Statement in Response to July 27 Post-Dispatch Column

On July 27, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a column by Metro Columnist Tony Messenger highlighting a lawsuit that has been filed against Fox Grove Management by a former tenant. DeSales Community Development formed Fox Grove in 2005 to manage our own portfolio of affordable multi-family properties. Over time, the demand for good property management services has provided the opportunity for Fox Grove to grow significantly.   

The lawsuit that is the subject of the Messenger column alleges that Fox Grove rented an apartment to an individual, knowing that the unit was infested with bedbugs. I can state categorically that we would never do such a thing. What could possibly be our purpose in doing so? We are responding to the lawsuit through the proper channels and are confident that the facts will show that the allegation is baseless. 

The column states that Fox Grove is not a typical management company, in that it is part of DeSales, a non-profit community organization. That is true. We formed Fox Grove in 2005 to manage quality affordable housing in emerging neighborhoods. Our motto for Fox Grove is, “Good Property Management IS Community Development”. 

I hasten to add that our business is imperfect and has room to improve. The column reports that Fox Grove currently has a grade of “F” with the Better Business Bureau. I acknowledge that this is also true. The BBB arrives at its grade based on the fact that Fox Grove has received 6 complaints in that last year and 12 over the last 3 years. A number of these remain unresolved.  

If we are doing our job properly, we should have zero complaints, period. But to provide a bit of context to these numbers, Fox Grove manages over 1,300 apartments throughout the city. Over a 3-year period that comes to an annual complaint rate of about .003%. Not zero, but we’re working on it. 

If you have read this far, thank you for your time and attention. We value your trust and we vow to work every day to better fulfill our mission.  

Tom Pickel 
Executive Director