What Your Landlord Doesn't Want You to Know: You Can Fight Back

Kansas City tenants just launched the largest rent strike in decades. They're burning up their rent notices to demand a new landlord, a national rent cap, and the right to collectively bargain their leases. And they could change renting in America as we know it.
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[spartan]

The fact that for profit businesses can be subsidized by the government and not be subject to rent caps is crazy

[matthewallen]

Get a job, work endlessly, not enough money, work even more, then become too old and tired to continue…The American dream!

[Decaf.]

Ban corporations from owning residential property

[franklaferriere]

My slumlord makes $250, 000 a month. Has been violated three different times, serious violations. Just got violated for a fourth time, rats and mice, holes in roof, falling down chimney.

Worst? He let siding rip off and exposed to sheathing for four years. Now we got black mold.

Been looking for two years for another place. Got three housing agencies helping.

Went to look in my hometown. Rich came in, destroyed it. Big box stores, hotels, doctors offices, banks, resturaunts. Wiped out most of housing areas to do this. 1, 400 people in some form of homelessness.

Got him in court Wednesday. Hope the judge slams him. His name is Michael Roy, owner of 14 Dunkin franchises, 823 Donuts. Slumlord lives in a mansion three times the size of the house I am renting the apt in.

[NobodyListensToCasandra]

I’m 36, and this video is the first time it’s occurred to me that I could/should get basic problems fixed by the person I pay rent to, who actually owns the building.

[reversefulfillment]

I worked for national banks in the mortgage industry, got sick of it after the mortgage meltdown. I thought to myself, if everyone just said "screw it" and stopped paying their mortgage, taxes, credit cards, what could the banks do? Answer, Nothing... they'd be screwed and this whole system would collapse. What stops us? FEAR False Expectations Appearing Real. Solidarity!!

[nightwalkerscrypt]

Just because you live in a subsidized building does not mean you should be forced to live in a building full bugs, rodents, vermin, mold, filth. I am so fed up with this property management companies thinking they have all the power.

[AlexxMaester]

There is a systemic problem -- greed. We have allowed many of our economic sectors, to take advantage of the American people. It's disgusting and frightening for the future of our country. I plan to retire at 62 in another country outside the US that is free, safe and very cheap with a high quality of life. I could fully just rely on only my SS if I wanted to when that times arrives but I'll also have at least one pension, a 403 (b) and a very prolific lnvestment account with my Abby Joseph Cohen my FA. Retiring comfortably in the US these days is almost impossible.

[tmc]

To say nothing changes with the greedy rich is an understatement. It only gets worse, particularly when replacing old well built apartment buildings with flimsy new ones built with substandard materials.

[Pheoniex]

Wonder how chaotic this would get and what would happen if this was millions of people instead of 2 apartment buildings?

[syndromealphalord]

This is inspiring, every town should have a tenants union

[sunandsage]

I've been a residential landlord in the past. There occasional months where I was not able to keep the rent paid to me because of having to get things fixed in order to keep the place habitable. That's just the way it is. It's an obligation. I have no sympathy for landlords who refuse to maintain their rental units.
BEST OF LUCK TO THESE PEOPLE!!

[rog]

Can’t believe nothing is being done about the repairs while millions are spent on marketing?..

[philalethistry]

I wish the strikers the best and hope they succeed in changing this country for the better!

[LizNeptune]

This is like my apartment!! Roach infested in the walls, rats in the walls, mold, was left without electricity for 4 days. My floor floods every time it rains. My windows are falling out the pane. The unit is not sealed properly. I pay $1425 for a 425sq ft closet in the hood. It’s disgusting. We have to collectively do something!!

[CreativeMindsAudio]

The irony of the building being called QUALITY hill towers 😂

[kcsunnyone]

Local code enforcement is also failing to protect citizens

[cabbagenut]

One of my slumlords let us sit for days with sewage backing into our tub and the neighbor's tub and let black mold grow through the entire building. Abolish landlords.

[jiffyb]

Thank you for covering such incredibly important stories that the news refuses to cover!

[thsizzle]

The only way to change this system is to say no more and work together to make our situation better. 99% of us are slaves to the 1% and we shouldn’t think the American dream is anything other than keeping everyone else down.