Residents of Pleasant Heights Apartments in Independence, Missouri say they have had little to no air conditioning since May, and with heat index values in the Kansas City metro climbing into the 103 to 110 degree range this week, some say the conditions have become dangerous. One tenant, 31-year-old Bree Patterson, says she collapsed from the heat in the building's lobby and was taken out on a stretcher. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, low-income populations may have limited access to air conditioning, a barrier that can increase vulnerability during extreme heat. The conditions may pose heightened risks for low-income populations.
Patterson told KMBC 9 that no one answered when she called for help during the incident, and that she had never experienced heat stroke like that before. She said the Independence Housing Authority, which owns and operates Pleasant Heights, did little for her or the other residents living there, many of whom are families, disabled people, elderly people, and children.
According to the housing authority, staff installed a new cooling unit at the complex last year, but discovered in June that the unit was too small to fully support the building's size — a problem staff say they found only after attempting to turn it on. Tina Bartlett, CEO of the Independence Housing Authority, confirmed that the replacement unit could not adequately cool the building. The agency said staff are aware of the ongoing air-conditioning issues and plan to install a temporary cooling unit by this weekend.
Mold, Roaches, and a Displaced Tenant
Beyond the heat, Patterson said she found her belongings ruined by mold from an unpatched leak in her unit, forcing her to throw away many personal items. She is now displaced because of the damage. Patterson and other tenants also reported a severe roach infestation throughout the complex, with Patterson saying roaches have bitten her and crawled in her bed, hair, and on her walls.
Pleasant Heights tenants broadly reported receiving little to no help with the building's problems, describing the complex as unsafe and uncomfortable in the extreme heat. The property's last public housing assessment score — a federal measure of overall building conditions, health, and safety — dates back to 2018, according to the same KMBC report.
What Local and Federal Rules Actually Require
Missouri state law does not require air conditioning unless it's specified in a lease or mandated by municipal code, according to KSDK. Independence, however, closed that gap last year: the city expanded its “Rental Ready” inspection program in January 2025, and it took effect that May, expanding mandatory inspection guidelines from nine to 16 items and explicitly requiring that heating and cooling systems in rental units work well enough to maintain a safe room temperature, per the City of Independence.
Tenants who qualify under Missouri's “repair and deduct” statute, RSMo Section 441.234, can deduct code-violation repair costs from rent after living in a unit for six consecutive months and paying on time, though the statute addresses costs under $300 or one-half of periodic rent, whichever is greater, limits deductions to the applicable amount and no more than one month's rent in aggregate during a 12-month period, and requires 14 days' written notice to the landlord, according to the Missouri Office of Administration.
Independence Housing Authority Properties
The situation involves three properties identified in connection with the Independence Housing Authority: Pleasant Heights, Hocker Heights, and Southview Manor.
HUD phased in its National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate, known as NSPIRE, across public housing programs in 2023 and 2024, replacing the older UPCS standards and placing heavier weight on health, safety, and functionality — including whether HVAC systems actually work, according to the National Center for Housing Management.
Few Options for Displaced or Struggling Tenants
For residents like Patterson looking for somewhere else to go, the options are thin. Waiting lists for both public housing units and Housing Choice Vouchers managed by the Independence Housing Authority were closed as of this year due to high demand and limited unit availability, according to Affordable Housing Online. Meanwhile, market-rate rents in the surrounding county aren't cheap either — HUD's 2026 Fair Market Rent benchmarks for Jackson County set efficiency and studio units at $985 per month, one-bedroom apartments at $1,098, and two-bedroom apartments at $1,258.
With extreme heat warnings and advisories blanketing the Kansas City metro and Jackson County this week, the timeline for relief at Pleasant Heights remains tight. The housing authority has said a temporary cooling unit is expected to be installed by this weekend, but for tenants who have already gone months without reliable air conditioning, that promise follows a summer of reported heat exposure, mold damage, and infestation left largely unaddressed.
