Immoral (and in some states illegal). They have zero vested interest in you and it truly shows.
Imagine for a moment that you have been searching for that perfect home for months now. You know, that one house that has all the things you need AND is magically in your price range. You finally find it! You think finally it's right in front of me. You call the leasing agency and a good ole Emerald Shores Realty (ESR) agent picks up. Tells you you're the first to place an application for the place. Now you're totally stoked and the best part is; in just 2 short days there is an open house scheduled so you can go see it in person. So that weekend you go see the house and can already start visualizing how you want the house to be set up with your furniture! The following Monday you call ESR to inquire about the status of your application that you have paid to have done. You get great news! it's been approved! BUT, then they change things on you. They inform you that unfortunately since so many people are interested in the place the "Owner" has increased the rent of his property. HMM some states have a truth in advertising clause that protects you from this and simply put; in other people's minds, that is so wrong and immoral we just don't. Now comes the fun part though because you want to know if this allowed to happen. So you request all of the documentation from ESR so that you have the application that you signed in hand showing the original rent amount. Of course they immediately agree to send you everything. You hang up and a few hours later you get an unfulfilled promise. They don't send you your application back but they do send you some Frankenstein version of a lease. it shows an annual total amount that would have you paying "X" amount a month in rent (which was not what you had agreed upon because its actually lower) and then they have it broken down later in the lease that you shall pay in monthly installment the "Z" amount of rent which you also did not want because it is the higher price that you did not agree upon. Now at some point you just have to think maybe these people really just don't have their things together. Sure, maybe. But then why, again, would you want to rent from them? Now they've told you that the price went up because that's what the owner pays in mortgage too. Lets analyze that; A) owner is so dumb he forgot what he paid as a mortgage when he first had ESR list his home, B) owner is that irresponsible with his finances he didn't realize, C) They're lying, D) Owner is lying. And again; why do we want to use this agency? Now that you've talked to them over the phone they tell you they can not send you your application since it has been processed. Why you may ask; and ESR will give you a whole myriad of reasons. All of which seem more implausible and more untruthful than the last. Now this review is quite lengthy but I feel that places like this should absolutely not get any business. Also note that I made this without implicating the property, the agent(s) involved, the owner, the military member(applicant). read more