Catalin leads a stellar team. Overall, it is a very well-kept building. But like much of Cambridge, the building is old and needs regular maintenance. Every time we have asked Catalin for anything, he's there within a few hours and has always been able to fix it. We also were lucky to move into a unit that he and his team renovated. The craftsmanship and commitment to quality are clear. We're lucky to have Catalin looking after us. read more

RJ Reality has been great. Catalin, and his maintenance team, have helped us solve every problem we have had within the hour, any time of day. it's great feeling comfortable in your apartment, even when something goes wrong. read more

R J Realty Management was of great support during the apartment search and moving day. Always attentive and kind, Jenna (the building manager) and Catalin (the maintenance manager) were available to answer my questions and support me when needed. The building at Hancock St 99 keeps its character, is clean and the apartments have a nice distribution and lots of natural light. I really enjoyed living there. read more

Catalin and Co have been providing stellar service. Prompt, reliable, and friendly. They make getting things fixed low-stress and are always smiling. Online portal requests to the PM team always see quick reply and the online payment portal is sensible. Thanks! read more

My partner and I have been living in Cambridge in an RJ Realty apartment in the Wellington-Harrington area for going on 3 years now, and have been really pleased with our experience. Electronic rent payment + speedy maintenance services (a thousand thank you to Catalin and his team! incredible!) have made our living experience one of the best I've had since living in Boston/Somerville for 8 years now. Shabby and overpriced apartments are pretty par for the course in our area, but our landlord has offered a (relatively) fair price for a pretty spacious home that we have no intention of leaving until we leave Boston for good. read more

I'm giving 5 stars. Catalin who is responsive. When our unit had a major plumbing issue, he was there in 5 minutes and fixed the issue within 2 hours. He is always there and always friendly with a smile. The realtor David is a nice guy. He's just like any landlord who will work with you. He has worked with me on several occasions. He is someone who will work with you if you work with them. read more

I've been living in the area for 6 years and this is by far the best landlord I've experienced. They actually respond to maintenance requests in a timely manner and paperwork with them feels professional. I've had a couple of problems with the unit (mostly just the building being almost a century old) but they've all been permanently resolved very quickly by the landlord and the building's maintenance team. They're also very open and respectful to any improvements that I've suggested before, like installing ceiling fans and changing position of doors in my unit. Recently there was a major plumbing issue in the building at midnight, and incredibly the landlord responded immediately and the maintenance team came in at midnight and the next morning at 7am to fix the problem. I've never seen such an expedient maintenance team in the area. They even cleaned up really well after fixing the problem. (Once again not a landlord issue, but more of old building parts that had reached time for replacement or repair.) Happy to re-sign for my second year! read more

I agree with Allix - RJ Realty keeps their property in poor condition and is fairly sketchy. Instead of hiring professionals to repair any plumbing or other issues, they are do-it-yourselfers, which results in shoddy maintenance and poor quality repairs. (On the other hand, they did respond promptly to maintenance requests and the handyman is a good guy.) They definitely prioritize making a buck over keeping a property in good shape. While not the worst in town, I would not recommend renting from them. read more

I would have to agree on this one. The landlord keeps these apartments in awful shape. I lived in one his apartments for a year and a half, in that time I think the power went out once a month, we lost water pressure constantly, paint was always chipping off every surface it could, and it was FREEZING in the winter. Did I mention you couldn't so much as hang 5X7 photo with out a square meter of plaster coming out off the wall? Although the maintenance man was a lovely fellow I have to say the Landlord himself was an arrogant p**** who drove around in his 7 series BMW instead of responding promptly to his tenants needs. He scoffs at you and acts as though every call is wasting his time. He will absolutely rent to anyone just to make a few bucks. Steer clear of this company - ugh. I feel itchy just thinking about the place!! read more

My husband and I lived in one of their properties for four years and have no complaints! Everyone involved is very pleasant, friendly, and easy to deal with. On the rare occasion that something needed fixing, the issue was always addressed as soon as it was brought to their attention. The online platform for paying rent or requesting a repair is seamless and user-friendly. Would definitely recommend! read more

I'm giving this company a good review because the realtor was understanding when I had to break my current lease and because the maintenance man was always responsive and friendly. My apartment was in acceptable condition when I moved in, but it was a nice size and in a good location. I sympathize with the gripes about condition and price, but that unfortunately seems pretty much par for the course in the Cambridge housing market. Since my last landlord was completely absentee (he lived in Florida) and told me I should fix my own toilet because "one day I would have my own house to take care of," RJ was a big step up. If you want cheap and new, well, move to Florida. read more

I lived in an apartment managed by RJ Realty for four years. They were quite responsive to maintenance problems. The few times that I had major issues (eg. a gushing leak in my roof) they repaired them with no fuss, and replaced my damaged furniture. Of course I had an occasional frustration with them, but overall I'd say they were very good landlords. read more

I find the reviews on this site to be really inaccurate (although then again, they are quite outdated). I am a current tenant of RJ Realty and have had nothing but a positive experience with them. I rent an apartment in Kendall which is well maintained, was freshly cleaned and painted upon move in, and has been really comfortable. David Yogel is always responsive, nice, and has always been very thoughtful, checking in on us and even asking about our work lives. Totally recommend him! Also, Cataline, our superintendent, gets a gold star for fixing our 20-something problems (like driving to us late at night when our heater's pilot light went off and we were too dumb to fix it ourselves.) read more

I have only wonderful things to say about the owner and staff at RJ Realty. I rent from one of their properties and have lived here for over two years. David and his team, including Catalin, are so responsive when any issues arise, which is very few. They keep our property immaculate during all seasons, with our recent winter snowfall, they plowed several times so we wouldn't have any issues leaving for work. One of my biggest issues that I have encountered was when I locked myself out of my apartment, I immediately called Catalin and within 10 minutes a staff was here to help me in. If you Love Cambridgeport, I highly recommend one of their properties at 524 Putnam Ave. read more

RJ Realty has honestly been the best property management company I've ever had the pleasure of living under. The building is awesome and I've never had any issues with other tenants which seems to me like they're great at vetting people, and they're extremely responsive to maintenance requests; there have been times when I've put in a maintenance request and they've come the same day a few hours later. Additionally, the guy who usually comes to do maintenance is awesome and super nice; he's always complimenting our apartment decor and one time he saw this pot and pan rack that we'd bought but hadn't put up yet and offered to put it up for us totally unprompted. Also, I'm not sure if it's like this for every building that RJ Realty manages but in the one I live in, you can paint your walls as long as you buy the paint and they'll come and paint it for you. We put an accent wall in our living room and I know it's a small thing but it makes a place that you're renting really feel like home. David and Jenna are awesome; David kind of speaks in an aggressive way but that's just the way he talks, he's a nice dude, don't let his voice scare you off. Furthermore, we once had an issue with a roommate and they were entirely on our side which was really nice. I'm actually pretty bummed to be moving out of this apartment and I honestly would not even think about it if I weren't moving out of state. I wish I could just lift this apartment up and bring it with me! I cannot say enough good things about RJ Realty, I'm probably going to finish this review and beat myself because I'll remember something else I want to put in later. I highly recommend living in any of their properties, you will not regret it! read more

I hadn't read any of these reviews until I moved out! And a good thing too or I might have missed out. It is comforting that the most recent one is from 2010, so maybe things have really improved since then. Anyway, I'm a female twenty-something college graduate who was just looking for something simple close to my work in Cambridge. I really enjoyed living at 99 Hancock, it was the cutest coziest little basement apartment I've ever seen, awesome built-in shelves. Yes it was small, but that's exactly what I was looking for, and the larger apartments in the building I've seen seem just as nice. The trade-off I made was that I'd rather live somewhere small by myself in a nice neighborhood than somewhere big with roommates further out of town (especially since I'd already done the latter). I interacted way more with Catalin the handyman than I did with David-- Catalin is awesome and delightful, and David was always perfectly nice and polite in my experience. I suppose I'm a pretty low-maintenance tenant to begin with, but the few things I did call about for repairs were attended to just fine. My only complaints would be some slightly clangy winter pipes (as usual for basement apartments) and some occasionally noisy spoiled young college neighbors with smoking problems. No deal-breakers. Overall, it was a lovely year spent in a lovely apartment, I'm only moving because I'm becoming a nanny = free rent. Otherwise I'd totally stay. read more

This is a very good management company.... I am a student at MIT who as lived many different places over the last few years. I have dealt with a variety of management companies and landlords. One thing I realized pretty early on was that apartments are never perfect, and your experience with an apartment is largely governed by the quality of management / maintenance. RJ realty excels at both. The maintenance crew was amazing, and literally would show up to fix problems on the same day I called them. The manager was also great and was very understanding if I ever had any problems. That being said, many people seem to be upset with the quality of the apartments. They are a little older, but as a student I had no problems with it. Also they were at a much better price than alternative options in the area. All in all, I would absolutely recommend that you check these guys out. read more

I can't speak to the older reviews, but my girlfriend and I have had a great experience with this company. David Yogel has been very helpful, and the property manager Catalin is absolutely awesome: very responsive, very competent, and very easy to get along with. Especially given our previous experience with MIA landlords and property managers who never fix things (i.e. PointPlus), having kind & competent managers who are a text or a phone call away is a big weight off our everyday lives. I'd definitely recommend them to a friend. read more

Before I moved into one of RJ Realty's apartments, I was warned by a co-worker that he had had a negative experience with David Yogel. He told me that he kept the apartment in poor condition and was overall a rude person. I found both things to be quite true. First of all, the apartment was very poorly maintained. The dishwasher did not work, the electric sockets were so old that we often could not plug things in, the doors and cabinets didn't shut, there was no bug screen in one of the windows, the heaters were falling apart, and, according to a conversation with NSTAR, the apartment was 20 years overdue for a critical inspection (breach of implied warranty of habitability, anyone?). Additionally, David was very reluctant to make any of the repairs that he was responsible for. The most memorable incident was with our dishwasher. We literally called him over ten times asking him to fix it, and he kept insisting that it was our fault because we were using the wrong dish washing liquid (we weren't). He sent a workman out once or twice to "fix it," but it never solved the problem. Finally, a very nice workman managed to convince David to replace it...at least a year after we made the first request. The new dishwasher lasted about 2 months before it, too, broke. This was typical of David's sense of responsibility (or lack thereof) as a landlord. Almost every time I would call him to repair something, it wouldn't get done (he never replaced the electric sockets or the bug screen). At best, he would argue with me that there was no need for a repair or a replacement until I made enough of a fuss for him to fix it. For instance, he initially refused to believe that the carbon monoxide detector needed anything other than a change of batteries, even though I told him I had changed them. This was flat-out dangerous. Finally, my roommates and I had an incident with David toward the end of our lease. One of our roommates admittedly violated the terms of the lease by subletting her room to another roommate. However, it was obvious that David was aware of the arrangement from the day the subletter moved in, and yet he only approached us about it months after the fact. He was extremely antagonistic to the subletter (who of everyone was the least to blame) when she met with him to resolve the issue, and he shouted at her to get out of his apartment. Needless to say, David kept our roommate's deposit, and the subletter felt so uncomfortable living there that she moved out. Overall, I was absolutely disgusted with RJ Realty, and especially with David. His lack of accountability to our safety and comfort in the apartment was appalling, and it reflected a general disrespect toward his tenants. I would advise anyone against living in one of RJ Realty's residences. read more

Agree with previous reviewers. Nothing horrendously bad about them, but everything was just bad enough to make me advise against renting any of their properties. The maintenance guy ROUTINELY (at least once a month) entered our apartment with no prior notice. The heat and hot water once went out, and I called every hour or two. Each time, the guy said, "Oh, I'm sure it's just that lots of people are using the hot water, wait an hour and call me back." I had to do that a dozen times (and 24 hours of no heat in the middle of winter) before he finally came to fix it. I honestly don't know if any landlords on Cambridge are any better. From what I've heard, they all still behave as though their properties were still rent-controlled. Either way, I'd avoid RJ for sure. For what it's worth, the guy who runs this company also runs another company called Hancock realty. I don't know if that one is any better. read more

I am not a big fan of the property management companies as I have had horrible experiences with their services in past but I couldn't stop myself writing about Caitlin from RJ Realty. He is always being very responsive, always on top of any problem. I am very impressed with Caitlin and would highly recommend him for any services ! read more

RJ Realty offers great value for a terrific apartment. Maintenance calls were responded to in a very timely fashion by competent individuals. All promises were kept and the management was very accommodating. I found David Yogel to be an absolute gentleman. I would highly recommend renting from this company. read more

I lived in a building managed by RJ Realty for two years. It was the 97-99 Hancock building in Cambridge. They are THE BEST. David Yogel and his building manager, Catalin Chijanoschi, are readily available via email, phone call or text. They maintain their properties with diligence and care and I would see Catalin's team doing maintenance work on the building almost every single day. In two years, we never faced any major challenges or emergencies- the buildings are so well maintained that things rarely break. Once, a small amount of liquid was coming up my kitchen sink. I let Catalin know on a Sunday night- father's day, no less- and Catalin offered to get in his car and come over immediately. I always felt completely safe and comfortable when Catalin and his team were working in my unit. They are professional and respectful. You would be lucky to live in an RJ Realty building! read more

David and Jenna were both very kind and considerate, and went out of their way to communicate with us. It is refreshing to deal with people who directly own the property and care about their incoming tenants. We recommend them! read more

Lived there for a year and just moved out - I signed up and got what I paid for. Keeping in mind I'm a student, this fit my budget and the maintenance personnel were quick and responsive to any problems. At the end of the day, the listing I checked out before signing the lease turned out to be exactly what was promised and delivered. read more

First the good: the apartments are ok. Now the bad: this company is incredibly penny-pinching and unreasonable. As a tenant who always pays rent on time, Mr. Yogel was incredibly rude and short-tempered with me when discussing anything outside of the letter of the lease. I will never rent from him again, and would highly recommend if you want to save yourself a lot of hassle, do not rent from him either. read more

I lived in a Cambridge-port 1BR managed by RJ Realty in 2012- 2013 and had a positive experience overall. The apartment was in good shape and had no major problems. There were a few issues throughout the year (loose window, unhinged closet door, radiator malfunction) but Catalin the super took care of everything and was quick to respond to emails and calls. His responsiveness ended up being a life saver on a cold winter day when I locked myself out.. Catalin came by to open the door for me within the hour. David, the owner, was helpful and answered all my questions as well. Not sure what the deal is with the 1 star reviews but I personally had no problems communicating with management and getting my apartment issues sorted out quickly. I'd recommend RJ to anybody looking for a solid apartment in Cambridge port for a great price. read more

I lived in an apartment managed by RJ Realty for ~3 years. While the apartment was not the most up-to-date, it was very reasonably priced, especially for the location, and the landlord was very understanding when I had to break my lease early. As others have noted, the maintenance man is a great guy, and always responded to requests promptly. read more

As far as I know, Hancock Realty has nothing to do with this company. I have been renting from them for a few years now and they are excellent. I've been checking for other landlords to deal with in Cambridge, and saw this posting. read more

This guy is awful! I rented an apartment from him and had nothing but a HORRIBLE experience with him. The apartments are kept in horrid condition. I remember our cable guy would not even touch the linces since they were so old. David is unwilling to keep the apartments up and is extremely rude and demeaning. The apartment was infested with bugs and he did NOTHING. Stay away if possible, there are plenty of other places to live for cheap. This guy is nothing but bad news. read more

I feel that I need to update my review after a very serious carbon monoxide incident in our building. Two weeks ago, I woke up to 5 fire engines outside of my building. I decided to go downstairs and see what was the matter, and found a fireman pounding on the door screaming for me to get out of the building. Very confused, I waited for them to finish evacuating the building. Once they had us all assembled, they told us that someone walking in front of our building had smelled a gas leak and that they had just found lethal levels of carbon monoxide throughout the building. Had this happened earlier in the morning, we could all be very sick or dead. Most of the carbon monoxide alarms did not go off in the building, my apartment's included, despite the near 300 ppm CO in the air (this was the concentration at the top of the building. It was higher lower down). I heard no alarm. RJ Realty came and replaced the alarms, but there has been no communication with the tenants about the incident. My roommate emailed with several questions and received a minimal response. I would at the very least expect a "Sorry we screwed up and you could have died" to every tenant, but nothing like that has been received. The bulk of the information we have about the incident came from a letter from the Brookline Health Department. read more