AGENT OWNED REALTY

My family and I moved to Summerville in November 2015 and rented a home through Agent Owned Realty. We were hesitant to buy right away because we wanted to familiarize ourselves with the area before we made the decision to purchase. In March 2016, we began to house hunt. Once again, we chose to stay with Agent Owned throughout the process. Each step along the way we were assured that our 1 year lease we signed on our rental would be terminated without penalty AS LONG AS a tenant moved in to the rental and paid the deposit and rent. The broker in charge, listing agent for the rental, and the rental manager were all well aware of our intent to purchase. We purchased our home in May 2016, gave our 30 day notice with our intent to vacate by May 31, and turned in our keys on May 27 (nearly a week before we were due to vacate). We were assured that our security deposit would not be forfeited and that we would only be financially responsible for the time that the rental was empty. We were also told that they would do everything that they could to place someone in the property quickly. On June 1, we were informed that there was a deposit placed on the property and the approved tenants were moving in. After no communication, I contacted the rental manager on June 17 and she informed me that there was never a deposit placed on June 1, that the potential tenants were moving in JULY 1. This meant that we were held responsible for the entire month of June, effectively taking our whole security deposit. It has since come to my attention that the rental was never placed on the MLS, there was never a lockbox installed on the house, and that the property was held the entire month of June for 1 applicant. What happened to doing everything in your power in order to rent out the house quickly? There was never any accessibility for agents to show the rental when there were multiple clients interested in renting the house. I am extremely disappointed by Agent Owned and their unethical practices. There were backdoor, under the table deals taking place.....on my dime. The property was held as a favor to someone and in the process, I was robbed of nearly $1000. Potential clients were allowed to work out their 30 day notice while you stood by and used my deposit to cover their interests. I have been a loyal customer and have given your company tens of thousands of dollars and I have been treated poorly. I have attempted to contact the broker in charge in order to mediate the issue to no avail. I have also been in contact with the rental manager(who has repeatedly lied to me about the status of the house). No one seems willing to uphold their word and act in a professional manner. Let my story serve as a warning to potential customers of Agent Owned. Even if you have something in writing (as I do), they do not honor their word.