ST. LOUIS – Last year, Leroy Tate took on a big landscaping job.
“Rough estimate, that’s 20-25 percent of my gross revenue,” he said.
His company, The Green Machine, agreed to do work for Pepper Pike Property Management, a company based in Ohio. Tate said that included weekly lawn care, landscaping, emergency tree removal, and snow removal.
“They have five properties in the St. Louis area, and we provided services at all five properties,” he said.
But after about six months on the job, Tate said payments from Pepper Pike slowed down.
“I noticed toward the end of the season, I would get portions of the payment,” he said
By April, he filed a lawsuit claiming Pepper Pike owes him $174,500. Of that, $38,290 was for work done at Forest View Apartments in Crestwood. Built in the 1960s, there are more than 200 one- and two-bedroom units to rent. But the apartment complex has major safety concerns detailed in a September inspection report from the city of Crestwood.
The inspection details violations in 11 buildings on the property. In building #1 alone, it noted a “failing concrete structure,” “failed stair support,” and “leaking plumbing stack times three,” among other things.
Other buildings had failed stairs, failed landing supports, unpermitted furnaces, and water heaters.
A Crestwood city official tells FOX 2 they want to work with Pepper Pike to find solutions. St. Louis County is also getting involved to address the concerns so the apartments can stay open. Otherwise, an attorney says people would be out of a home.
“What they would be able to argue is that the landlord breached the lease if the building is condemned and you have to leave before your 12 month lease term is up. You will still be forced to leave,” Daniel Buran, program director for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, said.
Tate is not the only contractor claiming he is owed money. At least five contractors have sued Pepper Pike this year over payment disputes. Pepper Pike’s attorney told FOX 2 that they will not comment on pending litigation.
According to court filings in Tate’s case, Pepper Pike accused Tate’s company of performing services it did not request or consent to.
“The mistake I made was letting the bill continue to grow, thinking, “They’re going to pay. They’re going to pay,”” Tate said.
He says that a big job would have boosted his revenue by 25 percent but has instead, set him back. A status update is scheduled for his case in February.
