GALPHIN RENTALS INC

My son and his roommates contacted Galphin to view a property listed for lease on their website with availability of mid-January. When they were shown the property, the home was occupied but were told the current tenant would vacate shortly thereafter. As the property was not vacant they had difficulty visualizing every nook and cranny but, despite looking old and extremely dated, liked the property and were assured the house had no major problems and would be available on the advertised date. My son and his roommates submitted an application along with a required security deposit of $1295 to Galphin. My son and his buddies were extremely excited however, our concerns began to grow when they were told the tenant would need more time and they would not be able to move in as originally planned. Despite the move in date changing several times, a final date was set. However, due to our growing concers asked to see the property again once it was unoccupied. After several email exchanges, Galphin agreed to allow us to inspect the property the morning after the prior tenant had vacated and offered a lease the same day. As we expected time would be necessary for maintenance and cleaning, we agreed to a move in date the next week however insisted on looking at the place again. Upon our arrival at the property, we were berated by the prior tenant as he was finishing up removing his belongings. We waited for the agent to arrive and commenced our tour and boy, were we in for a shock! During this time I was informed by my son, Galphin had urged him and his roommates to switch utilities to their name immediately to "avoid a break in service" to which they complied PRIOR to executing a lease. Upon our inspection of the property, mold and moisture were visualized in several areas of the home that were attributed to poor ground drainage and rainwater seeping back into the foundation. Other issues surrounded the overall cleanliness and condition of the home such as carpet and general cleaning that according to Galphin, were the tenants responsibility, were disconcerting to say the least. To our surprise, the overall neglect but more importantly, the mold and moisture issues were viewed by Galphin as small items that could be rectified within a day or two. As we did not share the same opinion, we decided it was in our boys best interest both health and otherwise, to seek alternative housing. However, the UNPROFESSIONALISM that followed has made me wonder how on earth these people sleep at night. When requesting a refund of the security deposit we were advised by Galphin's representative, "the security deposit is not refundable. The reason for that is the amount of time lost, which is just a couple days shy of a month, where we could have been advertising for and showing the unit to procure a tenant. The fact that the Security Deposit is non-refundable is outlined on the signature page of the applications that all of you signed" The entire dealing with this agency has been nothing but distasteful and unprofessional. At no time has the agency apologized for any inconvenience caused and feel they view this dilapidated and mold infested property as nothing but prime beach real-estate with financial gain as their only motivator. When advised of their misrepresentation and suggested the property should never have been offered for rent in the current state, I experienced nothing but harsh tones and rudeness. The time I have spent dealing with this nonsense is ridiculous, not to mention, my son and his friends have had a horrible first experience with renting. One would think, a small agency such as this would welcome new business and help foster favorable experiences for new, young clients. Sadly, it seems financial gains are the only priority and reason for Galphin's small existence. Although, I am hoping for a favorable resolution within the coming days I fear I may be forced to retain legal representation not only recover our loss, but inevitably, to expose Galphin for who they really are.