Rep. Cleaver Demands Action From Stonegate Meadows Apartments Following Reports of Unsafe Living Conditions, Highlights Resources for Tenants in Need of Assistance

(Kansas City, MO) – This week, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) demanded further action from Stonegate Meadows Apartments after a series of reports about substandard living conditions in the apartment complex, including mice and roach infestations, water leaks, lack of heat and hot water, and more. In a letter to the owner of the property, Rep. Cleaver called for management to repair all units that have been reported and to resolve all health and safety issues that have yet to be identified.

In the letter to Stonegate Meadows Apartments, Rep. Cleaver wrote:

“The information I am receiving from the public and from local inspection data is unacceptable. Less than one year ago, a fire at your complex led to the hospitalization of 15 individuals. I was shocked to read new allegations in local media about a lack of functioning fire detectors at the property. No Missourian deserves to live in unsafe or substandard housing, and it appears Stonegate Meadows has fallen far short of its obligations.”

“I strongly encourage Stonegate Meadows to work with tenants, tenant advocates, and local officials in expediently resolving health and safety issues, whether or not those are identified through tenant complaints. It is my expectation that maintenance and repairs currently being conducted at the property go above the minimum standards set by Federal and local regulation,” Rep.Cleaver continued.

Before a fire at the Stonegate Meadows apartments last year that sent 15 individuals to the hospital, residents had complained that living conditions at the complex were substandard. Eight months after the fire, the complex still had not made repairs to fire alarms, according to reports from residents, in addition to complaints of other unacceptable living conditions.

In addition to reminding the property manager of their legal obligations in accordance with federal and local law, Rep. Cleaver also encourages residents of Stonegate Meadows, as well as any other housing complex, to know their rights and the resources available to them. Kansas City renters concerned about health and safety conditions in their place of residence can report issues to the City’s Healthy Homes Rental Inspection Program by calling 816-513-6464 or walking into their office located at 2400 Troost Ave, Suite 3600.

“Every Kansas Citian has the right to a safe, stable, and healthy home environment, and it’s important that people understand they have resources available to them if their landlord fails to maintain a certain standard of living conditions,” said Rep. Cleaver. “As I continue to work with federal and local officials to ensure that property owners are upholding their legal obligations to their tenants, I encourage any resident to reach out to the Healthy Homes Rental Inspection Program if they have any immediate concerns or complaints to report.”

The official letter from Rep. Cleaver to Stonegate Meadows Apartments is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.