Tenants of St. Louis Landlord See Tough Conditions Outside and In [PHOTOS]

By on Wed, Feb 7, 2024 at 5:59 am

ZACHARY LINHARES
An apartment building Cuong Q. Tran owns on Meramec Street.
“There are a handful of landlords in the city of St. Louis who know how to ... make so much money that they don't care what happens as far as enforcement goes."

That's according to John McLaughlin, a program manager with the Nuisance and Problem Properties Unit of the city’s Building Division. McLaughlin points not only to Dara Daugherty, whom the city recently accused in a lawsuit of running 39 illegal rooming houses, but Cuong Q. Tran, a landlord with extensive holdings in south city who currently has a dozen warrants out for his arrest for failing to maintain his rental properties.

“He does nearly the same thing as the Daugherty’s, other than the fact that he doesn’t rent out boarding houses,” says McLaughlin. “He has a lot of properties. And he pushes the system for the money.”

Read more about the city's efforts to crack down on landlords like Tran in Ryan Krull's story published today, "This Sort of Thing Won't be Tolerated." And scroll down for a close-up look inside some of Tran's buildings by photographer Zachary Linhares.
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Overflowing dumpsters and garbage lines the alley behind 4236 Neosho Street on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Overflowing dumpsters and garbage lines the alley behind 4236 Neosho Street on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.
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A building owned by Cuong Q. Tran at 4236 Neosho Street. Inside, residents say they deal with collapsing ceilings, roaches and rodents.
ZACHARY LINHARES
A building owned by Cuong Q. Tran at 4236 Neosho Street. Inside, residents say they deal with collapsing ceilings, roaches and rodents.
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Cuong Q. Tran owns 4236 Neosho Street, city records show.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Cuong Q. Tran owns 4236 Neosho Street, city records show.
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Trash lines the alley behind Cuong Tran's apartment complex at 4236 Neosho Street on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Trash lines the alley behind Cuong Tran's apartment complex at 4236 Neosho Street on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
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Cuong Q. Tran also owns 4604 Morgan Ford Road. Residents say they deal with bed bugs, rodents, and collapsed ceilings.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Cuong Q. Tran also owns 4604 Morgan Ford Road. Residents say they deal with bed bugs, rodents, and collapsed ceilings.
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Ceiling tiles crumble due to water run off from an upstairs apartment.The tenants who live in this apartment say they have made repeated requests to maintenance to fixed the damaged ceiling over the course of three years.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Ceiling tiles crumble due to water run off from an upstairs apartment.The tenants who live in this apartment say they have made repeated requests to maintenance to fixed the damaged ceiling over the course of three years.
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Water damage causes ceiling tiles to crumble.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Water damage causes ceiling tiles to crumble.
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A cockroach crawls along a wall inside an apartment building owned by Cuong Q. Tran.
ZACHARY LINHARES
A cockroach crawls along a wall inside an apartment building owned by Cuong Q. Tran.
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Mold forms on dilapidated bathroom ceiling tiles.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Mold forms on dilapidated bathroom ceiling tiles.
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A resident who chose not to be identified demonstrates how she use a wrench to adjust her hot water for her shower.
ZACHARY LINHARES
A resident who chose not to be identified demonstrates how she use a wrench to adjust her hot water for her shower.
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A resident who chose not to be identified turns on her kitchen sink to demonstrate how it leaks.
ZACHARY LINHARES
A resident who chose not to be identified turns on her kitchen sink to demonstrate how it leaks.
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Mold covers ceiling tiles inside a bathroom. Tenants say they have made repeated requests to maintenance to fixed the damaged ceiling and remove the mold.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Mold covers ceiling tiles inside a bathroom. Tenants say they have made repeated requests to maintenance to fixed the damaged ceiling and remove the mold.
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Paint peels off the walls inside of a bathroom.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Paint peels off the walls inside of a bathroom.
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A shower hose is crimped closed to prevent water from running inside one apartment.
ZACHARY LINHARES
A shower hose is crimped closed to prevent water from running inside one apartment.
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Paint peels off the walls of one bathroom.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Paint peels off the walls of one bathroom.
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A tenant shows what he says are bed bug bites.
ZACHARY LINHARES
A tenant shows what he says are bed bug bites.
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An apartment building owned by Cuong Q. Tran at 4515 Gravois Avenue.
ZACHARY LINHARES
An apartment building owned by Cuong Q. Tran at 4515 Gravois Avenue.
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The front door of Tran's apartment building at 4515 Gravois Avenue is ajar.
ZACHARY LINHARES
The front door of Tran's apartment building at 4515 Gravois Avenue is ajar.
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Clothing hangs to dry on a bush outside of an apartment building owned by Cuong Q. Tran.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Clothing hangs to dry on a bush outside of an apartment building owned by Cuong Q. Tran.
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