Shelbyville tenants launching union against Lexington property management company

Tenants at several properties in Shelbyville owned by a Lexington-based property management company are launching a tenant union to make demands on a range of concerns they have on unresolved maintenance issues and more. 

A press release announcing the launch of the Shelbyville Tenant Union states that more than 75 residents at seven properties in Shelby County owned by Winterwood Inc. have organized to address issues they’ve dealt with for years including “burst pipes, unresolved sewage backup, pest infestations” and threats of eviction. 

Josh Poe, a founder and former organizing director for the statewide group Kentucky Tenant Union, told the Kentucky Lantern Wednesday that organizing residents have dealt with mold and pests including mice. He said there’s a “real psychological toll” dealing with pests. 

He said there’s also “the feeling of powerlessness that you pay your rent every month to a company that then takes that money and puts it in their pocket” rather than “investing in what is just basic habitability standards.” 

Winterwood CEO Mike Hynes in a Wednesday email to the Lantern said the company couldn’t respond to allegations by tenants in the press release because the company lacked specifics on which properties had issues to verify complaints. 

“Winterwood does not retaliate against residents for raising legitimate concerns or requesting maintenance,” Hynes said. “When maintenance issues arise, our staff and contractors work to address them; the response depends on the issue’s nature and severity. Emergency maintenance matters are prioritized accordingly.” 

Hynes said the company takes residents’ concerns seriously and is “committed to providing safe, decent and well-maintained housing.” 

The Wednesday release states that tenants are laying out demands to both Winterwood and state regulators at a Wednesday press conference; the release points out Winterwood is “heavily subsidized at the state and federal level.” 

The launch of the tenant union in Shelbyville is a part of ongoing, statewide organizing efforts by the Kentucky Tenant Union, formerly the Louisville Tenants Union, to organize in rural communities across the state where there may be fewer protections for renters. The tenant union will become a chapter of Kentucky Tenant Union alongside other tenant unions in the state, according to the group. Louisville Public Media reported last year tenants formed a union in Meade County against Texas-based Texas-based OSPM, LLC to address issues including mold, broken air conditioning and spiders. 

In March, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported that the Kentucky Tenant Union won a collectively bargained lease with OSPM, LLC for some of its members, the first of its kind in the southern U.S. according to the group. 

Poe said tenants in Shelbyville ultimately want a written contract negotiated with their landlord. 

“Anything that’s not a written contract leaves the tenants in the same position that they’re in now,” Poe said, mentioning tenants don’t want to hope the company fixes issues. 

“They’re hoping that the state agencies put pressure on them to do so. And that’s not good enough,” Poe said.