KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability, solutions and consumer advocacy. Share your story with Isabella.
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The union tenants at Bowen Tower apartment in Raytown, Missouri, have officially gone on a rent strike, withholding their payments until further notice.
"Not one cent for the slumlords!" tenants chanted on Wednesday afternoon.
This is the third rent strike that has happened in the Kansas City metro, demanding better living conditions and formal meetings with landlords.
Elijah Brink has dealt with issues for months. Brink says he has reported consistent problems with plumbing, air conditioning and bed bugs to management, but there has been no resolution.
"It's been nothing short of miserable," Brink said. "I can't even go into my own room at night, [bugs] are running all over the floor."
Brink is not alone—39 other tenants are refusing to pay October rent until their landlord meets with them to negotiate better living conditions.
"We refuse to live in squalor," Brink said. "We've tried to reach out to [Charles Hill] about planning a formal negotiation. He hasn't responded at all."
KSHB 41's Isabella Ledonne emailed apartment management for a comment on the rent strike. The regional manager sent back a statement stating all the maintenance requests, including pest control, were 100% completed; all repairs to the HVAC system have been completed; and Bowen Tower has spent more than $200,000 to fix the plumbing.*
*Management's full statement can be found at the bottom of this article.
"What's your response to that?" KSHB 41's Isabella Ledonne asked Brink in response to the statement.
"That's a blatant lie," Brink said. "I know several tenants in the building who are still having issues, myself included."
Brink and other tenants at Wednesday's protest claimed they've experienced harassment and threats of eviction from management following their repeated complaints.
"People here deserve to feel at home, including me and my father," Brink said.
The Bowen Tower rent strike comes after Independence Towers successfully reached an agreement.
Rice University's associate professor of sociology, who has done extensive research on KC Tenants and unionization, explained that tenant unions are becoming increasingly popular and effective nationwide.
"That rent strike forces [landlords] to finally come to the table and bargain," Michelle Smirnova said. "I think it's a sign of KC Tenants' success. I think the fact that we are talking so much about housing in Kansas City is a testament in and of itself to KC Tenants."
For residents like Brink, they just want a comfortable place to live.
"I hope this [rent strike] is going to create not just positive change for Bowen Tower, but for apartment buildings beyond this complex."
A statement from Veronica Lopez, regional manager of LYND, reads below.
Management has been meeting with tenants consistently to address any of the concerns that they have. Back in August, a notice was sent to every resident at Bowen Tower requesting a submission of any and all outstanding maintenance needs. In addition, Midwest Pest Control conducted a mandatory 100% full property inspection to identify any units that may require treatment in August and conducted a follow up treatment on 9/24. In addition, Lynd Management did a 100% unit walk through in August to inspect units as well as to ensure all maintenance requests were completed.
HVAC: At this time, a full inspection and necessary repairs of the property’s HVAC system have been completed by a certified professional HVAC company. Bowen Tower has two chillers that provide AC to the building. Chiller #1 was serviced and repaired between 6/18 - 6/25. Chiller #2 is a redundant system and serves to provide cool air if Chiller #1 malfunctions. Chiller #2 was completed in August as one of the parts required was unavailable until then. The system is currently fully operational at full capacity. 100% unit walk throughs were completed after Chiller #1 was serviced, to determine which units had individual issues with their AC system (some of the individual diagnosed issues were broken thermostat, clogged drainpipe, broken actuator, plugged filter, new drain pan needed). A certified HVAC company came in and remediated those individual issues. During this time, portable A/C units were provided as needed, and only removed from apartments where the HVAC was inspected and confirmed to be fully functional.
Plumbing: In the past 12 months, Bowen Tower has spent $214,951.73 in capital expenses related to plumbing replacement at the property. We have experienced some isolated plumbing leaks at the property recently, which have been immediately addressed with a certified plumbing company performing the necessary repairs. As a preventative measure to avoid building wide water shutoffs in the future, we’ve engaged a certified and licensed plumbing company to install shut off valves throughout the property. This is a relatively large job and will require the Chiller system to be down for 2 days while they complete the install but will be timed to be completed when the weather is not hot to avoid resident discomfort. However, we believe this will be a great benefit to the property as this will allow the property to shut off water to just several units while getting repairs completed, vs. having to shut the water off to the entire building.
Elevators: Bowen Tower currently has an ongoing servicing contract with a large, certified elevator servicer. As part of their services, they perform 6 scheduled maintenance visits to examine and/or lubricate the following equipment areas per twelve-month period. The control system, power unit, hydraulic system accessories, hoist-way and pit equipment, door equipment, signals/accessories, rails and guides. In addition, if they examine any item that requires replacement or repair, they will complete and bill for that outside of their regular service agreement. Significant repairs for this year include removing and rebuilding the motor for Elevator #1. This was a large project that took about a month to complete. Both elevators are fully operational.
Pest Control: Bowen Tower is currently partnered with a certified fully licensed pest control service. Bowen Tower has had one of the most aggressive recurring treatment services available. Residents will receive direct notifications and preparation instructions for specialized treatments or unit specific treatments that are necessary. It is imperative that Bowen Tower receives the cooperation of all tenants to make sure we have a successful outcome from treatment. The pest control servicer has notated on multiple occasions that a resident was unprepared for treatment, refused treatment, or their unit was too messy for treatment to be effective. In the last 12 months, significant costs were incurred for specialized treatments and retreatments. It only takes a couple units to remain untreated over time to cause a larger issue. Bowen Tower will continue to work with both the servicer and the residents to achieve a successful outcome.
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