Facebook-f Instagram Linkedin-in X-twitter Meetup Youtube

Kansas Lawmakers Consider HB 2504 and SB 391 to Protect Rental Housing

Kansas legislators review HB 2504 and SB 391 rental housing legislation

The Governor's Veto Was Overridden!

Congratulations, Housing Providers! Our Source of Income Bill is now the law. A huge celebration for Lawrence. We not only protected housing for our clients & customers but also preserved private property rights for all.
 
Thanks for your support in meeting, supporting and spreading the word when asked. Many, many thanks to our lobbyists who were in the Capitol throughout the session, and day & night on our behalf this week. Thank you Ed Jaskinia & Mark Tomb!
 
We will proactively prepare for the next legislative sessions in KS & MO. Please watch for future KCRHA meeting notices.
 
We did it!! Again. KS & MO are protected. For now….More work to do–because they started with 20 laws., and will be back.
Talk to you soon,
 

Stacey

Both Passed in the House & Senate but the Governor is Expected to Veto

Here’s what we know:

Both passed, but it is expected that the Governor will veto the bill.  If that happens we need to once again reach out to legislators to ask them to override the Governor.  In the mean time, if you have a chance to chat with any of these people share your thoughts.

House Bill 2504 passed the house, but not with enough votes to make it veto proof.  If vetoed, we need to reach out to the following legislators to voice our concern.

Senate Bill 391 passed the senate with 29  legislators voting yes.  As long as we maintain those 29 legislators or bring more over to our side, the Senate can override the Veto.

If you are know any of the following Legislators are you are in their county, we may be asking you to reach out to the following to bring them over to our side:

MAREI Advocacy Update
Call to Action in Support of Kansas SB 391

Please take action on this right now, today as our deadline is Wednesday and forward this to others who should also take action.

Urgent –  Protect Your Property Rights – Support SB 391

More about HB2504 and SB391

Many thanks to Ed Jaskinia for representing our industry and Stacey Johnson-Cosby for keeping us up to date and in the loop at MAREI

A critical bill is moving through the Kansas Legislature that will determine whether housing providers can continue to operate without a growing patchwork of local mandates. SB 391 (the Source of Income Bill) seeks to ensure that state law—not dozens of conflicting local rules—governs the private rental market.

What is SB 391?

This legislation (click to review) ensures that participation in housing assistance programs (including Section 8) remains voluntary across Kansas and that our screening practices continue to be allowed.

(Agenda for the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs March 5th)

The bill ensures:

  • Any government and all housing assistance programs (including Section 8) remain voluntary.

  • Property Managers can continue using standard screening tools that have worked for our businesses for years. Otherwise, cities could restrict your ability to consider or use eviction history, credit report/scores, property damage history, criminal history, etc. (see #2 in the bill text).

  • State law — not dozens of local rules — governs security deposits and preserves private property rights in a sale.

Why Your Voice Matters Right Now

The Senate has already passed this bill 31-7, and it is now headed for a House Committee Hearing on Thursday, March 5th.

Legislators have reported hearing from tenant advocacy groups in droves, but they haven’t heard from the “other side of the coin” in a significant way. They need to hear from housing providers of all sizes—from individual owners to large property management firms and Realtors—to understand the real-world impact of these policies.

Step 1: Take Action: Submit Your Written Testimony 

Please send your written testimony in support of SB 391. See customizable template below. It must be in PDF format. You may submit as an individual or on behalf of your professional organization.

Step 2: Submission Requirements:

  • Deadline: Wednesday, March 4th by 12:00pm

  • Format: Your testimony MUST be in PDF format.

  • Send Email to: [email protected]

  • Subject Line: Support SB 391 – [Your Name] – [Your City].

Pro-Tips 

  • Use the below template as a starting point, feel free to add a few sentences describing the specific impact this legislation has on your business.

  • Personalized messages carry the most weight with committee members.

  • For the best chance of being read, send your testimony as a PDF attachment to an email, or via an official web form, while placing a summary in the email body.

  • Due to cybersecurity rules, legislative offices often cannot open attachments or links, but PDF ensures formatting is preserved.

  • Keep written testimony to one page and include your name, address, and bill number.

  • Name it Bill Number – Support – Your Name

These letters go a long way in helping get a bill passed—every submission strengthens our industry’s voice and demonstrates unified, broad support for SB 391 before legislators.

Please Cut & Paste and customize before emailing:

(click here to download a copy from Google Drive

Make your edits, safe as a pdf and attached to your email.)

Hello Chair and Members of the Committee,

My name is [Name], and I am a [Property Manager, Realtor, Investor] & housing provider in [City] responsible for [X] rental units.

I support SB 391 because consistent statewide housing policy and reasonable screening tools help keep me as a (small) housing provider in the market, and housing available.

The bill helps ensure:

  • Government and all housing assistance programs (including Section 8) remain voluntary

  • Property Managers can continue using standard screening tools that have worked for our businesses for years

  • State law — not dozens of local rules — governs security deposits and certain housing requirements

When regulations become unpredictable and goes against standard business practices, many housing providers often exit the market. That means less housing is available. We want to preserve and create more housing.

Thank you for helping protect housing availability in Kansas.

— [Your Full Name]

Address [home or business in Kansas]

Optional: [Share your contact information, if you’d like]

Kansas lawmakers are currently considering two closely related bills—House Bill 2504 and Senate Bill 391—that address a growing concern for housing providers, real estate investors, and local housing markets across the state.

Both bills are designed to preserve long-standing tenant screening and leasing safeguards by limiting the ability of local municipalities to mandate rental acceptance requirements that remove traditional risk-management tools used by property owners.

Ed Jaskinia of The Associated Landlords of Kansas has testified in support of both measures before the Kansas House and Senate committees.  MAREI is in support of his efforts.  If you see Ed, thank him for his efforts and be sure to join your local Landlord Group in Kansas, part of your dues go toward helping him with advocacy.

Ed’s Testimony on HB 2504 and SB391

What HB 2504 and SB 391 Aim to Do

At their core, HB 2504 and SB 391 seek to prevent local governments from imposing rental mandates that override standard business practices used by housing providers—including income verification, credit standards, lease terms, and other screening criteria that protect both property owners and tenants.

These bills do not eliminate fair housing protections. Instead, they reinforce the principle that:

  • Housing providers must comply with state and federal fair housing law

  • Property owners should retain the ability to evaluate risk and operate sustainable rental businesses

  • Local ordinances should not force owners to lease under conditions that remove essential safeguards

SB 391 is largely a reworded companion bill to HB 2504, introduced to ensure the policy path remains viable through both chambers.

Read HB 2504: see on BillTrack 50

Read SB 391:  See on BillTrack 50

Why This Matters to Housing Stability

Rental housing is not sustained by mandates alone—it depends on viable operations, responsible underwriting, and long-term asset stewardship.

When local ordinances require property owners to rent without the ability to:

  • Verify lawful income sources

  • Assess financial capacity

  • Apply consistent lease standards

the result is often less housing availability, not more.

History shows that when risk increases without corresponding safeguards:

  • Small housing providers exit the market

  • Investment capital shifts elsewhere

  • Maintenance and reinvestment decline

  • The very tenants these policies aim to help face fewer options

A Familiar Policy Pattern: Lessons from Missouri

These Kansas bills closely mirror legislation passed in Missouri in 2025, which responded to Kansas City, Missouri’s Source of Income ordinance.

That Missouri law was designed to reassert state-level consistency and protect housing providers from fragmented local mandates that created legal uncertainty and operational risk.

👉 You can read MAREI’s analysis of the Missouri legislation and its impact on the MAREI Blog from 2025

Kansas lawmakers are now facing a similar policy crossroads.

Strong Opposition—And Why That’s Expected

Both legislative committees have indicated that organized tenant advocacy groups are strongly opposed to these bills.

That opposition is not unexpected, they have even filed their answering bills to this:

SB 485:  That talks about source of income and hiding evictions (read here)

Plus several other bills listed below.

Why MAREI Is Paying Attention

As a trade association serving real estate investors and housing providers, MAREI tracks legislation that directly affects housing availability, risk management, and long-term market health.

These bills reflect a broader national conversation:

  • How do we expand housing access without dismantling the systems that make housing viable?

  • How do we protect tenants and ensure providers can continue operating responsibly?

And while you might take issue to any one of the bills listed in this article and think, “Someone should do something about this”, keep in mind that someone is you.

Get involved.
Stay informed.
And when we ask – Make that Call, Send that Email, Go Visit your Legislator

MAREI will continue to:

  • Monitor housing-related legislation in Kansas and Missouri

  • Share analysis with members

  • Provide context beyond headlines and talking points

 

If you want to stay informed about advocacy issues affecting real estate investors and housing providers, make sure you’re subscribed to MAREI updates and attending our monthly meetings where these topics are discussed in real time.

Other Tenant Advocacy Backed Bills

SB 485:  That talks about source of income and hiding evictions (read here)

Plus several other bills in both the House and Senate aimed at changing Landlord Tenant Law in Kansas

House Bills

HB 2074
Homestead renters tax relief
→ Makes renters eligible for homestead property tax refunds.

HB 2099
Rental inspections tied to subsidies
→ Allows periodic inspections of subsidized rental housing.

HB 2225
Mobile home tenant protections
→ Prevents park owners from limiting tenant access to internet/video services.

HB 2357
Eviction record sealing + mediation
→ Seals eviction filings and requires mediation before eviction proceeds.

HB 2454
Income counting + partial payments
→ Requires landlords to count certain income and accept partial rent payments.

HB 2634
Default maintenance code
→ Imposes a state maintenance code where local codes don’t exist.

HB 2665
Tenant termination rights
→ Expands tenant ability to terminate leases for landlord noncompliance.

HB 2666
Late fee restrictions + disclosures
→ Limits late fees and adds required tenant disclosures.

HB 2667
Tenant right of first refusal
→ Requires landlords to offer properties to tenants before selling publicly.

HB 2690
Interior inspections without consent
→ Allows administrative interior inspections under certain conditions.

HB 2691
Cause-based eviction
→ Requires cause for eviction and changes eviction procedures.

Senate Bills

SB 100
Fair Chance Housing Act
→ Limits use of eviction history and rental debt in tenant screening.

SB 369
Late fee caps + disclosures
→ Senate version of late fee limits and disclosure mandates.

SB 370
Tenant termination for landlord breach
→ Expands tenant rights to terminate leases.

SB 371
Tenant purchase priority
→ Senate version of tenant right of first refusal.

SB 388
Maximum late fees
→ Sets a statutory cap on late rent fees.

SB 415
Consumer Protection Act penalties
→ Makes landlord-tenant violations subject to KCPA enforcement.

SB 416
Interior inspections without consent
→ Senate version of administrative inspection authority.

SB 443
Cause-based eviction
→ Senate version requiring cause for eviction.

SB 444
Expanded interior inspections
→ Allows cities/counties to inspect interiors and abate violations.

SB 455
Homestead renter tax refunds
→ Senate version of renter tax relief.

SB 466
Old eviction record limits
→ Restricts use of older eviction or rental arrears records.

SB 482
Security deposit refunds
→ Requires return of deposits and rent when units are condemned.

SB 485
Income mandates + eviction sealing + mediation
→ Requires income counting, seals and expunges eviction records, mandates mediation, and adds KCPA penalties.

Picture of Advocacy

Advocacy

Other current issues to review

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *