First of all, this rental is a full unit rental, so you don't need to, and most likely won't interact with the owner at all. I don't have the slightest problem with that. If anything, made the stay more comfortable.
Everything is handled via emails and a custom app for the rental, which is modern and convenient: you can check in in the middle of the night if that's what's your schedule is like.
The price is better than most hotels.
The units is huge! For Boston standards at least. Has two rooms, bathroom, living room, dinning room, kitchen and a small room on the back. The view of the city is also quite good.
Warning to older travelers: it's on a third floor, and no elevator since it's an old building. So if you are carrying huge luggage you might struggle.
Dorchester might not be the best neighborhood of Boston, but this particular area of Dorchester is quite good: it is safe, reasonably clean, reasonably close to the T (and there are buses there too if you don't want to walk), close to a shopping mall (which includes a grocery supermarket) and to several small restaurants (next to a very good one actually).
I would definitively stay here again.