UCS hosts Kansas Public Policy Forum
Strong Communities, Stable Neighborhoods: Legislative Solutions
UCS hosted a full room on Wednesday, November 12th at the 2025 Kansas Public Policy Forum, sponsored by REACH Healthcare Foundation, Health Forward Foundation, and United Way of Greater Kansas City. The annual meeting convened more than 100 community members, policymakers, agency partners, and funders at the Matt Ross Community Center in Overland Park.
The event marked the official release of the UCS 2026 Public Policy Platform outlining priority policy issues for the upcoming legislative session.
Opening Data Presentation
To kick off the morning, UCS Executive Director Kristy Baughman provided a data presentation highlighting five-year trends in housing costs in Kansas and in Johnson County with a focus on the loss of affordable rental homes. Baughman then walked through why Kansans should be concerned about rising rent: rental affordability and homeownership are interdependent, with safe, habitable, and stable rental housing as the foundation for future homeownership.
Affordable rents allow community members to invest in education, job training, and transportation; to build credit, relationships, and community ties; and to save for a down payment and prepare for successful long-term investment in homeownership.
Keynote: Buying the Block
The morning continued with a keynote address from Fay Walker, with the LISC Community Research and Impact Team on the recent report: “Buying the Block: The Impact of Corporate Owners on Tenants, and How to Promote Community Accountability”.
Walker provided highlights from this intensive study, including how many rental properties are owned by corporate owners and how many owners are located out-of-state, the impacts of corporate ownerships on housing quality and the rate of evictions, and policy solutions to support renter security and well-being and addressing potential negative consequences of corporate ownership.
Key findings from the report:
- The report defines corporate ownership as more than 100 units
- The highest concentration of out-of-state owners are from California, New York, and Colorado
- On average, corporate landlords have about one and one-half times more maintenance violations than mom and pop landlord owners
- Corporate owners evict renters at about four times the rate of mom-and-pop landlord owners and evict for smaller amounts of money
This results in poorer quality housing for renters and in greater housing churn and costs – for renters, but also for surrounding neighborhoods and the extended community.
Legislative Panel Discussion
Following the keynote presentation, the program featured a panel of Kansas state legislators from both sides of the aisle who are preparing housing legislation for the 2026 legislative session. Moderated by UCS Director of Policy & Planning, Christina Ashie Guidry, the panel included:
- Senator Doug Shane
- Rep. Leah Howell
- Rep. Cyndi Howerton
- Senator Dinah Sykes, Minority Leader
- Rep. Rui Xu
Legislators discussed experiences in their districts related to corporate ownership of single-family and multifamily homes. Rep. Rui Xu noted that the current age of a first-time homebuyer has a hit a high of 40 years old and that corporate purchasing has priced out both Kansans and mom-and-pop landlords. Sen. Doug Shane discussed the condemnation of Aspen Place Apartments in Gardner in May which led to about 700 residents being displaced with just 48 hours’ notice. Sen. Shane found that residents had little or no recourse under the law for getting back security deposit, rent, or recourse for compensation or assistance to find a new place to live.
Panelists stressed that the challenges with rental housing occur throughout the state and require state-wide solutions. Republicans Sen. Shane, Rep. Howell, and Rep. Howerton are focused on legislation that will ensure Kansas are protected from undue harm in housing, that they know who they are getting into business with, and are getting what they pay for. Key provisions include addressing evictions, providing a business registry for rentals, ensuring cities can do inspection of rental properties to ensure renter health and safety, and ensuring that corporate owners set up payment portals to accept full and partial payments.
Republican Priorities (Sen. Shane, Rep. Howell, Rep. Howerton)
Focused on legislation that will ensure Kansans are protected from undue harm in housing, that they know who they are getting into business with, and are getting what they pay for. Key provisions include:
- Addressing evictions
- Providing a business registry for rentals
- Ensuring cities can do inspection of rental properties to ensure renter health and safety
- Ensuring that corporate owners set up payment portals to accept full and partial payments
Democratic Priorities (Sen. Sykes, Rep. Xu)
Focused on helping to support Kansas homes being in Kansas hands, ensuring there are no hidden costs in rental housing, and that Kansans have safe homes. Key provisions include:
- Ensuring all rental fees are disclosed up front
- Capping late fees at 5% and providing a 5-day grace period for rent
- Limiting corporate ownership of single-family homes
- Providing renters and qualifying nonprofits the opportunity to purchase small rental properties going to market sale
Get Involved
If you’re interested in tracking legislation in the upcoming session, you can follow the legislation at KHAN’s website.
If you’d like to connect with legislators on this legislation, email Christina Ashie Guidry: christinag@ucsjoco.org.