Requiring landlords to return the security deposit and certain portions of rent payments that would be due when a dwelling unit is condemned due to action or inaction of the landlord.
Summary
SB 482 amends Kansas’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to address what happens when a rental unit is condemned because of the landlord’s action or inaction. Under current law, when a dwelling is damaged or destroyed by fire or casualty and habitability is substantially impaired, a tenant may vacate and terminate the lease, and the landlord must return the recoverable portion of the security deposit with rent accounted for as of the move-out date. The bill keeps that existing fire-or-casualty framework but adds a new rule for condemnation cases caused by the landlord.
For condemned units, the bill would require the landlord to return the tenant’s recoverable security deposit and also refund the total amount of rent that would otherwise be due through the end of the rental agreement, capped at two years. In effect, the measure shifts financial responsibility to landlords when a property is condemned because of their conduct or failure to act, rather than leaving tenants to bear rent obligations for unusable housing.
Impact
The bill would amend K.S.A. 58-2562 and repeal the existing version of that statute. It would create a new statutory remedy for tenants in condemned dwellings by requiring landlords to refund security deposits and future rent owed under the lease, up to two years, when condemnation results from the landlord’s action or inaction. The measure would directly affect residential landlords and tenants, especially in cases involving code violations, unsafe conditions, or other landlord-caused condemnation, and would likely influence lease enforcement, rent accounting, and dispute resolution in Kansas housing law.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears tenant-protective and aimed at closing a perceived gap in current landlord-tenant law. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, amendments, or partisan division. The overall framing suggests the bill is intended to provide clearer financial relief to tenants displaced by landlord-caused condemnation and to place responsibility on landlords whose conduct leads to uninhabitable housing.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the scope of landlord liability when a unit is condemned, particularly the requirement to refund rent through the end of the lease or up to two years. Landlords may view that remedy as expansive or punitive, especially if condemnation is tied to disputed facts about fault or causation. Tenants and housing advocates would likely support the bill because it protects renters from paying for housing they cannot use and creates a stronger incentive for landlords to maintain safe, code-compliant properties.