My roommate and I had a very particular situation (rental subsidy) and had been apartment hunting for months. So, working with the Rental Group- Frank specifically; truly felt like a holiday miracle. Frank handled our situation professionally and with genuine persistent care. Going above and beyond during these holiday times to advocate for, and promptly secure our dream apartment. Frank is an honest and genuine individual, truly a pleasure to work with. We will thoroughly be enjoying our beautiful new apartment. Thank you! read more

Writing on behalf of a friend: They worked with The Rental Group when there was very less time at hand. Inquiry was submitted for the property of interest and within a few days the lease was signed and the keys handed off: the man behind this was Mr. Frank Mitrano. He was very responsive throughout the process, showing high level of dedication and commitment. He addressed every concern and ensured that they were comfortable. If you are reaching out to this realty, ask for Frank! read more

I lucked into being the first one to look at a fantastic 2-bedroom, and Frank was excellent and responsive all through the rental process. Always available for questions, willing to accommodate my schedule, professional, friendly, and immensely helpful. Much appreciated! read more

As first time landlords, my husband and I needed some guidance. Fortunately, a friend recommended Frank Mitrano at the Rental Group. Our first-floor apartment was vacant in January and we weren't sure how long it would take to find the right tenants. After only a few meetings, Frank got to know us and managed to find the perfect family for our neighborhood. The process was seamless. read more

I found Frank with The Rental Group after having a horrible rental experience with the Hamilton Company. He was incredibly attentive and persistent, and helped me find a place in a pinch. it was a pleasure working with him and having his support. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a new home. read more

It was a pleasure working with Frank at the Rental Group. He couldn't have been kinder or more available throughout the entire process. He was straightforward, thorough, and treated us like fellow human beings -- not just as customers. He really went above and beyond. He even entertained our baby to stop her from crying when we met with a landlord at his office. We highly recommend Frank! read more

Frank make our very stressful search for our rental home quick and easy. Frank responded quickly to us initially and kept up updated on the status. I would recommend Frank to my family and friends. I can't wait to work with him again in the future. I wish we had met Frank in the beginning of our house rental search. It would have saved me many sleepless nights. read more

AVOID AT ALL COSTS; landlords, property owners and property managers, stay away from Frank Mitrano at this location. I asked that we simply communicate via email, which I've done successfully with other brokers and this is the email he sent me: "please move on! if your not able to take a few minutes to make a call to discuss your requirements and/or any questions & concerns you might have re: this property, i question your sincerity and urgency to locate a property that will offer quality off life!? i don't have time to placate you...find another agency who has time to waste with you." SO, if you want to deal with this attitude go for it, if not AVOID AT ALL COSTS, remember his name is Frank his phone number is 617 549 1526, send him a text or an email at frank "AT" therentalgroup . com read more

Do NOT work with this agency. Never, in my life, have I ever crossed paths with such a morally bankrupt "business." We had the absolute displeasure of working with realtor "G" with our search. You'll see her name all over Craigslist, I'm sure. As the process continued, the more we realized that doing business with the Rental Group was an enormous mistake. It was evident AFTER giving them our deposit that we were told one thing, and the landlord was told another. It was only when we met with the landlord that we realized that we had been lied to. Due to this experience, we walked away from the transaction and expressed our concern and how dissatisfied we were with how we were treated. I completely expected our money to be refunded by the management/owners at The Rental Group. I assumed that they would do the right thing. I was wrong. Not only was it not refunded, but we were prohibited from even talking to management. We were never contacted, apologized to, or refunded our money. Take it from me--DO NOT WORK WITH THESE PEOPLE. If you decide to ignore this warning and work with The Rental Group, make sure you have a lawyer who you can easily call--you'll need it. I truly do not know how these people sleep at night. I wish YELP would allow me to give this business 0 stars. read more

Steve, I understand you did your job. I feel I was mislead by your employee about what type of heat there was in the apartment, and whether the deposit was refundable. I was unhappy with your service, and can't in good faith recommend your company. I stated this fact to you, both over the phone, when I thought you were quite condescending to me, and via email. Looking back at things, even if I concede that things were my fault and I shouldn't have believed what your employee was saying to me, because I stood there as my girlfriend asked her straight up if it was gas heat, and she said said yes, and went on to talk about the new efficient furnace, or when I asked about the deposit, and she said it would only be cashed if we took the apartment, even if I was to look past those "transgressions", it still took you three days to get me a copy of the lease after it was supposedly signed, I know my check was cashed already, but yet I had no copy of a lease, so yeah I wasn't happy with that. When all is said and done, I hardly believe you'd be surprised to learn that I'd give you a negative review. If you're comment was meant to make me reconsider, I won't. I will know in the future to be even more prudent in deciding who I do business with, and will look over documents to see if they contradict what your employee says to me before I sign them. I may even involve a lawyer, because of this experience...luckily I know a few that will help me out if I needed it. So, for that I thank you. Again, I will say this as a positive: your employee was very nice. read more

BEWARE - UNETHICAL The star rating distribution cited here-in for this company is both odd as well as very rare. Half of the ratings are 1 star, and the other half are 5 stars. The explanation is quite simple. Here goes... Steve D, the Owner/Manager, is a dour man who tried to cheat me. Luckily, I was able to thwart him, although I won't waste my time any further by going into into detail here. He most definitely merits only 1 star. (NOTE: If you want further information, please feel free to contact me via Yelp.) Quite the opposite, Gloria the rental agent couldn't be lovelier or more competent. She easily gets 5 stars. Mathematically, the average rating is 3 stars. However, the fish rots from the head down, so this company merits only 1 star. Ultimately, Gloria might have to find a new employer, but she'll be much better off. Since the Economy has greatly improved, she should have no problem making the change. Good Luck, Gloria. ALL OF YOU... STEER CLEAR OF THIS AGENCY. read more

Well searching on Zillow.com, I came along this beautiful studio apartment without a price listed. From the photo, I was very interested but due to no information of the studio I proceed to email the realtor for more info. Not much longer I received a call, I answer as nicely I could sound. I don't know who I spoke too, but whoever I spoke too was beyond rude. After I said "Hello" on the phone call, he sounded miserable like he hated his job. I told him nicely that the rent was just a little over my budget. He then started to get mad that I said that. Said that I should move to Lawrence, Ma. I cut him off during what he saying to me, and told him I'm sorry I found studios in Everett, Ma for my budget. When saying that, he got even more rude and told me well good for you!! And good luck!!! As if I was lying or something. Sorry, I'd worked with other agencies and never got badly treated. I felt judged! I worked hard to get where I am right now, and not many can say that. I highly don't recommend this place. read more

First thing's first - The Rental Group is actually located at 127 Mass Ave in Arlington, not 71 like the listing. I stumbled upon Frank Mitriano with TRG by sheer chance - I saw a listing for a rental unit in Somerville through TRG. Made an appt with Frank to see the unit on a Friday afternoon, it was just as nice in person as in the pictures, and it was everything my wife and I were looking for. Now, that's obviously got nothing to do with Frank. But Frank did give us fantastic customer service from that point on. It seemed like there was kind of an inside deal going on with the landlord (who met us there) since he and Frank were all chummy. But Frank, without knowing us at all, basically sold us to the landlord - "Oh these are the perfect tenants, definitely the kind of people you want leasing from you..." After seeing the place, I told Frank we had a few more appts on Saturday to see other units but we really liked the place he had shown us, and he agreed to hold the unit for 24 hours with nothing more than a handshake. By Saturday morning, the other places we were going to see had already been taken (rentals move fast in this town!) so I called up Frank and struck up the paperwork. Frank also negotiated a mid-month move in for us rather than at the beginning of the month, so we could overlap with our old lease by a few weeks to make moving easier, and also to make the burden on the wallet a little more bearable with only a half month's rent to start. I also post dated one of the checks and he was totally fine with it...who has thousands of dollars sitting around for first/last/security/finder's fee?! Plus I only had to pay half fee since the other half was being paid by the landlord. Frank answered all of my questions very timely, both by phone and over email, and was an absolute pleasure to work with the entire time, from showing us the unit to signing the lease. Highly recommended. read more

My husband and I got notice that our landlord would be listing the home we were renting, and had to quickly find a new place. After an exhaustive search and some disappointing dead ends, we finally found Frank at The Rental Group. He is a great mix of professional and personable. He helped us find the perfect place in record time. He made the application process easy, answered all of our many questions, and went above and beyond to ensure we had everything we needed set up for our new apartment. He was very on top of everything, and we felt well cared for. We are relieved, and very happy! We highly recommend his services! read more

Needed to find my first apartment and the Rental Group greatly helped me out. Rapid response, knowledgeable, transparent about a delay in moving in (this was due to the landlord, not the company. They helped me communicate with landlord to keep things moving). Highly recommend, Louise was great. Per the negative reviews that I read on Yelp, I asked the company about this and they were extremely professional regarding these complaints, which as one will note were written years ago. One must always remember that people tend to write reviews if something bad happens vs good. I had nothing but good from this company and would strongly recommend it to others. read more

I rented my apartment through Frank at the rental group. He was incredibly attentive and persistent in following up on the status of our rental. it was a pleasure working with him and having his support through what can at times be an arduous process of finding an apartment in the city. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a new home. read more

We had been having a difficult time finding an apartment in the Boston area. My roommate and i had been thrown out of our apartment after living there for 18 years, as our landlord wanted to renovate the apartment. After dealing with many cold and unprofessional realtors ( some who refused to show us apartments because we did not make enough money), we contacted Frank Mitrano at Rental Group. Frank was a joy to work with, and he connected us to an apartment that suited our needs. Frank was professional, worked hard for us, and was kind, as well as having a wonderful sense of humor! I heartily recommend Rental Group for your housing needs, and ask for Frank - he made a difficult time in our lives much better! read more

These are the people you want to work with. Louise and Frank are great, they took much of the stress out of relocating and helped us land our ideal apartment in mere hours. There's nothing sketchy about these folks, they're straight up professionals who get the job done. My wife and I were a bit scared by the process of landing a Boston area apartment. We're from a small town and the pace of rental real estate paired with the possibility of Craigslist shadiness initally freaked us out. Thanks to the Rental Group, we bypassed all of that, and very quickly landed the ideal living space. Frank and Louise always answered or responded to phone calls immediately, and didn't engage in any of the bad behavior we dealt with with other realtors. We're looking forward to our September move, and to our new home. I'd recommend Frank and/or Louise to anyone who is looking for an apartment!! read more

Long read. Brief summary at the very bottom. I first contacted The Rental Group in 2018 when I was looking for a single bedroom apartment. Initially I rejected them because they wanted an extra rent for their fee which meant I would've had to come up with around $5,000 to move in: $3,000 for first/last rent and the rest for The Rental Group. One of their agents, Louise, called me back about 2 weeks after the initial contact and I decided to look at the unit--my apartment search was not going as planned and time was running out. Renting using The Rental Group (2018) This is when my problems began; Louise couldn't comprehend the concept of an expat, or expatriated citizen. Along with my wife, I had been living in Europe for the past 8 years and we decided to come back. However, I had managed to maintain a credit score of around 740 and I had two (2) official letters, with letterheads, of job offers that included the salary. No, not good enough for Louise. Then, she asked me why I didn't have a credit history for the past 8 years. Again, she couldn't understand the concept of an expat. It's worth mentioning that I had just purchased a car that I paid off and it was reflected in the credit report. I ended giving her bank statements and various other materials until she finally accepted them, and I got the apartment. By the way, she rejected many of the documents I showed her on the spot before presenting them to the management office. I must say this was a harrowing and extremely frustrating situation for me because as I've already mentioned I was in a pinch for time. Moving out (2021) We decided to move to another city, so we gave our one month notice to the management company, not The Rental Group. On October 2, 2021, I received a voicemail from Louise asking if she could show our apartment before we moved out. I texted her that because of COVID related issues, she'd have to wait till the end of the month after we had moved out. This didn't sit well with her, and she texted me the following, "What a sh##head" minus the hash marks. So, despite that I had paid The Rental Group close to $2,000, she acted in a highly unprofessional, insulting manner by using expletives. A few days later, I texted her back asking why she called me that, I was hoping for some kind of resolution, but she never replied. Discussion and conclusion The question here is if The Rental Group treats all its clients this way. It's impossible for me to say, and I truly hope that my case was one of the few because I sure wouldn't want anyone to experience such a stressful, harassing, and highly insulting event. After all, moving, at least for us, is stressful enough without having to endure some rental company's having a bad day and emotional outbursts. Summary The Rental Group's agent, Louise couldn't comprehend the concept of an expat, or expatriated citizen, despite the strong evidence of being able to afford rent. In 2020, Louise became irate and insulting when I wouldn't allow her to show my apartment, because of COVID concerns, after I gave my notice and she texted me, "What a sh##head" without the hash marks. If you decide to do business with The Rental Group, exercise due diligence, and I truly hope that your experience won't be the same. Good luck. read more

My experience with the Rental Group, in particular with Gloria C., was amazing. When I contacted Gloria after finding her post for an apartment on Broadway, Arlington, MA. The listing contained a very detailed description of: the type of lease, apartment features, benefits of living in the area, layout, utilities information and everything that would help me and my friend decide if the apartment is what we are looking for. During my phone call, Gloria was professional, resourceful and charismatic. She was willing to arrange a house visit outside of work-hours at night, which not many realtors are willing to do as I found out during my apartment search. Now, at the time of the visit, Gloria lived up to, and exceed, my expectations because she was even more charismatic in person and the apartment she listed was simply more beautiful than pictures in the listing. Nice wooden floors, hexagon-like windows in the living room and dining room, plenty of natural light and a huge kitchen plus a beautiful pantry. Overall, the house can be characterized by a 20's or 30's ambiance with a refreshing feeling to it, which was not captured in the images. Throughout the visit, Gloria willingly exposed aspects that we had failed to consider about the rental process and eagerly adviced us and provided us with more information about every little feature in the apartment and even about the neighborhood. Fast-forwarding to the application process and lease signing, they were perfectly smooth and done in two days. The Rental Group and Gloria answered every single question throughout the process, even if it we emailed or called outside regular business hours. This was my first time going through the entire process of renting an apartment, and I felt very comfortable trusting my deposit and money to the Rental Group. Based on my experience, I would characterize Gloria C. and the Rental Group as resourceful, reliable, charismatic personality, communicative, experienced and honest. I would recommend the Rental Group to anybody that is looking for a house or apartment. I hope this is helpful. read more

Rental Group - The Rental Group Office - Real Estate Services Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

My husband and I found our place "sight unseen" through Debbie Shapiro, which was already a little risky. She was great at first and answered our questions, but once she got our money, she completely disappeared. We had to request amendments to the lease that should have been in there already for the specific location. Once we got here, our landlord has been terrible to work with and extremely rude, she has actually hung up on us three times and shouted us, when we have started out calm. We have tried to talk to TRG about it, but they told us we were on our own now and when we asked about specific rental laws to protect tenants, they refused to answer our questions or explain things to us, which was very odd. I won't be working with them again and am very disappointed in the things Debbie omitted about our new home. read more

I have worked with The Rental Group for many years now. They are easy to work with and have successfully rented my house in Belmont many times now. They listen to my requirements and work diligently to find the perfect fit. I can't say enough about them. If I could give them 10 stars, I would. They do all the vetting, background checks, credit reports, and follow up on references. I trust them implicitly and for me there is no other realty group. Incredibly thorough. I love how I can always get them on the phone instead of talking to an answering machine. The real deal!! With my busy unpredictable schedule, they navigate with ease setting up appointments. Simply the best!! read more

Frank Mitrano of The Rental Group is fantastic. My boyfriend and I were looking for a place to move into later this summer - it's our first time living with a partner. Steve called Frank on Tuesday about a place that was posted on Craigs List; unfortunately the place had been taken BUT Frank had another place in Belmont that we could see. We arranged to see him at 8am on a Thursday morning before both of us had to go to work. He also called us that morning to tell us he was running late, which was courteous. The place was absolutely beautiful and as Frank showed us around, we just fell in love with it. We wrote him the check for the first month's rent on the spot and filled out our applications via PDF and email (so convenient!). We just met with him this morning to sign the lease and meet the landlord. He not only arranged for the landlady to get us a new stove (he had overheard us saying that my boyfriend is a great cook and thought the current stove needed replacing) but also arranged for the place to be professionally cleaned. We can also choose the wall color for the kitchen, since that will be repainted. We'll likely get to move in a week before the lease starts (without a prorated rent for the first month) which will be nice since that way I'll have a week to completely move out of my one-bedroom apartment. The rental office itself is clean and Frank seems to be on top of everything. He wasn't pushy but knew what we wanted. We also came to find out that he works with my friend's current landlord and helped out with an issue regarding her downstairs neighbors two years ago. He made it clear as we were leaving the office today to call him about anything during the moving process and that he would take care of us. I would highly recommend him! read more

After many months of searching for an apartment and dealing with more sketchy realtors than I care to count, I came across an ad on Craigslist for an apartment and ending up meeting Steve DiBenedetto from The Rental Group. Honestly, my experience was awesome (taking into account that apartment searching is stressful and frustrating). Steve was not only very easy to get a hold of and very willing to answer questions, he was also prompt in his responses and got back to me when he said he would. A truly good and reliable broker. Lastly, Steve never made me feel like I was just another person, he empathized with my unique situation and living needs and helped do whatever he could to not only help me get the apartment I wanted but he also helped make the process as quick and painless as possible. I would highly recommend The Rental Group. read more

Rental nightmare. Rental Group rents apartments in a complex which they have good reason based on my complaints [and probably other complaints] not to rent. As a test, message me before using them to see if they still act as agents to my building and this super. Louise rented me an apartment without a functioning thermostat. They really don't seem to care, as long as there is a renter's fee associated with the rental. When I got into my new apartment, there was a tube connecting two pneumatic outputs which was supposed to control the heat [manually attaching and detaching the tube, rather than by thermostat]. I kept her informed about the super's reaction: giving me a new thermostat to install myself, and then, when that didn't work, management office telling me that "you don't pay for heat, so you don't get to control it" and of the super telling me he can't control when repairs will be done in the apartment [illegal] and that these repairs would involve ripping out flooring and multi-day efforts [where I'd need to kind of anticipate when they'd come over and be at home then, during working hours, if I wanted to be home when people worked in my apartment.] One and a half years in and I've had to file a health department complaint to get any movement on the heat [because during the heating months, the apartment is uninhabitably hot based on health code-- in the nineties]. When I reported the heat was too hot to the super, many of my fellow tenant friends and I noticed that the heat didn't come on at all overnight that night [for at least all of our rooms on 2 different floors], and we talked about what a coincidence that was -- the only night in December the heat didn't come on for any of our flats overnight in the cold [below freezing outside] was when I reported a problem. In addition, while the lease does not promise parking spaces, it is implied parking spaces are controlled by a gate [for which you have to pay a deposit, and for which you get a gate remote control]. And the parking gate has never worked here, allowing anyone to park, apparently even a year before Rental Group rented me the room, despite repeated complaints. The super laughs about complaints and says he won't get people towed from the lots, even if people are using the lot who shouldn't. There are not enough spots per building, and the complex takes no effort to control who parks there and who doesn't. Street parking will get you a ticket in Arlington unless you are lucky, so when you get to the lot without a spot-- you then have to park somewhere other than your own building in risk of a ticket. There's a reason she doesn't introduce you to the building super or help you contact the super with questions. Let's just say: I wouldn't have rented the building if I knew about the super. The stories I could tell and which have been told to me-- Management has received repeated complaints about the super, so management knows about it, as does the Rental Group. She as a realtor should have let me contact the super ahead of renting [and probably knew about the super], and she had a responsibility to know about the gate and the thermostat in the room she rushed to rent me. Had I met the super I would have never rented, and she wouldn't have gotten her fat rental fee. Read the reviews here. They wouldn't get so many one-star reviews if there weren't something terribly wrong with this rental firm. Also: though given a move-in date, I grew concerned as the date approached that the super / Rental Group never could confirm it-- saying the apartment needed to be ready. It was ready on time, but I forget how much lead time I was given: not enough, even after signing the lease. That's not how I like to move-- if a rental agency gives me a move-in date, it needs to be confident and correct so movers can be scheduled, and I don't want to be worrying about it in the weeks ahead of the move as my movers are asking how/when they can get into the building, is there a freight elevator, IS THE ROOM READY TO MOVE INTO? Remember: movers need to be booked well ahead of time and charge by the hour-- so you want to know when you can move in, not be asking yourself if the apartment will even be ready on the first day of your lease. STAY AWAY. read more

Worked with Frank M. He was friendly and helpful. After searching far and wide ourselves and with other brokers, Frank quickly found us a place that was better than anything else we had seen. read more

I had to move out of my apartment in East Arlington this summer. But still had to stay in Arlington because my child is in middle school here. I was having a hard time finding an apartment that suited our needs. However, my realtor Frank was able to find the perfect place for my daughter and I. I truly appreciate all that he did! He truly worked miracles. We have now been in our new place for a month now, and we absolutely love it! I highly recommend. read more

Shady!!! Rents units in overpriced poorly up kept buildings with undisclosed unit issues, don't make the same mistake I made by paying them a full fee! Super lazy and do not care about your move in experience, as long as they got their money. So many other better agents around locally! read more

The Rental Group found a very nice apartment for my husband and I and our cat. They were very professional and worked promptly to get all our paperwork completed for our desired move in date. Our callls were always answered quickly. Upon moving in I had discovered that there are a couple window shades that need replacing and a repair that needs to be done in the bathroom and we are still waiting for it to be done but overall the apartment is lovely and my husband and I are happy and our experience with the rental group has been all positive with zero complaints. I recommend them. read more

My partner and I worked with Frank from The Rental Group and had such a lovely experience! The service was professional, friendly, and punctual. Frank was just a phone call away and never hesitated to remind us that we could call him with any questions. I originally inquired about an apartment that had just been rented, so Frank mentioned another place coming down the pike that hadn't been posted yet. He got us the first appointment and started up the lease process on the same day. It's the best deal I've seen after 4 years of living in the Greater Boston Area. We are so grateful for the kindness and respect we were shown and would definitely recommend working with Frank read more

I rented an apartment through Debbie Shapiro of the rental group. Here are some of the facts. On the ad on craigslist it says "gas heat is not included and cats are ok" When I attempted to confirm that the other utilities were included by email after holding the apartment with a check (that was cashed before I signed a lease) It took Debbie three days to respond with an email saying no. And actually avoiding my question in other emails. When I attempted to make amendments to the lease, that is of course written to only protect a landlord- (example: including my cats on the lease and not being responsible for snow removal ) the rental group hand wrote in additions to the lease that I did not know about until I showed up at their office for the lease signing. They added an additional half months rent security on top because of the cats, even though it was clearly stated in the craigslist ad that cats were ok. And they demanded that not only was I responsible for the snow removal but that I hire someone to do it. As a landlord myself I knew both of these changes were unethical and somewhat illegal. When I expressed as much to the landlord Debbie sat there and shook her head yes. That it was true it was illegal to charge more than one month security etc. But did not actually assist any further in representing me even though I paid a realtor fee. I was prepared to ask for my security deposit back, but the landlords seemed like nice people and also seemed like they were being bamboozled by the Rental Group. They had no idea I had already paid a security deposit, and that it had been cashed. I wasn't forwarded a copy of the lease until the day I was intended to sign it, and then the meeting was postponed another week by the landlord. When it came time to collect the keys, I emailed Debbie because I had not heard anything. Debbie told me someone was still living there. not- someone is still living there, and we will of course get you the keys before the 1st, but just someone is still living there. Debbie asked if I had received a signed copy of the (illegal) lease. I said no. She said that she would mail it (5 business days before I was to move in) and that once I received it, I could get the landlord's name and number off of it, .. then call her.. then arrange to get the keys myself. So why did I pay a rental fee? To have my questions avoided an ignored. To pay extra money, extra utilities. To be told that snow removal is something a landlord can hold as a condition of accepting a tenant. Mostly bad business, poor ethics and horrible customer service. Before I had the keys in my hands I was not sure I would move in, because I wasn't actually sure if I had an apartment. I held my breath for 2 months, and I suggest that no one use this rental group for fear of experiencing the same. read more

I just had an awful phone conversation with Debbie Shapiro from the Rental Group. She called me back after I left her a message about her ads. Not only was she eating something crunchy the entire time she talked to me, so I could barely understand her (unprofessional much?), she was also extremely rude! I asked her about two apartments that were posted on Craigslist under her name. The listings were both from today. She gave me confusing answers and claimed that both of the apartments were the same (even though they had different listing IDs and completely different kitchens and bathrooms). Then she changed her mind and said, the other one was not available anymore. Uh ok?!? Since it is a long drive for me to come up to MA and look at apartments, I ask questions about them on the phone to see if they match what I'm looking for. After only a few questions (what kind of building is it? Is the apt. in the front or back?), Debbie became really annoyed and rude and said if I was very picky or sensitive to noise, she wouldn't even bother showing me the place. Woah! Classy! Oh, and next time please finish chewing before calling a client. It's like speaking with a cow... read more

THE WORST EXPERIENCE WITH A REAL ESTATE BUSINESS I'VE EVER HAD. I looked at a property for rent. The little guy (from Rental Group) who showed it to me was very nice and it looked like a deal would be done. I went in the next day to do my financials with him and hopefully wind things up -- and it turned into a circus. It turns out the little guy was, it seemed, the junior guy. There were two other "men" at the office when I showed up and the second I saw them and they started talking I knew the kind of scum I was dealing with. I won't go into all the details other than to say they tried to ask me some very weird questions, proceeded to be very rude (how do they make any money with that kind of attitude?), and tried to bully me. I guess this must work for them with some folks. Business by intimidation. Didn't work with me. Neither of them looked like they could go two rounds with my grandmother. Anyway, I'm happy to say I think I put a bit of a ruffle in their skirts. They were clearly up to something and I just told them to give me back my check for their ridiculously high, unearned fee, and walked out. I can see these morons rubbing the wrong man the wrong way one day and he gives them a taste of the sidewalk. Yes, they're that bad. (I found a much better deal with just a bit more legwork, so don't get discouraged if you're trying to rent or buy. And don't believe that you have to have an agent help you.) Hope this helps. Good luck in your search! read more

The Rental Group had a very affordable apartment, which is what my partner & I were looking for. She lived out of town and so I said I would go look at the apt & if it seemed like what we were looking for, I would put down a deposit. This is what happened. I met the agent at the property, as well as the property manager/maintenance guy. The apt was a MESS but I was assured by the maintenance guy it would be repainted and carpets cleaned before I moved in. I said, Ok, I'll take it. I wrote a check then & there for first month's rent so the apt would be taken off the market. I did ask, though, "You aren't going to deposit this money until there is a signed lease, right?" because for one, that isn't legal, and 2nd, I explained to the agent that my money was in an online bank and would need to be transferred to the account I was writing the check from. She assured me it would not be cashed. ...2-3 days later. I got a bounced check fee applied to my account. They cashed the check. I called, and asked "why did you cash the check? I got a bounced check fee!" and was told that this wasn't the way they USUALLY did business, but it happened this time. That was the entire explanation. Unacceptable and illegal. She did say she would take that bounced check fee out of the one month's fee. Meanwhile, I hadn't signed a lease. Because my partner was out of town and rarely in town, I said I wanted the lease to be filled out and e-mailed to me to preview before she came in to sign it. The rental agent agreed. I work in a real estate office, so I recognized the standard Greater Boston Real Estate Board form that was sent to me - however, there were some pertinent pieces of information missing - such as the fact that heat, hot water and parking was included in the rent. Extremely important. I was informed by the agent that, because she was new, her boss, Steve, was filling out the lease. So, there was already an extra step. But my point of contact was the real estate agent. We went round and round ironing out details. Eventually, I cut out the middle person and e-mailed the agent and cc'd Steve. He called me, told me that I was "nitpicking" because I wanted things like parking arrangements and heat & hot water clarified on a legal document I was to sign. He also asked me if I still wanted the apartment because he "had 10 people lined up" who wanted it. Which is interesting, since the apartment was taken off the market the second I handed over a check, which shouldn't have been cashed until I signed a lease. I was shocked. The gall of this guy. He says to me "I can't believe this (parking space) is what you're concerned about, not that the lease says you can't put nail holes in the wall". FYI, the apt owner and maintenance doesn't care if we put nail holes in the wall AND there was no security deposit. So, PLEASE. His extremely unprofessional manner turned me off and disgusted me. Not only was he incompetent at creating a valid legal document, he also was rude and unethical. It continues... After the terms were finally reflected in the lease document, and my partner & I came in and signed all documents (btw, the agent asked us to sign an apt condition statement and I said no, because there was no security deposit, so there was no reason to sign one), we were told we would be mailed a copy of all the documents. We got the first & last page of the lease sent to us in the mail. Nothing more. Not the lead law, not the mold addendum, NOT EVEN THE ENTIRE LEASE. By this point, I was so upset with them, I didn't even call them back. The less contact with their incompetence and bad attitude, the better. I couldn't believe we paid them one month's rent to do something I could have done better myself - in fact, the average citizen could have done better themself. Absolutely ludicrous and I can't believe this place is still in business. I would not give this place my business again - not unless it was a no fee apartment and even then, I would think long and hard about it. P.S. I may not be correct about cashing the deposit check before the lease is signed being illegal BUT I specifically asked whether my check would be cashed before the lease was signed and I was told no. Not to mention it's unethical at the very best to say nothing regarding their policy of cashing checks before there is a signed lease. What this policy does is essentially force people to sign the lease - because even if a better apartment came along, they would then be in a fight to get back the month's rent the Rental Group already has in their bank account. While I UNDERSTAND such a policy, I wholeheartedly do NOT AGREE with it. So whether or not it is legal, it is unethical, crooked and sneaky. I encourage you to read the other reviews and see that mine is just one of many such experiences. We are not talking about simply unprofessional people here, we're talking about crooked, unethical practices practiced again and again by this establishment. read more

Had the opportunity to work with Frank Mitrano and so far its been a pleasure. While my apartment hunt is still on-going, I found Frank to be very helpful and personable when showing his properties. He was very knowledgeable about the showing and you can immediately tell that being an RE agent isn't isnt a part time thing for him. I would certainly recommend that you start with Frank on during your hunt for an apartment and save yourself the headache of dealing with some of the less professional agents out there. read more

Frank was a big help in finding me a great apartment, making the move from Brooklyn to Arlington easier than I expected. Very responsive and helpful. read more

I worked with Gloria at the Rental Group and she is pretty much as good as it gets! She found my boyfriend and I the perfect 2 bedroom close to his job in Lexington and close to public transportation for myself who works in Boston. She always made sure we were comfortable and were aware of what was going on throughout the process. Even once we signed the lease she sent us an email of a website of things to do in the town since we are both new. While there was interference from another realtor Frank who was rude to us because he wanted to close the deal on the place that we got but Gloria kept it professional. As long as I got Gloria I would definitely rent from the Rental Group again. read more

Frank made our moving process so easy and stress free. As soon as I requested a showing, he got in touch with me immediately and made sure I was the first one to see the apartment behind a waitlist of other couples itching to get in. He was accommodating to my schedule and did not pressure me, but made sure i had all the information i needed to make a decision. He was not bothered by my many many phone calls checking in for a decision status, lease signing or keys to the apartment. He even let us go visit the place a second time after we were officially approved. When i asked him if it was possible to move in a day early, Frank pushed as hard as he could to make sure it happened for me, and met me a day earlier than that to give me the keys and make sure the place was perfect prior to moving in. I have a lot of other friends that moved around the same time as i did, and their brokers were not nearly as accommodating or communicative as Frank. My boyfriend and I are so thankful for him and the Rental Group! read more

We worked with Gloria Cirolo and I cannot say enough good things about her. She made the entire process easy and fun. She was very knowledgeable of the property and worked on our behalf with the landlord. The time between seeing the apartment and signing the lease was a mere 3 days. You cannot beat that especially when looking for a property in the city. If you need a new place, go see her and it will be for sure an enjoyable experience. read more

I tried to get in contact with the realtors with no reply for weeks. Then when I finally got a reply it was from Debbie with a terrible attitude. Avoid at all cost! This company is very unprofessional as highlighted in the other reviews read more