Disappointing experience due to a lack of professionalism, communication, and transparency
Our primary contacts throughout the leasing process were Daniel Morgan and Raquel.
After we initially declined the lease because the rent was outside our budget, the homeowner personally reached out and invited me back to the property to meet his family and neighbors, answer questions about the home and neighborhood, and discuss the rental terms. Following that meeting, we reached an agreement on a revised rental price, and Daniel and Raquel sent us an updated lease reflecting those terms.
We took the time to carefully review the lease and ask questions before signing, as anyone should when entering into a legal agreement. During that process, we felt pressured to sign the lease quickly, despite simply trying to understand the terms of the agreement. We ultimately signed the updated lease and promptly submitted the requested security deposit in good faith. Based on our understanding that we were moving forward with this property, we declined other rental opportunities, which were no longer available when we unexpectedly had to resume our search.
What followed was, in our view, the most concerning part of the entire experience.
After signing the lease and submitting our security deposit, we received no communication whatsoever from the leasing company regarding next steps, confirmation that our documents had been received, or when we could expect a countersigned lease. We found this unusual and reached out ourselves the following day.
Only because we initiated that conversation were we informed that the property had continued to be shown after we had already signed the lease and submitted our deposit. During that conversation, we were told that another applicant had offered the original asking rent and that the owner had decided to move forward with that applicant instead--just 10 days before our scheduled move-in date.
While our security deposit was ultimately returned, the handling of this transaction fell well below the level of professionalism, communication, and transparency we expected. We invested significant time and effort into this process, including meeting with the homeowner and his family, negotiating revised lease terms, carefully reviewing the lease, signing the agreement, submitting a substantial security deposit, and making housing decisions in reliance on the understanding that we were moving forward.
Our real estate agent, who has more than 20 years of industry experience, told us she had never encountered a situation like this.
Regardless of the legal status of the lease before it was fully executed, prospective tenants deserve timely, transparent communication--especially after signing a lease and submitting a security deposit. In our case, we received no proactive communication and only learned that the property was no longer available because we contacted the leasing company ourselves.
Based on our experience, we cannot recommend this company. We encourage prospective tenants to obtain written confirmation regarding when a property will be removed from the market and when their tenancy is considered secure before signing documents, submitting funds, or declining other housing opportunities. read more
