Wednesday, Shawn Johnson, of Vital20 LLC and Rubicon Realty LLC, posted notices at the property announcing his ownership of North Lawn Apartments. Johnson previously managed the properties through Rubicon Realty.

The ownership change is not yet reflected in property tax records.

KC Tenants said the sale comes after previous owner Yisroel Levovitz, who has owned the property since 2023, attempted to offload the properties amid mounting debt and an ongoing rent strike.

Three weeks ago, the city of Kansas City, Missouri, voted to use up to $500,000 to address issues at the property.

Residents said the same concerns remain unaddressed.

This week, under what the union describes as worsening conditions, tenants began coordinating their own repairs through the union.

The union has communicated a willingness to end the rent strike if Johnson signs a collectively bargained lease agreement.

Tenants have demanded rent caps, eviction protections and a timeline for permanent repairs. The union said tenants will not sign new leases until their demands are met.

In his notices to residents, Johnson said he will not collect August rent, and no resident will be displaced or retaliated against for reporting conditions, organizing or participating in the rent strike.

In an email, Johnson said he is willing to meet with KC Tenants, but he pushed back on the union's approach.

"I have communicated to KC Tenants that I am willing to meet, and that remains true. I am open to a productive discussion about the property and resident concerns," Johnson said. "However, I do not believe starting with predetermined demands and deadlines is the most effective way to reach solutions."

Johnson also outlined his immediate priorities.

"My immediate focus is building conditions, direct communication with residents regarding unit issues, and initiating stabilization and repairs," Johnson said.

The union has also requested updates from the city, including a plan for holding the new owner accountable for necessary repairs.

As of noon Thursday, KC Tenants said they have not heard back yet on their request for a meeting and a response by Friday.

City council debates response

During a business session Thursday, city council members pressed city staff on why emergency conditions at North Lawn have gone unresolved for three weeks, despite the emergency ordinance and allocated funding.

Councilman Johnathan Duncan said that while the city walked the property with residents July 9, no remedy has been made since.

"It's been three weeks," Duncan said.

City Manager Mario Vasquez pushed back, saying work has been attempted, but it has been complicated by safety threats, contractor concerns and uncertainty about which residents are lawfully on the property.

"I'm going to start by saying I categorically dispute the claim that nothing has happened," Vasquez said.

Vasquez said contractors and city staff from Mark One Electric were on site to address electrical issues when someone threatened to shoot them, causing them to leave.

"I will not put the lives of my employees or contractors in danger," Vasquez said.

Vasquez said the new owner completed cleanup work Saturday and staff verified the work Monday.

He said the next system requiring repair is electrical, but that work cannot resume until the site is safe.

As of approximately 2:45 p.m. Thursday, Vasquez said staff reported to him that electricity had been restored to the property, though it was unclear which building had power.

Vasquez also raised concerns about squatters and said the city needs to work with the new owner to determine which units need to be made livable and which tenants have a legal right to be there.

"I am extremely concerned about the directive to staff to support what I think might be unlawful activity at the apartment, and also in essence, to disregard the safety of our people as we are attempting to satisfy your objectives," Vasquez said.

Vasquez also questioned the motivations of a tenant advocacy group he said had moved residents into buildings he described as potentially unsafe.

"Are we trying to improve the lives of people or are we trying to make a point?" Vasquez said.

Vasquez said the property's conditions are severe and the $500,000 allocated by the city falls far short of what is needed.

"Just by looking at it, they'd need at least $6 million to make it habitable," Vasquez said. "It is deplorable, and it shouldn't be like that."

Vasquez also disclosed the city previously entered into a contract — which terminated in April 2025 — in which the city paid the former landlord $86,000, representing 50% of rent, with the expectation that repairs would be made.

Vasquez said those repairs are not evident, and the city's ability to recoup the funds is limited because the contract expired without the proper notices being filed.

Vasquez said he met with Johnson the day before the session and described him as eager to make improvements.

"I cannot guarantee success," he added. "The landlord has quite a bit of work to do, and he knows it."

Council members raise questions about safety and accountability

Councilwoman Andrea Bough asked what steps the city is taking to hold the new owner accountable.

Vasquez said all violations identified at the property transfer to the new owner and have been provided to Johnson.

Councilwoman Lindsay French pressed for specifics on what steps are being taken to make units safe and habitable, and she asked whether electricity had been restored and what would happen to current tenants.

Vasquez said electricity had not been initially restored due to the safety threat and said the new owner's intent is to relocate tenants, pay relocation costs and give tenants the opportunity to return to the buildings once repairs are complete — for those who are there lawfully.

Councilman Wes Rogers said that if electricity is off, there is no air conditioning, and called the situation alarming.

"Having anybody in that building seems really scary," Rogers said.

Rogers asked why no order to vacate had been issued.

Vasquez said there is significant pressure not to vacate the buildings, in part because vacant buildings become targets for vandalism and fire. He said the property's architectural quality makes rehabilitation preferable to vacancy.

Duncan said city code allows for emergency repairs, a lien on the property, vacating residents and charging relocation fees — he questioned why those tools had not been used.

Mayor Quinton Lucas suggested some of the legal questions be addressed in a closed session.

Councilman Kevin O'Neill said the situation has grown beyond what the council originally approved.

"We passed an ordinance that was done under a different time frame. I do think that you pulled on our heartstrings a little, and now we're looking at something a lot bigger than what we passed," O'Neill said.

Councilwoman Melissa Robinson said she voted yes because the city needed to step in and do what it could, but she raised questions about the Healthy Homes process and tenant relocation assistance.

A Healthy Homes spokesperson said many tenants have refused to relocate, which makes it difficult to require them to vacate.

O'Neill said that if there is pressure influencing the city's decisions, it should come from the council.

"The pressure should come from us if there is pressure to do something or not do something," O'Neill said.

Lucas said the city's police powers relate to abating threats to public safety.

"If it is a threat to human life, then I believe it's laid out that we're supposed to move someone from it," Lucas said.

Duncan moved to go into a closed legislative session, reiterating his frustration with the pace of the city's response and said residents do not trust conditions will improve.

"It's about the lack of treating this like an emergency," Duncan said.

The council voted to enter closed session.

The public session resumed at 3:57 p.m.

About an hour later at the end of the meeting, the council took an 11-1 vote to adopt changes to the original ordinance to reflect the property's transition to a new owner and "aligning the City's next steps with that change in ownership."

The changes will be reflected in a new ordinance.

A city spokesperson added that "it also provides fuller direction to City staff to pursue all available code enforcement remedies."

A spokesperson for the city manager's office shared the following late Thursday:

"The City continues working alongside residents, our Multidisciplinary Task Force, and community partners to address ongoing issues at the North Lawn Apartments.

Contractor assessments found problems beyond isolated electrical and sewer repairs, including structural, fire, permitting, and unsafe occupancy issues. In addition, there have been concerns for the safety of City staff and contractors on site to implement necessary updates to the buildings. 

While we remain committed to ensuring safe housing for residents, we must also prioritize the safety of staff and contractors. As we move forward, we will continue working with the new property owner, who has already taken steps to address code violations, to ensure the remaining work is completed safely and correctly."

Friday, we received a timeline and a copy of the packet referenced during Thursday's session.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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