When I arrived in Boston to look for my apartment, I had made appointments with brokers as well as through Rental Beast. I was hoping to cover all my bases. I soon learned how difficult it is to get a fair deal when dealing with a broker. Their only goal is to get you into an apartment and collect their commission. Never mind if it is out of your price range or completely trashed. When I asked one broker if the apartment owner would repair a hole in the bathroom ceiling, he replied 'probably not'. The appointments that were set up using GCA were completely different. I met with actual landlords who cared about their property and getting the right tenant into their space. Many brokers had also told me that it would be impossible to find an apartment with a August 1 move in date that also allowed pets, but GCA found several options for me meeting my criteria. When it came time to sign the lease and actually lock in the deal, Jesse at GCA helped me to negotiate with my landlord and get me the best deal possible. The entire staff helped guide me through the process of renting in the Boston market. They were extremely easy to reach even on the weekends. They were an amazing resource and advocate for me in my search and would highly recommend them to anyone looking to rent in the Boston area.
Sara
I was just contacted by someone in your office who I gave my rental listing to over the phone.
I then took a look at your website.
Truly an INGENIOUS idea !!!
Steven Bornstein, Landlord
I won't look for another apartment without them. My experience with Rental Beast began with an unexpected phone call the morning after visiting the site. Now I have given out my phone number on the Internet on a number of occasions without response, including those when I actually want to get a phone call. The gentleman over the phone was very cordial, and although the idea of a membership based apartment hunting company put me off at first, I quickly warmed up to the idea when I came to find out that this membership could ultimately mean that they would do all the work for me. I work full time in the retail industry , which inherently means my schedule is chaotic and irregular. Up until this moment, I had avoided the fact that I was actually going to have to find time to find this apartment that I intend to move into within about 3 weeks. With a money back guarantee in my mind (as I'm still a skeptic) I gave the nice gentleman my credit card number and began the apartment hunting process. The on-line account setup went swimmingly and I was on my way towards picking out the place of my dreams. The selection was good, albeit not as extensive as I had hoped. I found 5 potential places right off the bat and 10 more within the next few days. The folks at grand central answered the phone readily and, although all of their employees weren't aware of my situation, they were quick to help. I ultimately got appointments to see 5 houses over the course of the 2 days I could afford to spend in the city at the time. They were cautious to have me see places at both ends of my price range and in different corners of the city. After seeing just four places out of five, we fell in love with the last. The folks a Rental Beast managed to land us the apartment within the next 24 hours. To top it off, as the apartment was at the top end of our price range, they managed to coax the landlords into giving us $150 off the rent each month. Ultimately, we got the apartment we wanted at a price we could afford. The money spent on our membership with Rental Beast has paid for itself 10x over thanks to our discounted rent and great location. I recommend them highly to anyone looking for a great apartment shopping experience.
Ryan
My girlfriend and I are moving to Boston this August, and I joined GCA during my only weekend visit out there before our move, hoping I could find something during my few days there for interviews. After paying the $295 I became immediately worried that it was a total scam and that I had wasted my money. But a day or two later, on my last day in Boston, I found an apartment in the GCA listings with a great location that fit all our other criteria. Not only did this let us avoid paying a realtor's fee, which would have been more than the GCA membership fee, but Jesse at GCA also helped us negotiate the cost of our rent down by $25/month, something we probably could have, but never would have, done. All in all, we saved a good bit of money with GCA, and I was able to find an apartment that worked for us in about a day and a half.
Peter
The appointments turned out to be worth the trip. I liked the apartment at [...] in Quincy and put a deposit on it this last week. I am moving into it today because I am starting at my new job tomorrow. I would like to thank you, Diana and everyone else at Rental Beast that helped and made finding a place to move into an easier and less time consuming process.
Mike
Rental Beast was incredibly easy to use. The search lets you pick your price range and preferred neighborhood. The results let you directly contact the landlord and make setting up appointments easier as well. For those who are unfamiliar with the area, the addresses are connected to google maps so you can see exactly where the building is located. It is a fast and easy way to find exactly what you are looking for.
Holly
After spending countless hours on Craigslist and dealing with several horrible rental agencies, I was relieved to find Rental Beast. Jesse and the rest of the staff were extremely professional and put me at ease right away. I'll admit, I was definitely skeptical about paying $300 up front, but decided to sign-up when I looked on the database and saw several places that matched my criteria. It's a good thing I joined because the place I found was never even listed on Craigslist.
For me the best part of Rental Beast was that they scheduled my appointments and I got to meet the landlords/superintendents directly. This was much better than dealing with high pressure brokers who wanted me to sign right away so they could collect the fee. The way I see it is that the $300 dollars up front is a lot less than a fee, even if it's half fee. Plus Jesse was able to negotiate the terms of my lease so that I could move in a week later and pay $300 less for my first months rent. The service paid for itself. I highly recommend calling and speaking to the staff.
Kimberly
I'd like to thank Jolene for all her help in finding my son a place to live this summer in Boston. Jolene was most instrumental in locating, putting us in contact, and negotiating the details of summer housing which were particularly complicated as we are out of town and we did this over a holiday weekend. Jolene was very professional, courteous, and extremely prompt in assisting us. The fee we paid Rental Beast was worth every penny and Jolene should get the credit.
Terri
After looking in the Boston rental market on my own for a while I grew quite frustrated. That was until I ran acrossed Rental Beast. They did the work for me, they sent me listings and all I had to do was choose the ones I wanted to see. They even set the appointments for me. In no time at all, I found a place!
Joshua
The process was quick and easy. Rental Beast set up viewings for us and we signed that day. We are very excited for our new apartment, it is exactly what we were looking for.
Elena
I live in Alabama, but work in Boston. I am so new to the area that I don't know the difference between South and North; Harvard city and Harvard college; Brockton, Boston, Braintree, Bridgewater (east, west, and central?). And it seems like Westborough is south of Southborough and Middleborough is no where near the middle. Okay, I am lost. I am sick of living in the hotel. I have requirements...pet friendly, laundry, a reasonable commute, a price limit, a very short term lease, and I need it Now! I checked GrandCentralApartments website, I read the terms, I checked the Better Business Bureau. On Saturday morning I registered Gold with GrandCentralApartments.com. On Saturday afternoon, I had a great apartment. So very worth it; enough said.
Don
Thank you very much for your help. I found a great apartment in record time and you gave me plenty to choose from. Working with you was very pleasant because of your follow through. I was never left waiting or wondering what was happening. The best part of course is you saved me time and 900 dollars. I would recommend your company to anyone, it truly was a great experience!
DM
Rental Beast was a great tool in finding my new Apartment. It took them a couple days and the service was a time saver and was faster than I thought possible. In top of that The staff were friendly, supportive and they care about you. I am pleased with the results and it was great dealing with the staff of Rental Beast specially Jesse. Thank you for your help that made the process a lot easier for me. If one day I have to move to another location and are looking for a quick way to find an apartment I will use Rental Beast all over again.
Marc
Rental Beast is well worth the $300. Jesse, Jolene and Anna were professional and fun to work with. Between crazy work schedule and the holidays I needed all the help I could get and these guys were there every step of the way from setting up appointments to follow through with the leasing agents on terms and general questions. The agency made it as stress-free as possible and I definitely would recommend Rental Beast to anyone looking for an apartment!
Billie
Rental Beast was a great tool in navigating the apartment scene in the Boston Metro area. Their support staff especially deserves much credit for being on call and ready to assist throughout the apartment finding process.
Patrick
I found grandcentralapartments.com online and I was totally skeptical! After trying to search on my own, I decided to call and give it a try. It was the best decision! The staff were friendly, supportive and listened to what my needs were right away! The fact that they call and set up appointments for you to go view apartments was super helpful. I found a fantastic apartment I could never have found on my own! The customer service is FANTASTIC! I will forever sing praises for grandcentralapartments.com. You took all the stress out of moving!!
Holly
It took a couple days, but I have the lease and everything signed. Thanks for all of your help! I really don't believe that I would have gotten a good apartment without your help.
Stephen
Rental Beast helped a great deal. You made the transition from Vermont to Massachusetts ten times easier. Your service was a huge time saver and took a lot of hassle out of our move. I would recommend anyone in our position to take advantage of your services, it was well worth it for me and my girlfriend. Thanks again.
David
I would like to thank you for accomplishing the mission faster than I thought possible.
After trying to find an apartment for a week, I called Rental Beast and immediately got an appointment which led to a successful leasing that fitted my needs exactly.
Thank you for a good service, no doubt that I'm recommending to make the call!
Ron
I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you how pleased I am with the results of dealing with the staff of Rental Beast. I admit I was a bit skeptical at first but I figured, what did I have to lose? The apartment that I have in Malden was successfully rented to Miss M[...]. She just moved in last night and seems to be a very nice person as is her husband Mr. M[...].
Again I thank you for your help and if I hear of someone who wants to rent
an apartment, I would have no hesitation to refer them to GrandCentralApartments.com.
I talked to a few of the staff there at Rental Beast, so would you please extend my thanks to them as they were all very professional and open.
Janine, Owner
Dear GCA, You are fantastic; best thing since the bread-bowl! We moved across the country to Boston without any familiarity with the area and no idea where to start looking for housing. After trying our hand at the confusing and extremely overwhelming task of sorting through the rental advertisements, we decided that we needed help and GCA came to our rescue. With an almost impossible request of finding an apartment with very specific requirements as soon as possible (aka 'today if you can!') the staff never shied and had us set up with an appointment by the time we walked to our car. From our 12:20pm meeting at the GCA office, to 2:40pm when we signed our lease the same day, GCA was definitely worth every penny. An absolute investment in peace of mind and time management. Thank you so much John and Jesse - you ROCK :)
Taber and Oscar
I was initially a bit reluctant to hand over the fees before any outcome but in retrospect every penny was worth it. Grandcentralapartments found a excellent place for me at a time when other similar service providers weren't able to. Responsiveness, customer support and standards are truly impressive.
Paresh
Hello. I am enjoying the apartment in Somerville. Thank you for all your help, it made the process a lot easier for me. I have been working at ... for two weeks now and am loving it. Please let me know when and where to drop off the pastries as my thank you to you. Have a good week.
Andrea
Thank you for your prompt and easy assistance in finding an apartment. Moving from New York to Boston is hectic enough but you made the apartment search so convenient and found an apartment that I believe is perfect for me. The 3rd apartment you found for me was the one I signed a lease for - so Thank you!
Molly
Rental Beast services worked very well for us. We have found a place the first weekend after we have registered. The website is easy to navigate, contains details and maps to the posted places. Good Luck!
Nikolay
Thank you for all your help it really made looking for my own space easier, especialy being out of state. Tell me your favorite desert and I'll whip it up for you. Have a good one.
Andrea
My apt-seeking adventure in Boston began on June 21st, 2007 with a real estate agent from a Somerville agency that shall go nameless. I call this: "The Nightmare"
My daughter, Christina, a pianist, who will begin study at the Longy Conservatory of Music in Cambridge, her father, and I had travelled from Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Her room-mate to-be, Ariel, (a cellist), and her mother had travelled from Pennsylvania en route to Nova Scotia where they were to establish a farm.
We had been shown 4 apts. Three were terrible "animal houses". The fourth was ideal. We signed a rental application, received a copy of a lease , had it notarized, left a check for lst, last, and a month's rent (as the fee for the agent). We then departed Boston content in our success.
We received a phone call from the agent the following Monday, informing us that our application had been denied as the girls were under 2l (I thought the legal requirement was 18 and the girls qualify).
"The Sweet Dream"
I became a "gold member" of GrandCentralApartments.com on July 5, 2007. "Rental Beast is very well-named. This website is the juncture where apartment owners and apartment seekers converge. The "gold membership" gains you access to the inner-sanctum of private property listings and the details essential to making your choice.
I connected with Jesse who garnered my confidence immediately as he demonstrated a thorough knowledge of Boston and it's burbs, apartments, landlords, pitfalls and positive experiences in rentals. With careful consideration of our requirements and budget he began the matchmaking. He asked all the right questions. He put us in direct contact with the landlords. He even sent a photographer over to the apt we eventually chose, who sent pictures of every room, including the laundry.
On July l3, 2007 we had a lease with a 60-day "tenant at will" clause that protects the girls if they decide against the apartment. This "global " deal was done on July 14, signed documents from all parties done via the internet, effortlessly and $250.00 under budget, thanks to GrandCentralApartments.com and Jesse, whose voice reminds me of Billy Crystal with his "one-liners" only he's taller and much better looking. He actually turned apartment-renting into entertainment.
Loving Boston and GrandCentralApartments.com
Charlene
I’d like to inform you that my roommate and I have successfully located an apartment and are close to signing a lease with one of Rental Beast listings. Thank you very much for your assistance in helping us find an apartment. It’s exactly what we were looking for.
Brian
In the end I found an apartment on my own but I was truly impressed by your attention to my case. We had a rough start with my changing dates and times and the chaos of scheduling appointments not to mention my getting lost. But you were sympathetic and helpful. Again you have my thanks.
Joel
We have been using your service since you opened, and have been very happy. Your clients seem to be a cut above the ones we get through traditional means. Everyone who has spoken with us who works for you has been articulate, polite and efficient. What more could we ask for?
Bob
I've been meaning to thank you for helping me find a great apartment. I had a wonderful experience with your service and I will definitely refer my friends and family to you.
Thanks again,
Angelica
My apartment is 4 rooms, 1 bedroom and my rent is 750 plus utilities. I am right next to the T and a few blocks from the beach. I love my apartment. Rental Beast helped me find this great apartment the first day I was looking. They helped me find somewhere to live in a short amount of time.
Janine
Thank you very much for your assistance. My daughter has signed a lease in Quincy. We made sure to tell them that you were the people who connected us to them. Long distance apartment hunting is horrible but you guys made it a world easier.
Peggy
Signing onto the grandcentralapartments.com service took the worry out of the work of the apartment search for us. We were given multiple apartments to look at, and it didn't take long to find the right one. And not having to pay a huge finder's fee was a relief!
Thank you for a great service!
Barbara
I found a great 1 bedroom in the North End for $1500 a month with utiliites included. Rental Beast worked with me daily and was very responsive and professional through out my whole search. Rather than spend a whole months rent with an Agent I saved over $1000 using Rental Beast. Special thanks to Anna for her speedy responses and follow ups.
Dave
Thank you for all your help over the past few weeks finding an apartment. Originally when you and I last spoke, I was returning to Boston to continue my search on June 4th (yesterday). At the very last minute, one landlord who I had been playing phone tag with since viewing his apartment finally called back. We set up a lease this past weekend. So that eliminated the need to return this month and do more searching. Once again your help to me cannot be understated! Working the phones all day with little face to face contact is very hard to do. Your job certainly gets harder when clients are frustrated, unrealistic, or demanding. With the range of emotions you must go through in a day, it would be nice for you to focus on the good for just a minute. I could not have been as productive during my first trip without your hard work and efforts! You were always patient with my questions, you never stopped making appointments, and you managed to convey a smile and encouragement through the phone each time we spoke. Wandering about a big city on an apartment hunt can be a lonely affair. Thank you for taking the isolation out of the search!
Neil
Thanks for the follow up call, and your easy to use directory of apts. The information from your site has helped a lot. My relocation plans shouldn't start until this next summer. My girlfriend is going to school in Boston and I was unable to move with her. I'll keep your website on my favorites for this summer and hopefully there will still be some available. I really appreciate how you opperate and will choose your company when the time comes.
Bryson
My time with GrandCentralApartments.com was short and sweet, which was just what we wanted. My husband and I only had a week to find a new apartment before I had to start my new job. Jesse called me the day I signed up for the service (which was a Sunday) and we came up with a game plan to find the best place for us in the shortest amount of time. I really appreciated the phone calls and check-ins. We were able to find an apartment in 3 days! I had a home by the time I started working again which was amazing. Thanks GrandCentralApartments!
Heather
I just want to say that I really loved being able to go on the website and search legitimate apartments and receive emails daily! It helped out so much in our search. While searching, we also used other free search engines to attempt to "widen" our search, we only found realty companies that put up advertising even without available apartments, or creepy ads on Craigslist. We also tried to go along with an inexpensive realtor, and ended up with an inexperienced and unreliable one. Rental Beast is the best option, way better and more legitimate than free online searching, without the expensive realtor! Thanks again,
M
I would highly recommend those relocating from out of state and searching for an affordable apartment in the outside suburbs of Boston to utilize the services of Rental Beast. As an out of state professional, I was able to speak with a Grand Central representative, explain the exact qualities I was looking for in an apartment, and immeadiately (within the hour) view four apartments meeting my criteria. I found an apartment that very day and moved in the following weekend. Rental Beast helped me find a safe, affordable home fast. Thank you!
Lindsay
Rental Beast helped me find a place to live when time was of the essence. Being completely new to the area and not knowing anything about the different towns, I was feeling overwhelmed. I found a suitable apartment in a nice community for a very reasonable price.
Tioraidh an-drasda,
Beth
"My experience with Rental Beast didn't last a week, and that's because in a few days I already had my appartment. I was lucky that the first apartment I went to visit was perfect for me. Still I wanted to check some other options before making up my mind. After looking at only two more, I told Jessica from Rental Beast that she didn't need to schedule any more appoitments because my search was done. If the fist apartment was perfect I didn't need to look for another one. The costumer service in Rental Beast is very efficent. As soon as they had my schedule they started to schedule appoitments for me, I just had to visit the apartments. It was very easy. I was specifically looking for a deleaded apartment and I am very happy I found Rental Beast to give me a list with that information. Looking for apartments can be very stressful and if ever need to look for anothe one I will use Rental Beast again. They made my life much easier."
Maria
My husband and I had the ideal experience. We had spent two months on craigslist and other search engines as well as realtors. Nothing worked, the searching took so much of our time.
Rental Beast found us a place in three days for half the money of a Realtor. They were also able to negotiate special circumstances like pets etc. I would recommend them over doing it yourself anytime. I would use them again!
Taylor