What your landlord is doing is both illegal and immoral. .

I did a quick google on tenant landlord kansas, and found this at www.hcci-ks.org.

Landlord Responsibilities and Improvements
KANSAS LAW
If a place you are renting out is not in compliance with state law and the rental agreement at the time tenants are to move in, Kansas law says that the tenants have the right to give you a written five-day notice (doesn't say from when or to when), move out, and get all of their money back. If an unacceptable condition is deemed willful and not in good faith, a tenant can even get 1 1/2 times the rent or 1 1/2 times his or her cash losses, whichever is greater.

In Steele v. Latimer, a 1974 Kansas Supreme Court decision, a Wichita woman and her five children were awarded the refund of a substantial amount of back rent in an eviction case because the landlord had knowingly not made needed repairs. Since then, citing this case and provisions of the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, many tenants have successfully defended themselves and won counterclaims based on the implied warranty of habitability that all landlords in Kansas are expected to provide places that are basically decent, safe, and sound.

Specifically, you are required to:

-- Keep your rental unit in compliance with city or county building or housing codes.

-- Maintain areas of the building and the grounds outside which are open to all tenants. Common areas such as hallways, parking lots, stairways, sidewalks, and laundry rooms are a few examples.

-- Make sure there is an adequate supply of hot and cold running water.

-- Supply heating facilities capable of maintaining a room temperature of 70 degrees. (On these last two, the landlord does not necessarily have to pay for the utility services, but he or she must provide the equipment and it must work.)

-- Maintain all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in good and safe working order.

-- Maintain all appliances that are provided with the property. This would include such things as stove, refrigerator, and window air conditioners. (If there is an appliance in the property that you do not want to be responsible for but you are willing to leave for the tenants for their use, you should note that in writing somewhere and keep a copy.)

-- Make sure there is some way to appropriately store and remove garbage and trash from the premises. You do not necessarily have to pay for these services, but you must make sure they are available.

Tenants have the right to expect that repairs and routine maintenance items get taken care of in a reasonable amount of time. You need to keep in mind that "reasonable" in this case may, unfortunately, be a little less time than you would allow if the repair or maintenance was needed in your own home. Part of your responsibility as a landlord is to provide service and, whereas you might decide to live with some problem or let something go in your own home because you had other priorities, a tenant may not feel the same way and does not have that responsibility.

You could be liable for damages (money losses) to the tenant if you do not take care of maintenance or repairs in a reasonable amount of time. For instance, if a refrigerator goes out in the first 24 hours, the law may look upon the event as an act of God. After that, if you have not tried to provide repairs or replacement at least on a temporary basis, you might be liable for the tenant's food spoilage and/or for the tenant having to eat out for a time. Another example would be where heavy rains cause unexpected flooding in below-level rooms or apartments. The tenants should try to get the furniture up on blocks or do whatever can be done on an emergency basis to prevent damage to the property and furniture. But, after that, the landlord has a responsibility to respond on an emergency basis - get the carpeting water-vacuumed or even pulled up, take care of drying out the unit and/or, if necessary, temporarily or permanently relocate the tenant. Major problems are usually covered by insurance. Regardless, the landlord needs to act.




------
I'm so sorry you are going through this right now - I hope things work out for you and your kitties. Prayers on the way.