Phoenix Realty

I signed a lease with a building that Phoenix managed two years ago, and it has been a constant struggle ever since to get anything fixed in our apartment. Literally the only way to get someone to fix anything in a timely manner is to call them every single day. They promised to fix our heat/​/​radiators and two years later, they still don’t work. I wouldn’t recommend Phoenix to anyone unless they were my worst enemies. Very glad to be moving out and never having to deal with this place again.

Very negative experience with this company. Took over six months for work to be even started on fixing out apartment after a neighbor started a fire. Another incident– pipe upstairs broke and flooded our apartment– no answer for several hours from management that was supposedly on call. Overall unprofessional, impolite and unapologetic.

Phoenix Realty… what can I say about Phoenix Realty? I could sit here for literally hours just trying to find something NICE to say about these morons. It’s A LOT easier to tell you naïve college students that are looking for housing in the Allston /​Brighton area about the multitude of negative qualities that Phoenix Realty and its staff present.
1. Ken Glass. THIS GUY DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. He is a «property manager», which I’m pretty sure is just a euphemism for self-​important douche with an obnoxious collared shirt on. This guy did nothing more for my roommates and I this past year other than give us the keys to the apartment.
2. The apartment we rented was TORN APART by the previous tenants. It’s literally a miracle that they rented this apartment out to ANYBODY after seeing the condition it was in due to the people who lived there before us. Phoenix tricked us into renting it by showing us the apartment that was directly connected to ours, #30 Foster Street (which is set up exactly the same, with carpeting and a washer /​dryer combo in the kitchen). When we saw this apartment, we obviously loved it. When it came time to look at the apartment we ended up renting (#32 Foster Street), we were magically «locked out» and couldn’t properly view it for ourselves. The person showing us these apartments then said «Well, they’re exactly the same and contain all of the same amenities». Upon move in, we were surprised to see that we didnt have a working stove or carpets (the cleaning pulled all of them out of the apartment) AND THERE WAS NO WASHER /​DRYER IN THE APARTMENT. We complained and they told us they would «work on it». Obviously never did. Well played, Phoenix.
3. We couldn’t shower for over 10 days because Phoenix decided to remodel the HIDIOUS shower and the contracters were too lazy to do it within a reasonable amount of time. Thank god I have a gym membership and was able to use the showers there…
4. AT THE VERY LEAST, PROVIDE YOUR TENANTS WITH METAL SCREENS FOR THE DAMN WINDOWS SO FLIES DON’T GET IN THE APARTMENT.
So there you have it, these people are seemingly incapable of providing tenants with even the most basic of amenities for their over priced properties. I will never rent from them or a person like Ken Glass again. If there is anything good I can do for the world, it would be to inform everyone of these unprofessional and negligent people.

Wish I had one nice thing to say about this place but i do not. Staff VERY rude and intrusive. Heat went out constantly during the winter months prompting the maintenance guy (viktor) numerous times. He was not very nice and problems were never fixed. STAY AWAY!

Having finally given in and purchasing a place after living for a hellish year with roommates and property managers, I thought I could be finally free of Phoenix. I OWN my place now, I thought. Once I move out, I will never ever have to deal with Ken Glass again.
Wrong.
I’ve had to send Ken Glass 3 emails over 2 weeks asking him to return $ 200 in overpaid parking dues, as well as asking questions about my security deposit and parking pass deposit. No answer. I will probably soon have to take a line out of his book of favorite quotes and threaten legal action.
We were charged $ 450 for cleaning. Good thing the 15 hours I spent cleaning it didn’t go to waste. If you rent from him now: MAKE SURE YOU TAKE PICTURES BEFORE YOU MOVE OUT. I learned the hard way for sure.
We were also charged over two thousand dollars for mold removal from the basement. Considering a large chunk of the mold occurred in a common laundry room, resulting from a water heater bursting, I smell a lawsuit in my future since I can’t for the life of me see how that is our fault.
A friend of mine who I actually wanted to sublet one of the rooms in my old place, upon hearing Ken Glass’s name, immediately refused to even consider it. He finally told me it was because a few years back, Phoenix actually took them to court to fight a housing situation that Ken Glass illegally approved under the table. Basically, with his back against the wall, Ken allowed my friend to let an extra person live in a house he was having trouble renting. When they were discovered having an extra person, Ken tried to pretend he knew nothing and blamed it on the guys. My friend luckily kept all the correspondance from Ken and ended up wiping the floor with them in court but it could have just as easily gone the other way if he wasn’t so legally informed and prepared to cover his butt.
I don’t understand why Phoenix Realty thinks they can treat some of their tenants like crap. Maybe because they have long, wordy contracts most college kids won’t read that they can threaten behind and they figure that there are a million tenants in Allston/​Brighton so if someone doesn’t like them, oh well. But if a modicum of politeness and professionalism and general niceness, even if it’s faked, could mean the difference between someone hating you/​your business or someone enjoying your services, why would you not do it?
Plus it makes me mad that there must be hundreds of renters who get screwed over in their security deposits and do not have the time or the resources to pursue what is rightly theirs. Know your rights, renters, don’t let Phoenix get away with it. They could be forced to pay you 3 times your deposit plus your lawyer fees if they violate any one of the many security deposit laws.

I went with Phoenix because I liked the apartment we were shown but had I known how indifferent Phoenix Realty is to the needs of their tenants, I never would have signed a lease with them. We moved in the day the other tenants moved out and the bathroom was a mess. The tiling was falling off the walls and it was quite disgusting. The faucet was running hot water nonstop ²⁴⁄₇. It wasn’t a drip, more like a steady flow. Additionally the living room had writing all over the walls and the ceiling fan was literally falling apart.
We reported all these issues to Phoenix the day we moved in and 2 weeks later they sent someone to paint the walls and replace the ceiling fan. A week before that we were promised by their maintenance guy that he would be in «tomorrow» to fix the bathroom. As of this writing, it has been 31 days since we moved in and about 24 since the promise of «tomorrow» and the bathroom still has yet to be fixed. Last Friday, maintenance showed up and ripped the tiling out of the wall around the faucet in the shower and hung a trash bag over the hole where the faucet once was. There was no note left informing us of what they did or when they would be back to finish the job.
We were never informed by Phoenix Realty or by their maintenance staff that they would be coming over to begin work on our shower and they have yet to come and finish the job. It has now been 5 days that we are without a shower and all we have so far is an assurance from Phoenix Realty that their contractor has «all the maintenance scheduled.» Whatever they have scheduled, we obviously are not on the list. After paying first, last, security, and a fee you would think that they would be a bit more responsive or at the very least, inform us as to when their people will be walking into our apartment.
One month in, I’m already looking forward to the end of the lease so I don’t have to deal with a realty company that either does not have enough maintenance staff on payroll to handle all of their properties, or is simply indifferent to the needs of their tenants. Given the fact that we received zero notice that our shower was going to be taken out of commission, I’m leaning towards the latter right now. If you can, go with any company other than Phoenix realty.

Ken has been my property manager/​agent for the past 3 years and has consistently kept me updated with what I need to know and professionally handled any other details with tenants promptly and efficiently. My condo has been rented 100% of the time at full market value. He has been easy to work with and get ahold of and has made being a landlord completely hassle free. Thanks!

I’ve been reading some of these reviews saying that Phoenix Realty doesn’t hire part-​time, college students blah blah blah.
Last year, my roommate and I were looking for a two bed. While our budget wasn’t high, it was fairly reasonable compared to what was being offered in the area.
We were looking in the Allston/​Brighton area. Now, I understand the quality of apartments in this area isn’t always going to be the most pristine, luxurious apartments; however, the agent showed us complete dumps. We saw much better properties within our price range with another agent at another realty company.
The agent put absolutely no effort into showing us decent places and had us walking all over the place on a hot day in July. While our agent was not mean by any standards, our agent seemed a bit disoriented and all over the place.

I tried to see some apts with John (Tripp) whose professionalism was lacking. He did not listen to what I had to say, was not very helpful, and in addition was just plain rude. Finding an apt is a pain to begin with… BUT you don’t need a realtor to add to the torture.

Phoenix Realty has been our property manager for almost two years. Overall, we have had a tremendously GOOD experience with the firm and its owner. I have recently read all the mediocre to poor reviews of the agency, and frankly they really seem petty.
The agency cannot control the quality of the fixtures, lights or parking of a unit you decide to rent. It can only facilitate a discussion between the owner and tenant. If you as a renter decided to get a sub-​par property, frankly the responsibility is on you.
My dealings with him have been fair and he has often pushed back on me to represent the needs my tenants. Frankly, I wish when I was renting in Boston, I had had a person like Ken/​Phoenix representing me.
Clearly, it does not always work out in the client’s favor and he will push back on tenants when their expectations are unfair/​over ambitious.
Good Job!

Absolutely atrocious. They lie, and consistently try to steal from you.
For example: I sent them a check for the first and last month’s rent via FedEx. When I e-​mailed them to tell them that they should expect to receive the check soon (and included a tracking number), their response was «What’s FedEx?»
I kid you not, these people did not know what FedEx was. They could not even be bothered to click the tracking number to see what website it led them to. It’s a miracle they can tie their shoes in the morning.
Once they received the check via the obscure delivery method, they proceeded to lie to me and tell me that they never got it. They then cashed the check, and asked me to send a wire transfer for the first and last month’s rent, even though they already had the money they requested for.
For some reason, they were shocked when I called them lying thieves. I guess you can add «unintelligent» to their list of descriptors, too.

Not sure who I met with exactly because this was about a year ago. But if you meet with a bald or balding male realtor here, don’t. In fact just do not go to these offices. The best thing about this place is their office because it’s an older building. They aren’t very accommodating or helpful.

I read these reviews but despite what they said I figured I would give them the benefit of the doubt. HORRIBLE DECISION. not only was I practically promised an apartment but the realtor then tried to get over $ 700 dollars more from me! Not only that but I never got the apartment. Needless to say I will be sticking to a better realty company and listen to these reviews!

All of their listings that say pet friendly are not. Every single inquiry on an apt which states dogs ok… I call or email and then get shot down.

Although I’m not sure there is such a thing as a «Good» realty in Allston/​Brighton I am certain that Phoenix is the worst. I have lived in Boston for several years now and have made the rounds with at least 20 different realtors… probably more. So when I say the worst, that’s indeed what I mean.
I have several friends that have their house/​apartment managed by Phoenix and I had only heard bad things. Despite this, I saw a listing that looked promising posted on Craigslist by the agent Donald. I was looking to spend 4K for a 4 bed which isn’t chump change when it comes to Allston/​Brighton. When we arrived for our appointment, Donald spent most of the time acting like he was some sort of Boston realtor hot shot. For the majority of our appointment he was kicked back at a dangerous recline in his chair, sporting a shirt that looked like something straight out of 1991 accompanied by a pair of jeans and white sneakers. Really??? At least most of the other realtors try to look presentable. He spent the whole time telling us what WE wanted and what WE needed without listening to us. We then followed him to the viewings he prepared. The apartment I emailed him about was not one of them. When I questioned him about this he tried to tell me it wasn’t true. Pictures don’t lie. After taking us to 3 dumps he proceeded to tell me «just keep checking craigslist and if you see anything you like, let me know». Wait… what??? What was I going to pay you a $ 4000 dollar fee for? He didn’t send me any links to places that met our criteria (probably because he never listened to anything we said) and never called to follow up???
Worst experience yet.
I ended up getting an awesome apartment through Josue at Boardwalk Properties. I would recommend giving him a try.
GOOD LUCK!

I just wasted a half hour talking to a realtor who wouldn’t tell me if there was anyone living above the unit I was interested in seeing. In my mind, it’s a pretty simple question — yes or no! He went on and on saying the building used to be a single family but is now a three unit home, blah blah. I really don’t care, please just answer the question. Ridiculous.

Why do they think they have the right to burst into your apartment without 24-​hour notice, open all of your doors and leave them open without anyone’s consent when they’re not home, and then leave the apartment unlocked when they leave for robbers?!

Phoenix Realty is current my realtor. They are complete idiots, but one can’t really expect much more from a realtor unless you personally know them. In my experience most realtors cut corners as much as possible, and Phoenix is no different than any other realtor out there. The only redeeming quality that allows me to give them a two star rating is the fact that they do individual room rentals in apartments. Most apartments make you find your other roommates via craigslist, but Phoenix fixes you up with similar room-​mates who «might» get along based on their jobs/​schools/​interests. My apartment is in Allston, and despite its great modern looking interior, we’ve had major problems. From bedbugs, to mice, to broken thermostat, to broken furniture (furnished by the landlord) all these problems sprung up in a span of two-​three months of living here. We’ve reported these issues to the realtors, but they try at all costs to cut corners, and place all the blame on us as tenants. They sprayed for bed bugs but we had to move a couch to allow an apt mate to a place to sleep. The couch broke in our hands as we lifted it, and the realtors explained that somewhere in our agreement and contract we weren’t supposed to move the furniture, and that we were liable for the piece of crap breaking. The mice was an issue in our apt, and they finally supplied us with mouse traps and poison after a week of us hassling them to take care of the problem (we had already purchased supplies to take care of it at this point). When our heating thermostat broke it was on a week that would be 30 – 40 degrees at night time. They told us they would have to order the parts and we’d have to wait for 3 – 4 days. An aptmate furiously told them that this was illegal and they begrudgingly bought us small spaceheaters, which we were told keep the boxes so that they could return them after the thermostat was fixed.
Well I’m sure this list of accolades is enough to allow you to understand what sort of realtors they are. I urge you to know what you’re getting yourself into if you invest with them. If you need a room in an apt then you should prob go to them, but be ready to have to call them and hassle them all the time to fix things and be defensive if they try to rip you off.