KC Tenants calls on city to step up pressure on ‘disengaged’ landlord. Here’s how
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- KC Tenants met with city leaders to discuss pressuring landlord Yisroel Levovitz.
- The city suspended the property's permit and has ongoing court proceedings.
- Tenants urged the city to place liens, levy fines, and claw back over $80,000.
Days after Kansas City officials seemingly inadvertently told tenants to vacate their homes at a three-building apartment complex on North Lawn Avenue, KC Tenants says the city is now vowing to work with the tenants’ union to address longstanding issues left unresolved by the building’s owner.
Mary Allison Joseph, an organizer for KC Tenants, said the tenants’ union met with city leaders and staff on Thursday at the apartments to discuss ways the city can help improve the living situation of tenants and put more pressure on landlord Yisroel Levovitz of Wiser KC LLC to fix up the property.
Some of the proposals include the city committing to not condemn the building and using the health department’s authority to make emergency repairs to the buildings. Joseph said the city officials were receptive to the ideas and also vowed to up its enforcement on the landlord.
“They’ve taken action and they showed a lot of goodwill and willingness to collaborate to get creative on how we hold the landlord accountable and respect tenants’ wishes to remain in their homes,” Joseph said.
Asia Jones, a spokesperson for the city, said that the city’s Healthy Homes Rental Inspection Program has suspended the property permit for the apartment complex, which requires the property owner to correct city code violations or risk the revocation of the permit. Jones said staff met with the apartment tenants on Thursday to discuss concerns and identify next steps.
Jones also noted that the city has been investigating living condition issues at the property and has multiple ongoing court proceedings over city code violations.
“As those legal proceedings continue, the City remains focused on protecting residents, holding the property owner accountable, and working with tenants and community partners to support access to safe, stable housing,” she said.
Mayor Quinton Lucas, who plans to meet with the tenants next week, said in a statement that the city will continue to work on the issue.
“No Kansas Citian should live in deplorable conditions,” Lucas said. “Our office takes concerns about unsafe and unhealthy housing seriously, and we will continue working with city departments, residents, and community partners to ensure all Kansas Citians have safe, livable housing.”
Levovitz could not be reached for comment.
Increasing pressure
Joseph said the city has tools it can use to put more pressure on Levovitz to improve the living conditions.
She said KC Tenants asked the city to put a lien on the property so Levovitz can’t sell it until issues are resolved and to apply maximum fines on the property until repairs are complete.
She also said the tenants’ union asked the city to consider clawing back more than $80,000 of rental subsidy funds provided to Levovitz for breach of contract. The group also asked the city to work with prosecutors to seek maximum penalties against Levovitz and his business partners in multiple ongoing municipal housing court cases.
Joseph said the tenants union and city officials plan to continue meeting to discuss even more options the city has to address the issue.
“In order for that cycle to stop, the city has got to get proactive and creative with accountability measures,” Joseph said. “Otherwise, poor and working-class tenants are just chased from one slumlord property to the next all across the city.”
The tenants’ union is currently in a dispute with Levovitz over the living conditions of the property in the North Indian Mound neighborhood in northeast Kansas City. Joseph said Levovitz is trying to sell the property and has disengaged with the tenants’ union after previously agreeing to make repairs last month.
She said that’s led to more urgency from the tenants’ union and asking for the city to offer more help.
The city’s plans to help the tenants also came days after the city briefly posted signs on the property that read “do not enter/occupy” and caused panic and confusion among the residents. The city later disavowed the condemnation.
Joseph said City Manager Mario Vasquez apologized to the tenants’ union for the error that was caused by “a series of miscommunication.” She said the meeting aimed to rebuild trust between tenants and the city.
“We definitely achieved that goal,” Joseph said.
The Star’s Caroline Zimmerman contributed reporting.
