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ST. LOUIS — A controversial landlord is racking up more complaints at its newest “luxury� branded apartment building, yet another sign of management troubles in properties built by one of the city’s most active residential developers.

Burglars broke into more than a dozen cars last Saturday in the parking garage at the 320-unit SoHo apartment building at 1515 South Seventh Street in Soulard, according to residents and online reviews. Those break-ins came just a few weeks after several other cars were burglarized in a garage that management has not secured, according to tenants.

The break-ins were the last straw for residents who complain about slapdash construction, unauthorized entries into units from staff and short-term rentals in some of the units. Several renters contacted the Post-Dispatch and others left negative online reviews.

“We’re paying $150 a month for our parking spots yet we can’t have a secure parking garage?� Lauren Court, who has lived there since November, told the Post-Dispatch.

The complaints from SoHo tenants are far from unique for the landlord. Led by brothers Victor Alston and Sid Chakraverty, Lux Living is one of the most active residential developers in St. Louis. Their property management companies, Asprient Properties and , have one of the largest apartment portfolios in town.

But the brothers have faced criticism over their management and business practices for years. At SoHo, where the rents approach $2,000 a month, the complaints echo those from residents last year who moved into another new Lux building, the Hudson north of Forest Park. And other renters have raised concerns at the brothers’ properties across the city, from older buildings on South Grand Boulevard and north of Forest Park to downtown lofts where Alston and Chakraverty control the condominium board.

Lux opened its SoHo complex late last year, though construction on some promised features has not been completed, such as promised rooftop lounge, tenants say. Others complain about air conditioning units going out, paint stains and cabinets that aren’t installed right. The city in 2020 granted the project a decade of property tax abatement worth 95% of the new building’s value.

Last weekend’s burglaries came despite a separate spate of car break-ins from a few weeks ago. One resident, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, said his car was broken into during the first incident.

“My big issue with it is how they reacted,� he said. “They did nothing.�

Another resident, who also requested to remain anonymous, said she has returned to the building at 5 a.m. after working night shifts and the garage door was open.

“Multiple times I’ve come in and the garage is wide open,� she said. “There’s car break-ins all over the city, right? But it’s the fact that they can walk right in.�

On Thursday, a property management employee distributed a memo to residents saying an employee, who a resident said was a security guard, had been fired. The memo also said the car break-ins were connected to “an illegal Airbnb operation run by one of the residents� and that the resident had been “removed from the premises.�

The message went on to explain that the Airbnb was not connected to a company registered to Chakraverty that, on its website, lists apartment rentals in locations where the brothers’ apartment buildings are located, including SoHo.

“We also want to assure you that this incident was not associated with The Stay Airbnb units,� the message from management said. “The Stay follows a stringent process to vet all guests and does not book from locals. We strongly emphasize that tenant-run vacation rentals are neither condoned nor approved by Lux Living.�

Legislation is pending at the St. Louis Board of Aldermen that would crack down on large short-term rental operators such as Chakraverty’s The Stay. It would require short-term rental operators to obtain permits and limit an operator to four units.

Alston, Chakraverty and their attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

Negative reviews

It’s not just the car break-ins that are irking tenants.

There was the pool party in June featuring DJ Brody Jenner, the son of Caitlyn Jenner, with tickets for sale to the public. Hundreds of people attended, including many nonresidents, tenants said.

And one of the tenants who asked to remain anonymous said building staff have entered or tried to enter her apartment uninvited and unannounced five times. She knows it was likely a mix-up — at least once they were trying to show a prospective tenant a unit — but it makes her uncomfortable to think that they can enter without warning.

A tenant at the Hudson near Forest Park recounted a similar experience of unauthorized entry into her apartment last year.

Management tries to keep a lid on the negative experiences.

Court, one of the SoHo residents, said she had a dispute two weeks ago with a staffer after they asked her and her friends to move from a pool cabana that was reserved. She protested until a staffer showed her the reservation. They eventually moved but as they were passing later the staffer called her the “b-word� and asked what her room number was.

Court said she told him she didn’t feel comfortable sharing that. She said he chuckled and said, “we’ll find out.�

She told building management about the interaction, and they told her the employee would be removed. But he was manning the front desk days later, she said.

Now, she doesn’t feel comfortable in her own apartment anymore, and she wants out. She had already posted a negative review about the building and the unfinished amenities two months ago, and her friends posted one-star Google reviews recounting the pool and desk employee incident. So when Court asked about breaking her lease, management wanted something in exchange.

“Following up to our most recent meeting, would you be interested in an early termination agreement?� Alison Mason, SoHo’s property manager, wrote in an email to Court. “This would mean that you would terminate your lease on or before 8/3½023, after removing the negative reviews from Google posted by you and on your behalf.�

SoHo still maintains a 3.4-star (out of 5) rating on Google. That’s partly because its reviews include many five-star reviews. But residents can’t help but think at least some are fake.

One reviewer, a Lubna Kamran, recently noted the proximity of one of the continent’s great rivers.

“SoHo’s location near the Mississippi River offers endless outdoor activities,� the reviewer gushed as part of the rationale behind the five-star review.

Kamran’s only other review? Five stars for the Hudson, one of Lux’s DeBaliviere Place apartment buildings.