Oxford Street Realty

We rented our apartment through Oxford St Realty and they also manage the unit.
In general, the experience has always been pleasant, in their capacity as brokers and property managers. They are personable and quick to respond to issues.
As brokers: They did not try to pressure us into getting the apartment. There was nothing about «THIS IS A GREAT DEAL YOU HAVE TO SIGN THE LEASE NOW.» Jackie was straightforward, honest, and timely. She was much easier to work with and much less pushy than other brokers. It’s nice when brokers come across as relaxed and confident.
As managers: They are quick to address any issues with the unit. They do everything through phone instead of email which has taken time to get used to, but when we call, they are very pleasant and efficient in addressing any issues we have.
I’d recommend Oxford St to friends. They are a small office, and everybody (Jeff, Jackie, Tiffany) I have interacted with has been great. No complaints on my end!

If Oxford Street Realty is your management company or de facto landlord, consider yourself lucky. I’ve had a variety of landlords and more than a decade of experience renting. Oxford Street realty was the most responsible, respectful, and responsive of any landlord I have ever had. Whenever we raised an issue, it was addressed by Oxford Street. They proactively worked with us on several occasions to resolve outstanding issues. I found Jeff to be someone who cares about his business, his clients, and, most importantly, their tenants, which is no small feat, especially in the Cambridge area. They deserve the best review, and that is why I gave them five stars.

Oxford Street Realty has been hands down my best experience with a management company. My husband and I were tenants at one of their rental properties outside of Harvard Square for four years and were consistently impressed with their responsiveness, level of professionalism and overall care in maintenance of our apartment. They are proactive in keeping the apartment in good shape — yearly walkthroughs with prompt repairs on anything that is broken or in bad shape, even building an entirely new screened-​in porch at our property without us requesting (just as a way to continue to improve the apartment). We never had to chase them down for answers and always felt they appreciated and respected us a good tenants. That goes a long way! I highly recommend.

We are currently renting our second apartment through Oxford Street Realty and we are very happy with the quality and professionality of their service.
We found Oxford Street two weeks after arriving in Cambridge, and after having several terrible experiences with other agencies. Oxford is to date the only agency in Cambridge we felt completely comfortable giving our money to. The Oxford agents we met were nice to us, friendly, trustworthy and professional. They were not overly pushy and they did not give us the general shady feeling of the average Cambridge realty.
What really made the difference for us is that Oxford takes only one application at the time for a given apartment, so that if you like the place you will most likely end up getting it without having to compete with other applicants.
After we decided to move from our first place we went straight back to Oxford Street. They showed us an apartment the next day, we loved it, we got it. They took care of having the place deleaded in good time, and we even ended up moving in a couple of days before we planned. Great job!

We worked with Jackie at Oxford St. Realty and she was incredible. It was a true pleasure to work with her. We actually found our dream apartment on the first visit with Jackie. We submitted our application on the spot. She was so kind and helpful all the way through. I highly recommend working with this company. They are not pushy and very understanding.

One of the main reasons why I joined Unilocal was to write a review about Oxford Street Realty. I moved in to Boston in December 2011 and started looking for a place immediately. I soon discovered the city was full of agents trying to screw you over by putting ads for apartments that are not available so they can show you a place a lot worse, or hiding additional fees and letting you know at the last moment, etc.
But not Oxford Street Realty. I found out about an apartment after a long search on craigslist and contacted Oxford Street Realty since they were managing the unit. I talked to Jackie who took her time explaining me the procedures and answered all my questions patiently. I have been living in this apartment since December 2011 and do not have a single complaint about the way Oxford Street Realty managed this apartment. Most of my interactions have been with Jackie and Christine and they are both very professional and very friendly. Inspections, chimney cleaning, tiles of the kitchen being replaced, etc. Before all of these services I receive a call from them letting me know and from these experiences I know that they always work with the best companies for these services.
I have been recommending Oxford Street Realty to all my friends who are looking for a place in Boston/​Cambridge. This business deserves the best rating, because they are the best you can find. If you are in the process of looking for a place, call Oxford Street Realty.

I recently rented an apartment through Oxford Street. The place is also managed, for the owner, by the team there. The thing I’ve liked about working with them is that there *is* a team: Jackie, Jeff, Tiffany and sometimes Christine.
Christine helped me to pick out the apartment, as a some times professional counselor, I found her incredibly «non-​salesy» and helpfully consultative. After signing and making a deposit for the apartment, I was sent a hand-​written thank you in the mail, an appreciated touch.
Jackie and Jeff have been very helpful to me. I’ve rented from other agencies, specifically Marc Roos in Boston and Apartment Rental Experts in Somerville. I did not write Unilocal reviews for either.
When you chose an apartment in the Boston area, it’s very important you trust the landlord/​management company. I’ve had a few requests and I find the follow-​up swift, professional and organized. I don’t think I’ve ever had to deal with a management company that is happy to take my calls!
I’d highly recommend working with Jackie, Jeff & team at Oxford Street!

I had a wonderful experience renting with Oxford Street Realty, specifically with Jackie. We described to her what we were looking for, and she called us with an apartment before it was even listed. We saw the apartment and went with it because we loved it so much — we didn’t even need to look elsewhere to compare! Jackie seemed to be very knowledgeable about the area, and seemed to answer all of our questions honestly during the whole process. She was friendly and accommodating, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use her or Oxford Street Realty in the future!

Jackie at Oxford Street Reality is by far the best. Here is my story, after commuting from Rhode Island to Boston to work for six months it was time to find an apartment.
I started my search online, and was disappointed at the majority of what I found, and even more let down at the non-​response of the agents.
I headed up on a Sunday, and on my way up to Boston the agent that was supposed to show me properties called, and let me know he was canceling because he forgot to pack for his upcoming trip. Clearly I was never going to trust him with anything.
I resolved to walking up and down the streets of Cambridge walking into any agency that was open, and was repeatedly told that what I was looking for was «just not on the market».
I went to Lesley University, and had passed Oxford Street Realty my entire college career, never giving it a second thought. On this day my mother and I walked by, and pulled on the door. Jackie came up from behind us and said «Hi! Am I late?» — As it turns out, she was taking a couple to see another apartment (on her day off, I’d might add).
As we started to talk to Jackie, I knew she was the real thing. I even stopped our conversation to let her know how I felt. Jackie took time on her day off, and showed us two apartments THAT DAY! That fell in my budget, and were just wonderful. I’m writing this review from one of those apartments.
Listen, I’ve worked with many real estate agencies, and was even a landlord myself for a long while. Jackie and Oxford Street have their act together. Personal and professional attention is given to your search, and Jackie is dedicated to finding the right place for you.
If you’re looking, drop everything and head over to Jackie at Oxford Street. She’s wonderful! And a big Bruin’s fan — so brush up, ya know they won the Stanley Cup for Heaven’s Sake!

I was fortunate enough to live in a property managed by Oxford St Realty for over a year. It was the best experience that I had with a property management company in Boston. Both Jeff and Jackie are great, personable, funny, and attentive. Whenever an issue happened to come up in the apartment, they always met my standards for the solution.
I would absolutely recommend renting an apartment through OSR.

I don’t have enough good things to say about Christine and Oxford Street Realty.
We first met Christine looking at an apartment in Porter Square, she drove into the city from the north shore to show it to us on a Saturday, THEN she drove in again to show it to our other two roommates on Sunday! She is so nice and not pushy at all, but we didn’t love the place and ended up not taking it, Christine said she would call if she came across anything else we might like. We’ve had maybe ten realtors say this to us and not one has called, so imagine the shock when Christine actually called us to look at an apartment that hadn’t even been listed yet. So she drives in AGAIN on a Sunday, we took the apartment and could not be happier.
Christine is a sweet, honest realtor who will work unbelievably hard to make sure you find the perfect apartment. For as long as I live in Cambridge or Somerville I will use Oxford Street Realty.

Jackie and the people at Oxford street realty are great! She didn’t pressure us into the apartment and let us make our decision for ourselves. She is really down to earth and knows the entire area very well. They only deal with the best landlords so there won’t be problems once you find your dream place. Will definitely recommend them to friends looking for apartments.

I happened upon Oxford Street Realty after having seen a handful of apartments I was disappointed in and I have been nothing but pleased with their services.
I worked exclusively w/​Christine who was responsive and professional over the course of several weeks. I would have been thrilled to move into a place managed by Oxford because it was clear that they would ensure I would be taken care of, but I ended up renting an apartment directly from a friend. If my situation doesn’t work out, though, I’ll be certain to connect w/​Christine again!

I’ve known and worked with Jeff and Jackie at Oxford Street Realty as both a tenant and a landlord, and have been consistently impressed with their professionalism, service, friendliness, and efficiency.
I first met Jeff when I was a tenant in an apartment in Cambridge managed by another company. The heater failed in the dead of winter and the other management company did nothing, so my landlord hired Oxford Street Realty and they immediately repaired the heater, even though it was after hours. I met Jeff when he came by to take a look at the apartment and thought he was friendly and professional.
About three years later, when I moved away from Cambridge (and after having a terrible experience with Boston Realty Works’ «management»), I hired Oxford Street to manage my condo and find me tenants. I had no complaints about their service whatsoever. They charged me a fair rate, maintained the apartment, sent me financial statements promptly each month, and managed the finances flawlessly. They also sent hilarious Christmas cards.
If I ever find myself acting as a landlord in Cambridge again, I would not hesitate to rehire them. They are EXCELLENT property managers!

**I really don’t mean to seem like an irrational, conspiracy theorist, disgruntled complainer, so after this edit, I’ll leave this alone for good. But I think it is noteworthy that FIVE of the 5-​star reviews on here are from people who have only reviewed one company. Really? You loved Oxford Realty SO MUCH you just had to go start a Unilocal account so you could review them? After my poor experience and the follow-​up awful conversations with the owner, I just don’t buy it…**
In response to Jeff I/​Oxford Realty’s comment on my review (which he has since edited to remove much of his nasty tone and his statement that if I was unhappy I should have pursued legal action):
I didn’t pursue legal action bc that would have been a ridiculous next step. I felt that representation was less than completely honest. But as I wrote in my review, I did end up with an apartment that I was happy with, and I felt I hadn’t been charged any fees illegally.
I find it noteworthy that the chosen method of resolution for Oxford Realty is to wait 3.5 years, then post disparaging and false claims on my review. Thereby supporting my initial claims regarding their less-​than-​stellar business and customer service practices. Now we can add immaturity to the list.
And BTW, I didn’t come in as a sublettor, the property wasn’t on Ashland, I wasn’t told anything about the apartment being ‘good value,’ and Jeff’s retelling of the conversation (conversation for which he was not present and retelling which has now been edited) is inaccurate.

I have to comment too. We’ve had nothing but good experiences with Jackie and Oxford St., from applying for the apartment to moving in to renting (we’ve been here 6 months). Jackie is both the broker and the manager for our unit, so we continue to work directly with them, and it’s been great.
The only possible negative I can think of was one miscommunication during moving in, and it wasn’t serious. Things appeared a little disorganized, but since then, the service has been great. We asked for an electrician to make a customization to the wiring — we just wanted an extra outlet — and they got right on it within days!
After living the past two years in a rented condo that was managed by a horribly unprofessional firm, having to deal with various brokers who showed my old unit when I left it, and going through five different Cambridge brokers to find our current place, Oxford St. is hands-​down the best of the bunch. I’ve recommended them to friends and will continue to do so 100%.

Just a quick review from the other side of the fence.
Oxford has been managing my rental property for the past three years now, and I couldn’t be happier with them. They rented my property quickly and I haven’t had a gap in tenancy since I’ve worked with them. They take care of everything, not only managing the property but paying my mortgage and condo fee from the rent monies, helped me find good home insurance, find good (reasonable) contractors for repairs and improvements. They’re great communicators, keep me informed about what’s going on, but don’t burden me with chores or unnecessary questions.
I have had a couple of issues come up — it happens — which gave Oxford the chance to really shine. And they did! Without going into too much detail, I have been consistently impressed that when trouble appears on the horizon Jackie and Jeff take charge and get the problems solved, and when the mistake is theirs, they take responsibility.
I’m not sure how it looks from the renter’s perspective — as an owner, I know I still have a lot of control over what goes on in my apartment — but Jackie and Jeff have advocated for tenants to me. They’ve convinced me to be flexible about pets, for example, when I was reluctant.
I would recommend them heartily to anyone looking for a property manager.

I had a MUCH different experience with Oxford Street Realty than Smar T and feel compelled to share it.
I’ve only worked with Jackie, who showed me my apartment in ’05. I found the listing via craigslist and she was both responsive and attentive in helping me get my application processed and approved.
Oxford St then became the management company for my landlord and has taken great care of me ever since. They are available via email and on-​call service and respond quickly, even to non-​emergencies. She follows up on the actions they took based on my requests and is good about passing along communications between my landlord and me.
I’m glad I’m not looking for a new apartment anytime soon, but if I do, I’ll turn to Jackie first for assistance.