hello. Leaving another bad review. Don't ever go to this company. They sucks. We called the emergency services and never got a call back. Unpaid fire alarm company payment resulted in a violation from the fire department. Just stay away from this toxic company. read more

Really tough experience to go through. My home was flooding for months. Due to negligence I moved out for 3 months. Only after that, was I able to get repairs. I also served very well as project manager for the entire repair because this company was not interested in easily solving the problem. Rude, Not truthful, not so much mean as dismissive. Beware. Little buildings are at risk when hiring this company. Left 2 stars because eventually I was able to move back in after repairs were made so they did eventually solve the problem. read more

Unreliable. Unresponsive. No follow-through. No accountability. Avoid them as a property manager at all costs.

Avoid RELB and Chris Burk at all costs. I would even recommend not buying into or renting in a building that is managed by this company. They are nothing but a total disaster. Your funds will be mismanaged, some bills will go unpaid, while other bills will be unnecessarily paid (RELB paid our Verizon bill for 8 months after we directed them to cancel). We were fined for some code violations 3 years ago, and never informed because the notice went to RELB. For 3 years late fees and fines piled up to a total of $3600 while none of the property owners were aware. Not to mention that Burk will require at least 3-5 reminders before completing any request that has to do with your building. Not once in 5 years of dealing with him did he complete a request the first time we asked for it. After owner meetings, he would promise to send minutes and follow-up documents and not provide these for months on end, until we would give up and just stop asking for them. I suspect other funny business with the money management, but cannot prove it due to the limited view of what we can see and access. If you see RELB or Chris Burk, turn and around and run away as fast as you can! I am honestly not sure if it is apathy or ineptitude, but either way the result is the same. Total calamity. read more

The worst person I've ever dealt with. Vincent is terrible at his job & I can't believe someone walks around this earth in this manor just being so aloof to the outside world. He deliberately does not care, is a liar and worst of all will never answer any of the questions you ask. You could ask him one question in an email & he completely avoids it & will respond with un truths or nothing at all. Also his "out of office" automatic email response to his tenants is verbatim "do not call my office & do not email me because I will not read it & if you need to get in touch with me, email me again when I'm back in the office" of which sed office has been closed since beginning of covid. Don't be fooled by his positive reviews, THOSE ARE PAID FOR BY VINCENT HIMSELF. read more

Vincent and RELB deserve ZERO stars. We terminated our contract months ago and they refuse to hand over our bank account funds and continue to ignore our follow up attempts! What an absolute joke and disgrace of a building manager. read more

Vincent and the team at LaBarbera treated us horribly. We lived in a LaBarbera-managed property for one year and the management issues were why we ended our lease. Throughout the terms of the lease, the team were unresponsive. Once we told them we were planning to leave (during the height of COVID in June 2020) they insisted on in-person walkthroughs. We told them we were absolutely not comfortable with strangers in our apartment and they told us they would take our full security deposit as a fine if we didn't comply. We took photos after move out to prove everything was in great condition, which is absolutely was. We paid for cleaning (from Vincent's recommended service), filling in nail holes and repainting. They took the entire security deposit from us saying the apartment was left in shambles! We sent the photos and he told us if we wanted to challenge their assessment, we should take legal action because it was their final decision. They didn't have photos or any proof of any damage or dirt. Obviously we aren't going to get a lawyer for $4k but good gracious, how predatory. When we searched for a new place to live, we made "not managed by LaBarbera" our #1 priority. Please please please save yourselves the true HELL we went through and do what you can to avoid this property manager. read more

RELB and specifically Vincent LaBarbera are not to be trusted at all! This business has a reputation so poor, even the City of Hoboken's Housing Authority knows about their horrible customer service. Somehow they remain in business even when there are plenty of people who have left reviews indicating the business has stolen from them. As a property management company, Realty Express has broken their contract terms and even gone as far as hoarding money that is not theirs. And if you're lucky at all to even get a response from them, even their excuses and accounting explanations don't make sense...this business stinks of fraud and theft so beware before engaging in any business with them. read more

If I could give Zero stars, I would. Vincent is the most shady, least reliable person I have ever dealt with. Good luck getting him on the phone. The only reason he's ever answered my calls is because I've called from different cell phones where he probably thought I was a prospective renter. The only reason I use them is because they are the overall management company for my entire building, so there is a pricing incentive. Otherwise it truly cannot get worse than these guys from a customer service standpoint. I will be fair and say that Joseph Nichols is a bit better in terms of responding and keeping me in the loop but it is impossible for anyone to compensate for the rudeness and overall lack of professionalism from the business as a whole and their leader, Vincent. read more

Beware of the fake reviews. Ask anyone in Hoboken and they will tell you that Realty Express Labarbera is utter trash. First of all, their rental listings are sketchy. The rental listing for our apartment advertised kitchen renovations that the landlord had never planned to do. When we moved out, they made the same false promises in the listing and used pictures from YEARS ago that do not reflect the current condition of the apartment. They advertised the unit as a 3-bedroom unit suitable for 3 people when it's very clearly a 1-bedroom unit. When potential tenants traveled to view the apartment, they were in for a rude awakening and we had to awkwardly explain to them that they had been misled. Vincent was rude and hostile in every communication we had with him from day 1. The apartment we rented had serious issues (peeling paint, burn marks on the walls, broken windows, garbage and dirt, flooding shower, etc.) and they shrugged it off saying that the unit had always been that way. Eventually, the shower flooded to the point where they had to do a much more expensive repair than they would have needed to do if it had been properly addressed when we brought it up the first time. For a company that has been in the business for so long, they made mistakes that not even a novice landlord would make. They withdrew rent from our bank account TWICE in a single month and forgot to give us our security deposit back within 30 days of us moving out. They contacted us nearly 6 months after we moved out to ask us what happened to the laundry card and if we can deliver them to the new tenant - that's their job to track down, not ours! After talking to numerous people who have rented from or used RELB to manage their property, I learned of their horrible reputation. They post fake reviews in hopes to trick those who are moving into Hoboken from out of town. Don't fall for it!! read more

Property: 12th and Washington Street. Had a pipe leak Dec. 26, 2022, flooded the common stairwell. As of today, Feb. 17, 2023, no headway made to remedy and bring hallway back to original state. Pretty embarrassing to have to wait 2+ months in essentially a construction zone with no end in site. Had poor experiences with them in other properties in Hoboken in the past as well. read more

Customer service isn't their strong suit, and lack of transparency and proactive communication is zero. They act like they are the ones doing you a favor when in fact, you are the one paying them to manage your property. Really terrible firm. I recommend not using them if you can avoid it. read more

I've never written a Yelp review before, but I felt it was my duty to warn potential renters. Vincent was one of the main reasons I did not renew my Hoboken lease. From the moment we moved in, there were problems. The apartment was absolutely filthy (looked like it hadn't been cleaned in over a year)--and this was at the height of COVID--my roommate and I had to fight with Vincent to get cleaners to come, sending at least 20 emails back and forth, adding to an already very stressful moving experience. This was Vincent's reply: "I am sorry but a dirty floor does not impact you moving in, is it slightly inconvenient, yes, but doesn't impact moving in at all." Vincent's emails were short, rude, and condescending. He demanded that we not CC Joseph on emails (who was actually nice), even when the content of the email literally applied to Joseph. I ultimately stopped asking Vincent to fix broken things (as things broke often) because our interactions, even just over email, made me so uncomfortable. When things would break, Vincent would send a handyman, however he would NEVER give us a date or a time, which is absolutely RIDICULOUS. I work from home so it would be extremely stressful when the handyman would show up unannounced during my work meetings. I will say that the handyman himself was nice and respectful. During a storm, my window literally FELL OUT of my wall. Luckily, none of my personal belongings were damaged. And the windows normally do not even open. I asked Vincent to send someone over, and the guy looked at the window and said that the window was old and needs to be replaced, but that there was nothing he could do. Upon move-out, I followed Vincent's instructions EXACTLY, fearing there would be an issue. I hired a professional cleaner (even though the apartment hadn't been cleaned for us), attached proof of receipt, and dropped off the keys correctly labeled at the office. Vincent's reply was this: "You do realize that if the new tenants complain about the cleaning, you will be charged for another cleaning? I hope they did a fantastic Job." No 'thank you,' just a rude reply because I had used a different cleaning service than his "recommended" one--he never said it was required, plus the cleaning service I used had been given to me by my Hoboken realtor (so it was clearly reputable). He did give us our deposit back, but dealing with Vincent was a nightmare. read more

RUN FROM THIS COMPANY!! Just another example of the condescending and unprofessional behavior of this company. See emails from owner's son, Vincent LaBarbera, below. Issue is that we were just notified of a State re-inspection date for 4 units which I am unavailable for and I asked if we anything can be done about that. We were never notified by RELB for the initial inspection date: On Dec 13, 2022, at 10:45 AM, Vincent LaBarbera vlb@relb.com wrote Gi, This has nothing to do with being helpful, as your sarcastic comment states and to say something like that is more disrespect than anything else. This has more to do with your feeling of being self entitled to change a state inspection because you, 1 of 7, are out of the state. Your vacation or work trip or whatever is taking you away from the unit does not warrant a state official to change an inspection nor for me to even consider asking. As a courtesy the inspector provided this to me well in advance whereas normally it's 2 weeks at best. I am sure you have many friends or family that can help you out, or one of your fellow neighbors better yet. Have a nice day. Happy Holidays! Vincent.LaBarbera Partner.Property.Manager. Realtor.Associate. NJ.Notary.Public. ____________________________________ On Dec 13, 2022, at 11:02 AM, Vincent LaBarbera vlb@relb.com wrote Yes a reinspection, if it was the initial inspection then it would say all units. So this is the inspector accessing those he didn't get into last time whenever that was in the past year. You have a very disrespectful attitude, one day you will learn and you will be put in your place. Surprisingly your uncle hasn't helped you with that already. For the record, I don't work for "daddy" I have always been an independent contractor, and my father is my business partner, not employer. I have always worked for everything I have and where I am in life. Must have been nice to go to school for 7 years and not enter the real world at 18. Listen to your elders, they know more than you do. Happy Holidays! Vincent.LaBarbera Partner.Property.Manager. Realtor.Associate. NJ.Notary.Public. read more

Vincent is THE most miserable property manager I have ever had the honor of interacting with. From the first day we moved into a FILTHY apartment, through finally moving out, he was awful. The apartments are old and poorly maintained. In only one year we had mice, roaches, and the apartment below us had their ceiling cave in from a leak. We unfortunately didn't read these reviews until it was too late. No management company is perfect, but STAY AWAY from RELB. He reserves the right for himself or others to enter your unit WITHOUT notice. When notifying him that this is a violation of the lease, he said that a tenant asking for maintenance is considered "advanced notice". The apartment had damages that he refused to fix in the year we lived there. Including a massive hole in the bedroom door that was left by the previous tenant. read more

This is the worst run property management company in the state of New Jersey, and quite possibly the United States. Vincent does not know how to speak to you without being extremely condescending. Ultimately, he will either refuse to help, or send someone out days later to check out the issue. Your problems do not matter to Vincent. Vincent will not follow basic landlord/tenant laws, such as giving proper notice to enter the apartment. Expect people to show up at your unit with no notice and unscheduled showings when you are ready to move out. If you try to explain to Vincent that he needs to schedule viewings since you work from home being that we are in the middle of a pandemic, he will scoff at you. The only thing I can say Vincent does well is respond to you. However, this response will only be via email. He refuses to speak on the phone or meet with you in person, which is incredibly frustrating. Sometimes, a 30 second phone call is much easier than 50 emails back and forth. This is especially true since Vincent quickly resorts to insults and sarcasm. If you choose this company to manage your property, expect tenants to move out. If you are a future tenant and see the property is managed by Vincent, I'd recommend finding a different apartment. read more

Make sure you are persistent about your security deposit, too; if you wait for it to be returned, they will hold on to it. They were unresponsive initially (shocker) and did not receive my security deposit back until my father and I threatened legal action. read more

Vincent LaBarbera has been the manager for my Condo association for the last eight years. He has been UNBELIEVABLY responsive. I used to joke that he must sleep with his cell phone. He always returned my emails immediately and took care of any issues I had. I would definitely recommend Vincent and his staff. A pleasure to work with. read more

There is no end to the damage that has been done to our building after having RELB as our property manager. We find new corrupt, inept, unbelievable things every day as we pore through paper work and previous records. Do not use this company. read more

Stay away, far away. Zero stars is a more accurate assessment. I worked with them for over 12 years...11 years too many.

I don't believe the positive reviews on this yelp page for a second. My roommates and I had a terrible experience with LaBarbera. For starters, several different people (a handyman, an exterminator, real estate agents) had the keys to our apartment and would just show up without warning. Secondly, there was a gas leak, requiring that our stove get replaced and we were without a working oven or stove for at least two weeks without any reduction in rent or visible effort on LaBarbera's end to speed up the process. Thirdly, a required fire exit to our basement apartment had rusted shut, and we requested that it be fixed. After six months of emails back and forth with Vincent where he repeatedly ignored the issue or told us condescendingly we could open it "by pushing from the inside or pulling from the outside," we felt we were forced to withhold rent to get the issue fixed. This worked, but he withheld money from our security deposit for it, even though we paid him immediately after the issue was fixed. Fourthly, the apartment had an unpleasant bug&mice problem that LaBarbera made no serious efforts to remedy. Finally, nearly every email we received from Vincent was short and rude. When my roommates and I looked for a new apartment, it was an immediate non-starter for us if LaBarbera Realty was involved in any way. I hope no one else ever has to go through this experience! read more

Vincent is a piece of work. Absolutely impossible to work with. I moved out of my apartment and terminated my lease simply so I didn't have to deal with him. He's unresponsive, unprofessional, and disrespectful. He's not a property manager. He's a bully. I'd hate to see anyone have to deal with his abuse the same way I had to. Steer clear of any properties associated with Anthony LaBarbera. read more

these guys are awful and unorganized. I tried renting out their 3020 #1a Edwin Ave which really sucks because I liked that location a lot, but it's been an awful experience. the realtor cady hasn't been able to pull out any actual steps, the manager Joseph just sends emails and doesn't do anything. It's completely unorganized the manager Vincent is evidently a complete ass read more

My building had managed by RELB for years, but recently their service has greatly improved. It has been a pleasure to work with Chris Burk, who is extremely quick to respond and offer assistance. In fact, he even helped me complete a form at no cost, when a potential lender was giving me a hassle. Thanks, Chris! read more

We have been with RELB as a management company since 2006 and have been happy with their service throughout this time. Our first home we bought from RELB and they had done the renovation. The work they did was very good and their follow through whenever we had issues was exemplary. In that house, we had to redo the facade of the building and Vinnie (in their property management group) helped us to navigate the bidding process, he ensured the special assessment after building reserves were used, and managed the scheduling of the contractor. The whole process was very smooth and we thank Vinnie for that help. When we moved into our 2nd home in Hoboken, we fired the existing management company that was a legacy of the builder and was really doing a terrible job, and brought in Vinnie from RELB again. He had to do a lot of work pulling together the building financial accounts as the previous group had done a terrible job of keeping records. We have had some building issues and some maintenance work done and in each case, Vinnie has worked to help us get to resolution for the benefit of all of our condo owners. There are one or two who send Vinnie quite rude and abrasive emails but he manages them well and helps the rest of us to get through whatever issue it isle are trying to fix. Overall, we would recommend RELB as a property management company and will continue to use him in this home, as well as in any future buildings we are owners of in the future. read more

Hands down best management & realty company I've ever worked with. If you're lucky enough to have John as your landlord try to never move! I lived in Hoboken for ~ 2 years and experienced the following: 1- My apartment and common space (laundry, hallways, etc) were always clean and well maintained. 2- John is very responsive, even picked up my packages for me when I was working late and carried ladders up 3 flights of stairs for me when I needed to get things out of storage several times 3- I always felt safe coming home, my building had cameras installed outside which made a difference coming home late / in the dark. 4- Everyone is very kind and easy to get a hold of. Nothing but great things to say about my experience with RELB. Sadly I'm leaving the area, but would recommend John & team 10/10 times. read more

Very shady, rude and unresponsive. I'm not one to write yelp reviews, but I'm just shocked that Vincent and Christopher actually run a property management company. They are apathetic about the properties and the people. If they both don't like working in this business, maybe they should just sell it or retire. Because not attending to owner building issues and sending them messages telling them to stop emailing their company is appalling. I don't recommend using this company even to my worst enemies. As my Uncle always said, buy cheap and get junk. Maybe they can get you a cheap rate but they low quality service and headache is not worth it. They don't even have the proper paperwork in place for HOA management (ie never sent me company of the management contract), so not sure they are even a legally run company. There a hundreds of better management companies out there! read more

If I could give them zero stars I would. They were my property mgmt company for over 10 years and they did nothing. Not helpful and when there was a problem tried to push the work back on to me. Vincent LaBarbera is unprofessional and quite frankly rude in e-mails. Horrible experience read more

After years of headaches trying manage my investment property in Hoboken, I'm so glad that my agent (also at Realty Express) connected me to Vincent. A very reasonable monthly expense buys me tremendous peace of mind, particularly when tenants complain or if emergency repairs are needed. I know I can hand these off to Vincent and apart from the occasionally large repair bill, which I don't begrudge, I don't have to worry about a thing. read more

I'm just a recent homeowner, so can't compare it to another Management Company, but so far, really great. Vincent's response time is SUPER fast (literally, sometimes just a few short minutes). Online payment is easy too. read more

Rat and pigeon infestations. RELB ignored it. Their reps and owners are so rude via email, wish they would care about their business and their customer service. Hopefully we get rid of them soon. read more

Terrible. Vincent LaBarbera has know of a large hole in the top of the building for over a year and has not fixed it. Because of this, bird's continue to enter, get trapped and die in our walls leaving a horrible health hazard for the tenants. I have written him directly on the matter but he refuses to respond. read more

As owner of Maslyn Door Company, I just had the pleasure of working with Chris Burk of Labarbera Property Management in Hoboken NJ. Chris was patient and understanding during the entire process. His knowledge of the industry made my job so much easier. Upon completion, payment was immediate. Thank you Chris. I look forward to working with you in the near future. Mike read more

I cannot do anything besides echo the sentiments of those who have also reviewed before me. I, as you can see, have never done a yelp review in the past, but was SO compelled by the constant issues over 3 years as a tenant that I needed to make an account and post something. List of issues (just off the top of my head -- I don't have all day to reflect on everything): - Charging a realtor fee of 1/2 months total apartment rent to change the name on a lease. Not sure at all what expenses this covers, as they charge the standard application fee as well. This is a pain to do, as most people do not want to pay an additional month of rent they will never get back - Finally got somebody to accept the fee...he showed up with everything for the application besides a voided check. Instead he had his bank information. Instead of accepting this or starting the application and having that provided the next day, he was turned away to return with everything (thus delaying his approval during a time sensitive move). - At least once they double drew my rent at the beginning of the month. While the money was always put back, it sometimes took a little time, and any questioning of why this occurred was met with what I consider very dismissive and rude responses. Almost as if they could not understand why there would be concern over excess money being drawn from the account. I consider myself lucky I kept more than 2 months rent in that account, otherwise I'm guessing they would have tried to stick me with the overdraft fees caused by their mistake. - They were late getting me the details of a lease renewal, and then tried to say that I was at fault for not committing to renewing or not renewing on time (60 days before lease end). Was I really going to say I'd be staying on without knowing if the rent was increasing and by what amount? No matter what I stated they refused to acknowledge this was their mistake. - Allowing maintenance men into the unit without any prior consent of me or my roommate (nowhere in the lease is this mentioned as allowable). Further, the maintenance men cut holes in the wall of the unit looking for the origin of leaks on another floor. Turned out the leaks were not even originating in my unit. Vincent (partner of this, in my opinion, ridiculously heinous operation), promised they would fix the holes in the wall --- months later nothing had been done. Speaking of Vincent...I don't even know where to start. First off, you may never speak with him on the phone. No matter how simple or complex (and thus more crucial to speak about) your matter is, trying to call him is, in my opinion, futile. Email is the way in which he chose to communicate with us. Secondly, no matter what you ask of him, no matter how calm or polite you make it, you will often be met by, what I would consider, rude, unhelpful, and condescending responses. He actually once referred to a genuine and important question as "foolish" in a response. And while both my roommate and myself could reason the answer to the question, based on how convoluted and complicated we believe everything is with this company, it should not have been unreasonable to confirm. He is legitimately the least pleasant person I have ever worked with, personally or professionally. In over three years of communication I have not once had an interaction that leads me to believe he cared for my interests as a tenant. He seemingly is quick to dismiss your issues as irrelevant and equally quick to blame you for any issues he encounters. I understand there are rules and regulations he needs to follow, but there is no reason that his emails need to be as hostile and condescending as they are. It's a shame that they don't have to win or be courteous to customers (and instead just have the properties), because I'd have to believe they would be out of business quicker than you'd finish reading an email from their office about how "foolish" your questions are. UPDATE: I didn't think I could be blessed with more to say, but this past summer I was surprised to find out I was wrong! In a lease renewal conversation (via -- you guessed it! -- email), Vincent relayed to the current tenant that the lease would not be renewed due to the owners concerns. However, Vincent expressed that he would consider revisiting the conversation if my yelp review was taken down from this site. I did take it down and he held up his end of the bargain, as I believe the tenant to still be living in the unit. But just take a minute to think about this! This is, in my view, somebody who would sacrifice his professional responsibility (to both the tenant AND the owner) over a singular review. Ironically, it would have been much more beneficial (in my opinion) to have acted in a kind and professional manor -- but that seems increasingly unlikely read more

If I could give them a zero I would. Joseph Does not respond to phone calls, text messages or emails. I have been trying for over a month to rent an apartment from them and they do not respond. I have a thread of over 10 inquires both from me and my agent. It always an excuse. Please don not list with them. They are horrible! read more

Vincent is the worst property manager I've had by far and would give 0 stars if possible. Do not believe any of the positive reviews. He is rude and is the least helpful. He doesn't do anything but tells you to reread the lease. No customer service skills or even common decency. read more

Really bad experiences with Vincent. We have only contacted the property management company twice (in a year of being affiliated) and our requests were more than reasonable. Both times, Vincent has been rude and unaccommodating. We are good tenants who pay our rent on time always, and almost never contact them. Our expectations of property management are quite low, and yet we have been disappointed more than once. read more

RELB manages our condo and historically, we've had a very poor experience similar to most of you here. However, during the last few months, Christopher has taken over our account and he has been very responsive and very helpful in addressing our concerns. Since Christopher's arrival, communication has been fast and pleasant and he treats us fairly and politely. It's totally understandable that many of us have had terrible experiences, I've been there. But if my experience has shown me anything, it's that having the right person can make a huge difference. Yes, there is a lot more work to be done and we will continue to hold RELB accountable for their management but I hope this level of service and mutual respect continues into the future. read more

This is a review for the property management service located downstairs, this is separate from their real estate rental and sales side of the agency. I purchased a condo a year ago that is managed by RELB, and J.H has been our assigned contact person. As a disclaimer, this is the first time I have owned a property and dealt with a mgmt firm so I don't have anything to compare it to, but we have been pretty disappointed with this place. It was extremely difficult to get a hold of J.H to request documents while we were in the sales phase and trying to meet a set closing date. Even when lawyers tried to contact him, it was like pulling teeth to get anything out of him. Now that we are nearly a year past the destruction of Sandy, the front hallway was just re-tiled about 3 weeks ago after all the owners badgered J.H about it all year. The stairs are still torn up and awaiting new carpet. We are hoping that by the 1 yr anniversary of Sandy he might help schedule contractors to fix it up. We have been putting off having a house warming because the entrance to our building is so atrocious. The front door buzzer apparently had been out of service for over 2 years when I moved in. Residents had to go downstairs from the 3rd floor to let guests or delivery men in. After a dozen emails and phone calls to Jason, he responded. As it turns out, it only took a single visit from the intercom company to do a quick fix... My realtor, whom I adore and trust, advised that he is one of the best in Hoboken, so maybe that just means there aren't that many great places in Hoboken. read more

Should be zero stars. While the vast number of other 1 star reviews do a pretty good job, I have some gems to add. Vincent refused to send me the contract between our building and his management company stating 'we don't just send it to anyone'. I suppose being named in and bound by the contract doesn't qualify me in his eyes. He went into my account and made payments from my bank account without my consent (if I cared more I would sue given this quite illegal) and then stopped his services 2 months early when we asked to terminate our contract in 90 days (as per the stipulation in the contract he refused to send me). Everything he does is done so in an extremely rude and unprofessional manner, including cursing out one of the building maintenance folks we hired after Vincent refused to pay him. Ask around Hoboken and you will quickly see Vincent has a terrible reputation. Stay as far away as you can. read more