A guide to living in Greater Manchester

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Wonderful location close to the centre alongside the amenities in the building are really good. Would like to know more regarding their expansion on parking availability as it doesn’t seem as though there are many spaces.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Usually when raising a query on the app they are very quick to respond or leave comments to arrange a time in which they will come and solve the repairs

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Options on electric companies with my efficient energy saving

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Excellent location, tram to the airport in 40 minutes, four stops to the city centre. Local parks in seconds, post office minutes away and two local shops in minutes. The area is currently going through lots of new build opportunities appearing

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Yes, I logged an issue with my air ventilation system which was resolved in 24 hours, a friendly maintenance technician arrived who was friendly and fixed the issue in minutes

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Floor plan arrangements would be very useful prior to moving in once the place has been offered

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

The area is great, a 10 min walk into the city centre and a 15-20 min drive to the M60. There is lots of free parking opportunities in the evenings and weekends but also a lot of paid parking. Recently a few more local coffee shops have opened including the one in the bottom of the building and a new wine bar opening soon too, over the years there will be a lot more places like this which is exciting. Victoria train station and tram stops are only a 10 min walk away, lime bikes right outside and co wheels available also so plenty of transport opportunities. But there is only really one way to drive out of the area which is onto Blackfriars road which in peak times is super busy.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Most of the time the building management have been great with responding to problems and issues, such as maintenance requests, when we've had issues with key share, ovo engineers coming out etc. There's been the odd time where I've raised something and the team look like they simply cant be bothered / don't care about what's happened or what's going on, specifically to safety measures.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Car parking - if you want a car parking space commit as soon as you move in. The leasing team say there is the option in the future to get a parking space but there isn't, even though a large % of the car park is unused. Many people have moved in recently and they gave spaces away using a raffle system which isn't fair for people who have been waiting for a space for months who have been here since the development opened. Bins - Cortland have recently implemented a 30L max bin bag is allowed down the chute, we've lived here since November 2023 and have a 50L bin which now we've been told we shouldn't be using. This wasn't an issue until the building got busier around July / August this year.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Perfect location for city centre & quiet (no traffic noise or anti social behaviour outside the building). Although there has been parcel theft and car break ins in recent weeks.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Reception can be slow at times to respond to requests but most of the time are friendly and helpful. Maintenance team have been requested once and were super helpful.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I did not view the apartment before moving in but if I had seen the reception area, working spaces and gym beforehand I would have been sold. Only thing which would affect that is how thin the walls are as we can hear all of our neighbours and due to accepting all kinds of tenants (including students), it can sometimes become noisy. I think stricter rules should be brought in so that it is made clear that this behaviour is not acceptable.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Great Location, minutes from the city centre with great range of shops, restaurants and bars. There is also two convenience stores on your doorstep and a lovely coffee shop. Although the development is minutes from the city centre, it is perfectly placed out of the way enough to not feel overwhelmed with the city chaos!

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Fantastic! Contacted Amira with a fan and boiler query and maintenance was with us within a couple of hours who were also extremely helpful.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I didn’t view the apartment prior to moving in as I lived on the other side of the country, either way I would have still been sold from the welcoming staff, amenities and the apartment itself. However, the one thing I wish I knew was how thin the walls are,I can often hear my neighbours quite clearly so I think I’d of strategically viewed a few more apartments in the complex to try and reduce the noise as I have spoke to others that don’t have this problem.