The Elevate Living lawsuit that has drawn the most attention is a June 2024 class action filed in Des Moines against Elevate Property Management, which does business as Elevate Living. The suit alleges the company writes leases that charge fees prohibited under Iowa’s landlord-tenant law and holds security deposits in bad faith.1Des Moines Register. Class Action Lawsuit Claims Illegal Fees Charged Des Moines Tenants by Elevate Property Management It is one of several disputes the Minnesota-based landlord faces across the Midwest, alongside a Nebraska fair housing case and tenant-union organizing at four Omaha-area properties.
What the Iowa Class Action Claims
The named plaintiff is Brandi DeGregory, a 31-year-old former tenant. Her complaint points to Iowa Code chapter 562A and identifies three lease provisions she contends are unlawful: a $100 late fee that keeps accruing month after month as long as any back rent remains outstanding, even when current rent is paid on time; a $25 “litigation fee” tenants must agree in advance to pay if the company sues over unpaid rent; and a clause requiring tenants to cover Elevate’s attorney fees and eviction costs.1Des Moines Register. Class Action Lawsuit Claims Illegal Fees Charged Des Moines Tenants by Elevate Property Management
The suit also alleges Elevate retains security deposits in bad faith. Attorney Nathan Vos, who represents DeGregory, estimated the potential class at up to 1,000 current and former tenants. As of the filing, the case was awaiting class certification, which Vos said could take months.1Des Moines Register. Class Action Lawsuit Claims Illegal Fees Charged Des Moines Tenants by Elevate Property Management
The Nebraska Fair Housing Case
A separate suit was filed in federal court in Nebraska by tenant Kenneth Glover against Elevate Property Management and several affiliated entities, asserting claims under the Nebraska Fair Housing Act.2GovInfo. Glover v. Elevate Property Management et al
In May 2025, Senior U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard sent the case back to state court. After Glover filed an amended complaint that removed his federal claims, the court found it no longer had subject-matter jurisdiction. An emergency motion for a protective order was denied without prejudice, leaving Glover free to refile it in state court.3CaseMine. Glover v. Elevate Property Management
Tenant Unions in Omaha
During the summer of 2024, tenants at four Elevate-owned complexes voted to form unions with support from Omaha Tenants United: Camelot Village Apartments in Omaha, Fontenelle Hills Apartments in Bellevue, and L14 Flats and L15 Lofts in downtown Omaha.4Flatwater Free Press. Omaha Renters Are Forming Unions to Fight Against Alleged Landlord Neglect
Residents at Camelot Village reported leaking air-conditioning units, broken refrigerators, black mold under carpeting, wasp infestations, and broken laundry equipment, and said management routinely canceled maintenance requests or marked them complete without doing the work. At Fontenelle Hills, more than 130 tenants signed a demand letter sent to Elevate by certified mail, citing mold, potholes, portal problems, and unresponsive maintenance. Some Fontenelle Hills tenants also said Elevate failed to countersign a new lease, temporarily forcing them onto a more expensive month-to-month rate.5KMTV 3 News Now. Bellevue Tenants Send Letter to Property Management Asking for a Change
As of September 2024, Elevate had not agreed to negotiate with any of the unions. Some cosmetic repairs were done at Fontenelle Hills, which organizers called “Band-Aid fixes.” Nebraska law bars landlords from retaliating against tenants who unionize but does not require landlords to bargain with them.4Flatwater Free Press. Omaha Renters Are Forming Unions to Fight Against Alleged Landlord Neglect
BBB Complaints and the Company’s Response
Elevate Property Management holds a D- rating with the Better Business Bureau and is not BBB-accredited. Over a recent three-year period, 49 complaints were filed against the company; 47 were listed as unanswered. The complaints echo the lawsuits: ignored or falsely closed maintenance tickets, unclear move-out procedures that push tenants into pricier month-to-month terms, deposits withheld for routine cleaning, and steep penalties for breaking leases at properties tenants describe as unsafe.6BBB. Elevate Property Management LLC Complaints
Rodney Dahlquist, an attorney for Elevate Living with the Dornan Law Team in Omaha, said the company provides “multiple means to report maintenance concerns” and that residents get “responses to requests in a timely manner.” He said Elevate “is not aware of any incomplete maintenance repairs” and pointed residents to its emergency hotline.7Omaha Daily Record. Alleging Landlord Neglect, Omaha Renters Form Unions, Fight Back
Who Elevate Living Is
Elevate Property Management, LLC is headquartered at 856 Lake Street East in Wayzata, Minnesota, and was incorporated in September 2010.8BBB. Elevate Property Management LLC BBB Profile Doing business as Elevate Living, it manages roughly 47 multi-family properties across Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Missouri, and North Dakota.9GetProspect. Elevate Living Firms controlled by Elevate bought a dozen apartment complexes in the Omaha metropolitan area between 2007 and 2016 for about $155 million. The company’s president is Brad Pleimann.4Flatwater Free Press. Omaha Renters Are Forming Unions to Fight Against Alleged Landlord Neglect