Delphi Properties

Was very upset/​disappointed/​mad when they wouldn’t agree to reimburse my roommates and I for our cable box that broke due to leakage from the upstairs renters ceilings. Doesn’t really make sense to me

Delphi is one of the worst and rudest property management companies I have ever encountered. I am a current tenant and we have multiple problems in our apartment every month from the shower water randomly turning blistering hot to the heat not being on in frigid cold weather.
This week, water leaked from our ceiling onto our cable box and Delphi refuses to do anything about it and will not replace our cable box. What if it was a 1000 $ television that was damaged from their lack of upkeep? Apparently it doesn’t matter and we are responsible to pay?
Furthermore, The staff is terribly rude, the woman at the front desk is always so rude and not a people person at all. The maintenance people are unbelievably rude (literally like the rudest people I’ve ever met) and I believe one of them stole something from my apartment.
Overall, the buildings a sh*thole, the staff are terrible, and you would rather live anywhere else than in their building. My roommates and I are not resigning the lease and good luck to whoever moves in next. 0 stars.

Delphi is the first property management company I have rented from, but third landlord experience overall. I’ve never had a problem until this company.
PROS: The unit itself was nice with lots of light. The Commonwealth Avenue location was great. The kitchen had a good layout and all of the appliances worked fine. In general, my roommate and I liked the unit.
CONS: Requiring a company to install and remove AC units or else be charged a fine is absolutely ridiculous, certainly they must be getting kick back from that arrangement under the guise of «insurance policy rules.»
It took 2 months exactly to get our security deposit back. Originally we received a check with both of our names on it on the very last possible/​legal day to receive our deposit back. We had to do a request to get one of the names removed (because my roommate and I now live on opposite sides of the US), and again despite acknowledging receiving the request/​paperwork at the beginning of the month, they waited until the very last possible/​legal day (although I’m just assuming they would have 30 days, really I would think it would be ASAP) to send it. Even when we called several times to check, first it was «oh I’ll check with accounting» then «well I have no clue, we don’t handle that, they said it was sent last week when I called them.» then «I don’t know, if you want you can call back tomorrow and I MIGHT have an answer for you.»
The security of the building is awful, and their process for working with brokers is downright shady. We booby-​trapped our apartment and discovered someone had entered our unit without permission, and we even had our next door neighbor as a witness. Needless to say we filed a police report. They also give out your personal information (name and phone number) to all of the brokers, and give all the brokers keys to your apartment. That day when we knew someone had entered our apartment, they couldn’t even tell us who it was despite insisting that they have a log. Knowing that there’s a ton of random strangers out there all with keys to your place, not being held accountable for when they enter is terrifying.
They also didn’t want to allow my roommate to sublet her room because they «couldn’t be sure the subletter would move out at the end of the lease.» yet they said if we both agreed to move out a week early, they would allow it. How does that even make sense? We didn’t bother pursuing it, but I can’t help but wonder if they would have given us back our money for moving out early too or were they just going to scam us out of that last week on top of some crazy subletting fees.
They ran a promotion that if we moved out early, they would put us into a raffle for some amount of money. Who knows who the raffle winners were, if there were any. What we ended up winning (as we did indeed move out early) was them trying to pawn off the utility bills after we moved out, but before someone else moved in, on us. We were sure to change the names on the accounts the day we moved out and pay any remaining balances, so thankfully it’s definitely not on us.
In conclusion, I would not ever rent from this company again, and would pursue alternate opportunities if I ever had the chance to move back to Boston.

I have dealt with some crappy (and occasionally criminal) property management companies in my time, and I have to say, this one is OK, especially compared to nightmare slumlords like Alpha and Samia.
This is the time of year when landlords ask their tenants if they want to renew their lease for September. The way Delphi handled this was way nicer than what you usually get (a letter in January basically saying «Your rent is going up $ 100, agree to this immediately or GTFO»). Instead the letter from Delphi was very reasonable and said that if we renewed promptly our rent would not increase, and we should let them know if we are thinking about subletting or need more time to decide.
Oh, I almost forgot, they let us move in almost a month early, without even charging extra, because the previous tenants vacated early! This was a life-​saver and let us avoid much of the ⁹⁄₁ craziness.
Cons: The quality and layout of the units in our building (1713 Comm Ave) varies wildly. Ours is pretty nice and has recently-​refinished hardwoods. When I moved in, I peeped at some of the units that were empty and had open doors, and some of them were pretty grody. Also, our building allows dogs, and the hallways (which are carpeted, unfortunately) often smell of dog piss. I do wish they wouldn’t work with the rental agency Advise Realty; avoid that incompetent company at all costs.
I’ll update this if they try anything shady with the security deposit at the end of the lease or if anything else goes wrong.

My husband and I absolutely loved living within these properties. We rented a one bedroom garden apartment for two years, subletting for six of those months. I found the staff EXTREMELY responsive to any question, concern, or problem I had throughout the two years. The location of the apartments are great, right between porter and Harvard sq. I never felt unsafe, with residents and passersby walking by at all hours of the night. My favorite thing about this company is their response time, despite them not being in the same building. Unless it was a weekend, I never had to wait more than 24 hours for a response, sometimes as quick as 30 mins. I did not have a pretty, so I can’t respond to those questions/​concerns. However, my husband and I were extremely sad to send in our ending lease. Great, they were great.

If I rated my apartment soley on the fact that I can have my two dogs there, it would get 5 stars. However, that really wouldn’t be a fair representation of the property and management company.
I live in one on the buildings on Lothian Road in Brighton. Incredible location on the Brookline border, about a 10 minute walk from Cleveland Circle and the Resevoir. It’s also about a 10 – 15 minute walk to Brighton Center. You can walk to various restuarants and business and the T is just down the block if you want to go downtown. The streets surrounding the buidling are all non-​resident parking, so it is convenient to have visitors. However, this is often a double-​edged sword as you’re unlikely to get a spot if you arrive after 6pm. There are many apartments within walking distance that are renting spots for $ 125 – 150 a month, which is completely worth it. There’s nothing worse than having to circle the street for an hour (or more) just looking for a spot.
The building itself could use some work. It is very old, but the brick façade is quite nice. They try to maintain a bit of shrubbery outside the front entrances, but it’s nothing to write home about. The main door into the building from the foyer is often jammed and I had to have my keys replaced because they would no longer open the front door. I wish that they would update the buzzer codes as I don’t think the names have been changed in years. Be sure to let your friends or delivery person know what apt you live in, otherwise they could never tell. Once you get inside, it looks like pretty much every other old building in Brighton. The first set of stairs are granite (which is a safety hazard when it’s wet. When I moved in it was raining and I slipped down the entire set of stairs, nearly breaking my tailbone) followed by three flights of carpet. Given that there are so many dogs in this building, they are often covered in a blanket of hair. It looks much nicer when they come to vaccum the common areas, but it doesn’t happen as often as it should.
I find my apartment to be an absolute gem. It has a lot of character and I love that it has hardwood floors throughout, all of which were in pretty good condition when I moved in. However, there were a lot of problems during my first inspection. The first day I got there, the apartment was an absolute mess. The people who had lived there before me had a large black lab, and there was hair everywhere. In the closets, in the corners, in the kitchen cabinets and drawers. Everywhere. When I opened the fridge it smelled so bad I thought I was going to vomit. They had repainted recently and there were splatters all over the french doors into the living room as well as the glass cabinets in the kitchen and all over the floors and wooden closet doors. I think they were in a rush to make some quick fixes and I wrote a very long narrative of all the issues I had. They fixed most of the problems right away, and apologized for the issues.
Generally, I’ve had a pleasant experience with the management staff. They respond fairly quickly to calls or emails and have always been nice. However, the problem I have is the way they respond to maintenance requests. Over the last couple months, I have had a lot of problems with my apartment. Cracked, leaking ceilings, broken closets/​doorknobs, faulty ignition on the stove, questionable carbon monoxide alarm, you name it, it’s probably happened. The issue that I have is that although it seems as though they come within 48 hours, there’s never any notice as to what they fixed and if the work order was complete. Sometimes there is a sign on the door that there was a maintenance employee inside, sometimes not. Sometimes you can tell if the problem has been fixed, sometimes you can’t. I wish they had a better system to followup and to ensure completion of projects.
Overall, I have found it to be a nice place to live. Rent is reasonable given location, but they do chanrge an additional $ 25 per pet/​per month, which I find to be a little bit of a rip off. Nice place to live if you want easy access to Boston and if you have some four-​legged friends that will be joining you. FYI, if you are not a pet owner and/​or don’t like animals, this is not the place for you.

We moved in just a few weeks ago — and I have to admit, at first I was very, very skeptical. My husband was the one who looked at and chose the apartment for us to rent, and I had only seen a short video that he took on his camera. From that video, the apartment seemed quaint and pretty nice, but I had never actually seen it until the day we moved in.
I’ll have to admit, the main section of the building could use some work. The main doors don’t always shut properly and the keys are really finicky in the locks. There are definitely some cosmetic things that need to be fixed up in the main hallways and areas, but it isn’t terrible by any means. It’s a very old brick building, so it’s only natural that things wear and tear.
When I got into the apartment, I noticed that a lot of things weren’t cleaned up or dusted, and there was paint spatter from an obviously quick paint job all over the floors. The kitchen was disgusting, and the bathroom door didn’t close. Needless to say, I didn’t have a very good first impression.
However — a cleaning crew came up about an hour after we got here (without us calling for them), and cleaned not only our apartment but also the hallways and stairs, which was nice to see. I have seen them here about once a week to clean and vacuum the common areas. They did a decent job cleaning up the apartment, although they really only cleaned the sinks and the stove. After we did a deep, deep clean of the floors, walls and pretty much everything else, we managed to get the majority of the paint spatter off and have the place cleaned up really nicely, which was helpful and made me feel better.
You do have to sign a condition statement when you move in saying that nothing is wrong — unless you write an additional statement, which we did. They have been super prompt, professional and courteous to us since we’ve been here, and the maintenance crew has been great. They’ve already replaced the bathroom doorknob and the kitchen sink plug, they’re ordering us new igniters for the stove and a new bathroom vanity. They’ve also fixed a couple of our doorknobs that didn’t shut all the way, and gave us a new mailbox cover and key. Any time I call (and I’ve called a few times already) to have something fixed, they are great about getting a work order out and they are usually here to fix it within a few days. We’ve done some spackling and cleaning up of our own, too.
They’ve also spackled and-​repainted the hallways, so they look much cleaner and it’s much brighter now. It seems like they do mild cosmetic work on the common areas year-​round, which is good for keeping the place decent-​looking.
For the low-​rent we’re paying, and for this place allowing large dogs (we have a 65 pound dog), it’s a steal. It’s in a great neighborhood, close to the T, and these apartments are really quiet. I wasn’t happy with the initial state of things, but after working with everyone here I’m really glad that we chose Delphi, and we plan on renewing our lease to stay for the two years we plant to be in Boston.

As property managers, Jeff and his associates were extremely efficient and courteous to work with.
He helped us through the process reliably, and assisted promptly with the few incidents where we needed him (a squirrel break in and a lockout).
Not only did he help me find a new lessee to take over for me when I decided to leave a few months early, but also he did a walk through with me to confirm that no substantial damages were done. We did not go rock star on the place, in fact we fixed a number of things, but we had scuffed some floors and repainted over a wall, and we didn’t want to take the chance of losing our deposit. Jeff really put us at ease about it and without making any promises, let us know we shouldn’t worry and we trusted him. That’s how to do business. I got my check in full, and that was that.
One funny thing about moving in: they gave us a document to sign saying there was no damage to the apartment and everything was clean. I guess people sign these sometimes? Obviously it’s a 100y/​o building, I found a gazillion things wrong and submitted an 8 page essay on it, which raised some eyebrows, but on the upside, he read it, got us new window locks, a resurfaced tub, and everything very fast. It was great; I was willing to move in as was, but I guess they were happy to receive a detailed report of repairs needed too, and the result was awesome :)
PROS: Management. The building takes dogs.
Cons: The elevator is temperamental. The units don’t have fuses inside and have low capacity. You have to go downstairs to flip them. Also, some units abut the gas station, which smells bad, but it’s a gorgeous neighborhood, and if you close the windows on the right nights, it’s a great place to be in Boston. I’m happy I lived there.

The employees are friendly yes. But I have lived here for 2 years and the amount of hassle and frustration I have gone through is not smoothed over by a pleasant disposition. Broken stove 3 times, malfunctioning carbon monoxide detector, leaky kitchen ceiling, leaky hallway ceiling, an emergency number that doenst have a voicemail! clogged drains that needed a plumber to change the whole system after coming 4 different occasions over 2 years, 2 deadbolt locks on the door and we were never given a key to open the top lock but now that we are moving some realtor apparently had the key that Delphi said they did not possess and locked us out on a Saturday night in the sweltering heat. The interior of the bldgs also need work. My advice, if you’re in college and want to be in Allston/​Brighton I’m sure you aren’t going to mind some broken windows or rotting molding around your doors but anyone who works for a living will!

So I have only lived here for a few months, but I am extremely pleased with this place.
It get’s 4 stars automatically just for allowing me to have my dog in the city. Many people won’t allow my dog even though he’s a super sweet lovable bulldog. (You can often find him on one of the benches in front of the place!)
It’s an extremely well kept building, and every time I have had to go into the office they were very friendly. I work overnight at the hospital so they even help coordinate with me if I need something fixed ever. Even with how many dogs that live in the building, there never seems to be an issue with it smelling bad or being dirty.
I do wish the laundry machines would sometimes not eat my money. That can be quite annoying. I usually do my laundry at off times, but considering there is only one laundry room for 3 buildings I have never had an issue with not being able to do it. I definitely was surprised by that.
I don’t get annoyed by the Fenway crowd, and actually like living in an area with lots of people most of the time. Plus you can hear concerts by going right outside the door, which is always cool.
My only hope is that eventually I can get a 1 bedroom in this place since I’m in a studio right now!

The employees in the office are friendly except when overworked. The laundry machines are often overloaded with quarters and therefore do not work. Even then, this is a great place to live. Of all the apartment buildings on this block, the three buildings under this management are the best ones. This company cares about landscaping and price.

I had a pretty good experience with Delphi. No one at the office or on the phone was ever rude to me. They were good about maintenance except for one time right before I moved out. The most surprising thing was that I actually got my whole deposit back plus some interest. Of course, this is as it should be, but I’ve heard lots of horror stories about Boston being THE place to never expect your deposit back even if your place is in top shape and super clean. Their place on Lothian tended to get packages stolen a lot which was shady and the outoing mailbox could not fit netflix movies… honestly what else do I use regular mail for?

PROS: They were the cleanest, cheapest dog-​friendly accommodation my roommate and I had found– best bang for your buck. My apartment was absolutely huge, and they did fix all of the life-​altering problems we needed fixed. Also, they were working to improve the interior and exterior of the building over the course of the year that I lived there, and they did not raise the rent when they re-​offered us our lease. The maintenance guys who came to the apartment to fix things were great and helpful, which was nice after Con #1.
That being said:
CONS: Dealing with them was usually like pulling teeth. Everyone who you might deal with from the office was rude and gave you attitude. If I requested a repair, it usually resulted in two visits, because it was done incorrectly the first time. This was a huge problem with my place, because the previous tenants were slobs– lots of stuff needed to be repaired upon move-​in.
The biggest problem I had with anyone was the exterminator. He improperly cleaned up mouse droppings by vacuuming them (which can spread disease– they are supposed to be doused in bleach and then picked up) and then filled my 9×9 kitchen with 10 mousetraps, including three on the counters where I ate! It looked like Wil E. Coyote was waiting for the Road Runner to dart through my kitchen. Finally, he used rodent poison TWICE and did not notify us, even though he saw that we had a dog who might eat it by accident.
And finally… they made us move out a day early! You know how most landlords work out a time when you are supposed to be out on the 1^st of the month so the new tenant can move right in? Well, Delphi said that since leases officially end on the 31^st at noon we had to be OUT by then. All of my friends who rent, and my new real-​estate agent, said we were being hosed, but they wouldn’t budge. I spent the night with a friend and my stuff spent the night in a Uhaul (which thankfully wasn’t broken into.)
And the most irksome part? The apartment wasn’t rented for several months after I moved out, and sat empty.
Long story short: The love for your dog will outweigh the inconvenience. But if you don’t have a dog, you probably will be happier elsewhere.