Draft:BostonApartments.com
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BostonApartments.com is an American online real-estate marketplace serving the Boston metropolitan area and Massachusetts. The website provides listings for apartments, residential properties, commercial real estate, and roommates. It was founded by Massachusetts real-estate broker Eric Boyer and has operated as an independently owned real-estate website since the 1990s.[1][2]
The website has been listed as a housing resource by universities including Boston University and Harvard University. In 2010, the City of Boston declared June 1 "BostonApartments.com Day" by resolution. The designation was associated with a charitable campaign supporting organizations including the Pine Street Inn, American Red Cross, Jimmy Fund, Habitat for Humanity, and Operation Adopt a Soldier.[3]
History
[edit]Eric Boyer, a Massachusetts real-estate broker, founded BostonApartments.com. Boyer has stated that he began providing computer-based services through the FidoNet bulletin-board network in the 1980s and subsequently developed an online real-estate service.[1][4]
The BostonApartments.com domain was registered in 1995.[2] The site developed as an online apartment-listing and classified-advertising service focused on Boston and surrounding communities. Its listings included apartments and roommate advertisements and were used by landlords and real-estate agencies.[3]
By the early 2000s, BostonApartments.com was being used as a housing-search resource by people looking for apartments in the Boston area. A 2003 discussion on the Student Doctor Network, for example, identified BostonApartments.com alongside the Boston Globe as a source for finding apartments in Boston.[5]
Boston University subsequently included BostonApartments.com in a housing resource guide. The university described it as, alongside Craigslist, one of the most highly used online apartment-search resources in the Boston area and noted its apartment and neighborhood search functions.[3]
2004 fair-housing lawsuit
[edit]In March 2004, the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston filed a federal lawsuit against several Boston-area real-estate businesses and websites, alleging that advertisements appearing on their websites contained language that violated federal and state fair-housing laws.[6][7]
BostonApartments.com was among the websites identified in reporting about the lawsuit. The defendants included Boston Apartment Rentals, operated by Eric Boyer, as well as Marc Roos Realty, A & S Realty, and Apartment Depot.[6]
Contemporary reports described the lawsuit as an effort to apply fair-housing standards to Internet-based real-estate advertising. The Fair Housing Center alleged that advertisements containing phrases such as "professionals only" and "no undergrads please!" could discriminate against protected classes.[6]
Boyer denied knowingly permitting discriminatory advertising on BostonApartments.com. Contemporary reporting stated that the website contained thousands of apartment and roommate listings and that Boyer did not edit advertisements posted by users. The site also maintained a disclaimer stating that real-estate advertising was subject to federal fair-housing law and that discriminatory advertisements would not knowingly be accepted.[7]
The lawsuit was notable because it concerned alleged discrimination in Internet real-estate advertising at a time when online classified advertising was becoming an increasingly important alternative to newspaper advertising. Inman News described the case as an early example of a fair-housing lawsuit involving online rather than newspaper rental advertisements.[7]
BostonApartments.com Day
[edit]In 2010, the City of Boston declared June 1 "BostonApartments.com Day" by municipal resolution.[8]
The designation was associated with a charitable initiative promoted by Boyer. The stated purpose of the day was to encourage people to appreciate having a home while remembering people experiencing homelessness and to make charitable donations.[8]
The charities promoted in connection with BostonApartments.com Day included the Pine Street Inn, American Red Cross, Jimmy Fund, Habitat for Humanity, and Operation Adopt a Soldier.[8]
BostonApartments.com subsequently continued to promote June 1 as BostonApartments.com Day and described the occasion as a day for giving thanks for one's home and supporting charitable organizations.[8]
Services
[edit]BostonApartments.com provides online real-estate listings and search functions for apartments and other residential rentals, residential properties for sale, commercial real estate, and roommate listings.[9]
The website has historically emphasized direct listings from landlords and real-estate agencies and has maintained a database of properties in Boston and surrounding Massachusetts communities.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Boyer, Eric. "BostonApartments.com | 30 Years of Local Expertise". Boston Apartments. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
- 1 2 "BostonApartments.com | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
- 1 2 3 "Housing Resource Guide" (PDF).
- ↑ "Boston Apartments FAQ - Ask the Editor of Boston Apartments". BostonApartments.com. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
- ↑ "HELP! What about Fido? If you are from a big city, esp. Boston, read this!!! PLEASE". Student Doctor Network Forums. 2003-03-06. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
- 1 2 3 "Internet real estate sites accused of discrimination". Inman. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
- 1 2 3 "Fair housing advocates take on agents' Web sites".
- 1 2 3 4 "The City of Boston Declares June 1 BostonApartments.com Day". bostonapartments.com. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
- 1 2 "Boston Apartments for Rent | No Fee Rentals in MA". BostonApartments.com. 2026-08-17. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
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