Although commendable for staying clear of bad listings, like undergraduate dumps, mildewy creakers, and other manifestations of untenable housing, Rentnoho has a thing or two to learn about making amends for their mistakes.
We drove up from PA for two days in March '09, saw about 16 houses, and settled on one of Rentnoho's listings. The realtor gave us the application, confidently told us we were the first interested party and, pending approval, would be contacted within a few days. "The address?" we asked her as she was about to drive away. "9B Main St in Hatfield," she answered.
It was not 9B. It was 9A.
We drove back to PA and called them four days later after erroneously waiting an extra day for them to call. "Hi, sorry we've been busy. Yes, you got the back apartment."
The back apartment? Yes, the back apartment. They rented us the wrong apartment, a dungeon of a place only $100 cheaper, and the right apartment had been rented that morning. Terrific. "You have to understand, this hurts me too," the owner told me. (I'm paraphrasing) "Now I've lost money on both the listings." The owner had called that morning to pull the front apartment listing, because a friend/relative had inclined to rent it from under our feet. This was apparently the owner's strategy for consoling me.
It is lamentable that Rentnoho seems to have the rental market cornered in this town. One indication of this is that we had no choice but to continue working with them, when we returned to town in mid-April. Their conduct might be the consequence of this easy monopoly, in which mistakes can be made without then making amends. Before turning to Rentnoho, I would recommend that all comers first scour craigslist, check out the very resourceful www.umoch.org set up by the local universities, and drive around a bit, pre-dot-com style, and look for the lawn signs. Against all odds, we found our new place that way.
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