Housing

Missouri would join handful of states that have recently enacted laws to remove racially restrictive covenants from property records.

Port Authority of Kansas City commissioners did not move forward with plans to award Lux Living tax incentives on a $55 million deal to develop apartments on the Berkley Riverfront after news stories detailed the developer’s past in St. Louis.

A provision introduced at the St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Friday would charge people in some neighborhoods $10,000 to remove dwelling units in a single building. That would include converting a duplex into a single-family home, or converting a four-flat into a duplex. The money from those fees would contribute to a fund to create, improve and maintain affordable housing.

As details emerge about Lux Living’s legal battles and complaints from its St. Louis property residents, Port Authority members gave a nod to the embattled developer. But one council member isn’t convinced.

When a Port Authority of Kansas City committee meets Monday afternoon to discuss a major proposed apartment project at Berkley Riverfront, its members may have to consider whether the project’s developer was forthcoming in disclosures about its past.

Even though Kansas City made it illegal for prospective landlords or employers to ask applicants if they have a felony conviction, the law hasn't stopped discrimination — especially for ex-felons whose past crimes are readily found on the internet.

El contrato de arrendamiento se comercializa de forma que las personas que no pueden obtener un crédito hipotecario puedan realizar su sueño de poseer una vivienda. Pero la mayoría de las veces, los compradores no acaban siendo propietarios. Además, la mayoría de los estados de la zona central del país ofrecen poca, o ninguna, protección para evitar el abuso al consumidor.

The contract for deed option is marketed as a way for people who can’t get a conventional mortgage to realize the dream of owning a home. But more often than not, buyers do not end up as homeowners. And, most Midwestern states provide little, if any, consumer protection to prevent abuse.

Action St. Louis and Arch City Defenders will host a town hall for renters at 6 p.m. today. Renters from the St. Louis area can speak with housing advocates about housing issues, eviction questions and how to build a tenant-led housing movement in St. Louis.

Quiet title laws across the Midwest can disproportionately affect homeowners who don’t speak English, like Natalia Esteban, who emigrated from Mexico over 20 years ago.