Recent data from The Wall Street Journal suggest that renters across the country—including in Kansas City—are gaining leverage. Rents are flattening, vacancy rates are ticking up, and landlords are offering incentives. The reason? More housing is finally coming online.
This is a timely reminder for Kansas City officials: if the goal is to help renters and low-income residents, the most effective solution is to build more housing—not to add new layers of regulation.
Kansas City has wrestled with housing affordability and tenant protections for years. Activists often push for stricter rules on landlords. But these approaches treat symptoms, not causes. When developers can’t build efficiently due to restrictive zoning, long permitting delays, or uncertain rules, the supply crunch only worsens.
The Journal article shows what happens when supply catches up with demand: rents stabilize, landlords compete, and renters benefit. That’s the dynamic Kansas City needs more of.
Some argue regulation is necessary to prevent abuse. That is a fair point about some regulations in some circumstances. But policymakers must also weigh how each new rule might deter investment or slow construction. A better strategy is to remove barriers that prevent new housing from being built—especially infill development (building on vacant or underutilized land), duplexes, and apartments near transit.
If Kansas City is serious about affordability, it needs to stop chasing complex fixes and start enabling more housing.
