The Cordelia

Mixed experience. When I signed my lease in Feb. 2015 the management and staff was top notch. Extremely friendly and extremely helpful. They used to tweet locations to visit for people new to the area. They would advertise restaurant deals, farmers markets, social events and everything. They would consistently ask what they could do to make my experience better. Maintenance staff was as helpful and friendly as can be.
Now, 3 management companies later and half the staff, as well as reduced hours of office availability, the place has really taken a turn towards crap town. It’s virtually impossible to get a hold of management by phone, they lose packages, and are all around just not there for the tenants. The maintenance staff is helpful and friendly but limited to the whims of upper management and there penny pinching ways.
Last year I would have recommended the Cordelia, but now I would advise steering clear.
Cheap construction and fixtures. The heating and cooling units sound like lawnmowers. Impossible to get anything done work wise is that’s on your agenda.

My husband and I are relocating to Portland for work and we only had 3 days to come up from the Bay Area to find an apartment. We had contacted several other apartments for the weekend, The Cordelia was our 4^th appointment that we had booked 2 weeks in advance. The day we were scheduled to take a tour, we received an email to confirm that we were coming in. The Cordelia was at the top of my husband’s list because it was close to his work and he liked the appeal of the building. We buzzed the intercom and a guy answered, we stated our business, we had a tour scheduled for 2 pm. My husband and I patiently sat down as we waited for our tour. We noticed a guy talking with a couple and a lady who was walking in and out of her office. A few minutes later, the guy looked frantic and asked what we were doing there, my husband told him that we had a 2:00 confirmed appointment for a tour.
The guy told us that there was no record of us coming, even though we showed him all the emails that we had been corresponding with the other gal! He then asked if we wanted to come back around 3:30. It was extremely frustrating because we had scheduled this tour 2 weeks in advanced, confirmed that morning, and rushed to get to our meeting. Most of all, I hate seeing my husband disappointed. He was looking forward to this tour so much, he told the guy we don’t have time because we booked other showings. We walked out. If this is how management does things, we didn’t want to be apart of it.
Positive note: We did find a place that we scheduled for the next day and guess what? The management at that place was more prepared for our next day appointment than The Cordelia was with our 2 weeks ahead appointment.

NOTE: The positive reviews you’re seeing for Cordelia almost all pertain to prior management staff that are no longer working here.
-/​/​-​
Cordelia is owned by TIAA-​CREF which uses a third-​party management company to run the premises on-​site.
We moved here in July 2015, right when TIAA-​CREF switched to a different vendor to manage Cordelia.
That vendor is Pinnacle; they manage several properties throughout the PNW.
While we had a pleasant experience with the prior staff, when we actually moved in that staff was gone and had already been replaced by new Pinnacle personnel.
Before our move-​in date, I called to confirm picking up our keys at the leasing office. The woman who answered (new Pinnacle staff) had no clue what was going on. But it was her attitude that was the worst element. She acted as if I was an annoyance, and told me she’d have to call me back to confirm *if* we were even able to pick up the keys that day. This occurred already after I’ve had movers scheduled for several weeks for this particular day. There was absolutely no communication on their part in advance. She tried to provide an excuse by saying they had just taken over and we’re getting their affairs in order. As the customer, that shouldn’t be my problem. You were hired to figure this out. You know people are moving in – because guess what? It’s an apartment! That should’ve been your first priority. Move-​ins.
I honestly could give a fig who is managing the buildings, as long as they have their shit together. These people, categorically, do not. The customer service is some of the most unprofessional I’ve come across in managed properties.
I had hoped these were all just one-​off events, but there are other issues that have occurred that have been disappointing particularly for the price we pay. I wish I could offer a better alternative but I’m finding that management staff in apartments that understand and offer quality customer experiences are far and few between.

New management company sucks, not worth the high rent. They had an amazing management team that cared about the staff up until July then everything went down hill.

I unfortunately had a really bad experience with this building and its management company. First off, the staff upon signing my lease were extremely nice and cordial. They answered every question, and went above and beyond to help. My issue with this building though stems from information I was given by staff when signing the lease. The building’s representatives lack of knowledge led to not knowing proper procedure and ultimately cost me an extra $ 1,000+ after I left the building.
A few notes;
— Building charges a fee for cleaning– even if the apartment is perfectly clean.
— As told to me by management company; staff is not on premise to help… they are there to sign you up for a lease and everything else is up to you to know via your lease… so please note that staff may be nice and «help» when in reality you need to help yourself and not trust that you are getting correct info from those being paid to give you correct info.
— As I moved out a few days before my lease was officially up, I was charged close to $ 100 for not keeping my ConService turned on… so please note; even if you do not live in your apartment you must have ConService turned on or pay a penalty
— Building management may say that they are trying to help, when in reality they want their money and do not care about anything else… may begin the conversation with them trying to understand your point of view, but end result is that they win and you must pay.
— Water does not get hot… it gets luke warm. Must leave water on for a couple of minutes before jumping in the shower
— Water pressure is not very strong
I leave this review because I feel my situation was not handled properly. The nice staff that greeted me when I first signed my lease was no where to be found upon the dispute with the management company. I feel it is a respectful thing to stand behind your word and own the fact that you made a mistake… unfortunately with this building you can guarantee that they are not on your side and only care about the bottom dollar. So please read your leases carefully and stay away from this building.

I lived at the Cordelia for 7 months. They did a great job on building the place and the management staff led by Heather was phenomenal. The staff was always courteous and helpful. When an opportunity came that I couldn’t say no to, Heather stepped up and made my transition to the new opportunity better than ever.
If you are looking for a great apartment building with a great support staff to make your living in NW Portland the best, you must go check out the Cordelia and make sure you say hello to Heather and her staff.
Patrick Ormiston

I’ve been living in The Cordelia for exactly two months now and not only the building, but the folks running the building are terrific. From the initial tour when we were looking, to the paperwork process, to now living there for a couple months, every experience has been nothing but great. We personally love the outdoor patio; firepit and grill.
Beggars can’t be choosers, but if I could change anything, The Cordelia would have a rooftop deck area. Other than that, this place is a no brainer between quality of living, the Leasing team and overall location; close to 21^st and 23^rd, walking distance to the Pearl and not too far from SW area (Boxer Ramen, Powell books, etc).

I’ve been living at the Cordelia for 4 months. I have been really happy here with the apartment, the management staff is excellent, they go above and genuinely want to help.
The apartments are beautiful and well constructed. Sound from other tenants has been minimal. The amenities are great. The other tenants are really friendly and the apartment organizes group outings that seem to have a pretty good turn out. I do wish that the latte machine was a bit more reliable, which they’re working on, and the parking cost seems a little steep.
On the flip side, having my own washer and dryer has also allowed me to escape the undies thief…
Overall if this place can fit your budget it is well run, is a beautiful building, with awesome location and better prices for more then you get in the pearl. You will be happy living here!

Heather was so kind and helpful to us through our leasing process. There was no pressure to sign anything or commit to anything. She showed us different units in our price range and made our dogs feel at home the entire time. She even provided dog treats and bottled water. The apartment building itself is beautiful and the rooms are brand new.

I’ll start this review by expressing that this was the most relaxing leasing experience I have ever experienced. Not only was the customer service wonderful, but this is the first leasing office that made not only us but our dogs feel welcome :). We are excited to move in to a beautiful studio this month and enjoy such a beautiful new building!!! The housing rep we had was Heather and she is simply a treat to work with :)

My partner and I were wowed by the open house at the Cordelia. After seeing the property, we just had to put in an application. We moved in this month and it immediately feels like home. Not only is the apartment amazing but the common area is the perfect contrast of modern and inviting. We can host the 90^th birthday party for my grandma, or throw a swanky brunch equip with fantastic expresso (compliments of the house). Can’t wait to see what the coming year has to bring in our new home.

Their lease contract states that lease takeovers are fine as long as you obtain landlord permission. Permission was verbally given to us before we signed, which was the primary reason for us signing a lease at this location. After finding our replacement, we were denied a lease takeover and charged nearly $ 2200, while being told «verbal permission doesn’t matter». Businesses that demonstrate this kind of indifference should be avoided at all costs.