Raytown renters win deal as tenant unions strengthen
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Bowen Tower Union members striking in October. Photo: Courtesy of KC Tenants
Renters at Bowen Tower Apartments in Raytown are ending a four-month rent strike after court battles with their landlord resulted in a signed agreement Wednesday night, tenant union organizers say.
Why it matters: Tenant unions are growing in strength and number across the U.S. as increased rents and deferred maintenance pit renters against property owners.
Catch up quick: Bowen Tower renters began organizing in May when they say their rents increased amid hot water issues, flooding, broken heating and cooling systems, and broken elevators.
- When tenants began withholding rent in October, landlord Charles Hill of Alta/CGHS Real Estate filed to evict. Jackson County courts threw out some cases and awarded rent cancellations in others, leading to renewed negotiations earlier this month.
By the numbers: Organizers say renters withheld $110,000 in rent payments, and more than $45,000 of that debt was canceled.
What's inside: The signed deal includes stabilized utility rates and rent prices, ranging from $740 for a studio apartment to $1,113 for a three-bedroom, according to organizers.
- Alta/CGHS agreed to cancel all evictions, rescind lease non-renewals and fix building issues including mold, bugs, security systems and HVAC issues in one to two months.
- Organizers say both sides negotiated in good faith, and payments will resume in February.
What they're saying: "We at the top of the hill. We just want to stay up here," Cynthia Barlow, leader of the Bowen Tower Tenant Union, tells Axios. "We just want to live fair."
- "This represents an example of what tenants can do and what tenants can win when they come together," KC Tenants organizer Justin Stein says.
Alta/CGHS Real Estate did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
Zoom out: Organizers in Chicago are launching multiple rent strikes as rising prices there outpace the rest of the country.
- Legal campaigns in cities from St. Paul, Minnesota, to St. Petersburg, Florida, aim to give tenants more options with repairs and evictions.
- In New York, a tenant voter bloc helped elect Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who ran on renter protections.
Zoom in: KC Tenants, which formed in 2019 and helped establish KCMO's Tenant Bill of Rights later that year, helped form the Bowen Towers union and others in the metro.
- Tara Raghuveer in 2023 launched Tenant Union Federation — an interstate "union of unions" — expanding Kansas City's influence beyond its municipal borders.
- "Power builds power, and winning builds power," Stein says.
What we're watching: Tenant Union Federation is representing more than 1,000 renters across five states to address concerns with affordable housing landlord Capital Realty Group, Bloomberg reports.