ComplaintsforCortland

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 20, 2021, the hot water heater in our apartment burst, due to rusting from the inside out, and caused severe flooding of the entire residence. While maintenance attempted to salvage some personal items, some damage had already occurred, and some property was irreparable. We were advised that because we had purchased only liability insurance, which was incidentally purchased through Cortland, our policy would not cover damages and also that any personal belongings would not be covered by Cortland's policy. Although multiple requests for property insurance information and corporate contact were requested, Cortland management dismissed our concerns and were generally unresponsive. I was finally advised to write a letter with an itemized list of property damage, conservatively estimated around $1000, which would be submitted to a risk management team. I received a call from an unidentified number from someone named ******* who did not listen to my concerns, was rude, and raised her voice. She stated the cause of the leak was due to "normal wear and tear" and not negligence. When I asked again for corporate's number, I was told that Cherlye was the corporate contact and she handled "all matters related to risk management." Bottom line is that the hot water heater burst due to rusting from the inside out, which is not disputed by Cortland. Cortland had knowledge of its condition because a maintenance tech inspected it shortly after move in. It is Cortland's responsibility to maintain it. A tenant would have no control over its condition. We are not responsible for property damage due to Cortland's negligence. It was solely the responsibility of Cortland to maintain the hot water heater in good condition for the safety of their tenants and their property.

  Business response

  03/16/2022

  Hello,
  
  As soon as we were notified of the water heater burst by a neighbor, we took immediate action by setting up dehumidifiers and fans inside the apartment. We then transferred your daughter to a new apartment and handled the move entirely. As the home only had the default liability which is the minimum coverage accepted, it only covers damage to the home itself. We recommend to all applicants and residents to purchase a more comprehensive plan through their personal insurance provider should they need additional coverage for their personal belongings. As a courtesy, we were still able to offer $250 in concessions though. While we understand your frustration with the situation,our team did our best to go above and beyond to make the situation right. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Cortland ********************* in ****** ** is a beautiful apartment complex and we have been living here since September of 2021. In January of 2022 I owed $460 dollars and received an eviction notice for that amount.. both my husband and I contracted covid and were in bed for at least 2 weeks.. then my husband was then diagnosed with pneumonia and lung failure and was minutes away from being put on a ventilator and ended up being admitted to the local hospital for about a week. My husband and I own our own business so between having covid and my husband being in the hospital, I had to shut our business down almost the entire month of January to protect our students (we own a music school). Before the 30 day notice was up, I reached out to the manager wanting to pay the $460 on the eviction notice- but because it was February 2nd, she REFUSED to accept anything less than the past amount, plus February rent, and fees associated which came out to almost $5000! I pleaded with them, tried to explain our situation to them, that we have been out of work, and that my husband was facing a ventilator and probable death, that I couldnt financially or emotionally handle the pressure they were putting on me. I offered to pay even all of what was on the eviction notice and half of February rent and to allow them to even give me another 30 day notice if needed (to which I would definitely pay) but they unapologetically told me that if I didnt have ALL of it within 2 days I would be evicted. I ended up needing to surrender my cats because they were charging me over $2500 worth of fees all at once to have them. We ended up taking a loan to be able to not get evicted while my husband recovered in the hospital. Since then, they have been harassing us including coming in to our apartment without reason to preform unnecessary audits about EVERYTHING possible including trash, payments, pets, cleanliness, etc. ************** is so unbelievably unprofessional they call/email at 9:00pm at night!

  Business response

  04/14/2022

  HI *****,

   

  We certainly understand your concerns. However, regarding the eviction notice, we must be consistent in how we handle any overdue payments or it could be seen as a Fair Housing violation. At the time, there was an overdue balance from January as well as February rent which was due. Regarding surrendering cats, we have a 2 pet limit in all of our homes and there were 7 in your home. Again, while we understand how frustrating this may be, we must be consistent in how we enforce the rules of our leases. We were able to give you until the 15^th of February to pay the remaining balance as well as surrender the remaining cats not on the lease.

   

   

  ***********************************  l  Social Media & Online Reputation Manager
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Roof leak in our apartment on 12/30/2021 caused damage to our belongings not covered by our renters insurance due to structural damage to the building. Leaking water accompanied by the formation of mold on our windows also discovered. Mold cleaned temporarily, but could return if windows continue to leak. Also concerned with ventilation and potential for mold to be contaminating the **** system in our apartment. Roof Leak and Ceiling repair pending completion. Home occupied by myself, my husband and our 3 small children. The leaky roof and especially the mold presenting a significant health and safety hazard for our family. Cortland representatives and management in our community unresponsive to email requests for information needed to resolve this matter, they do not effective communicate repair timelines, and show disinterest in providing reasonable solution for damage that occurred to our personal property. ***************** advised they do not cover due to structural damage. Multiple requests for property insurance information and corporate contact to our property management unanswered and ignored.Latest email sent on 01/13/2022 still not responded or acknowledged. Have experienced several issues renting in this community. This and many other issues during our almost 3 years here demonstrates a larger structural problem with the apartment/building we occupy. No reasonable consideration or compensation given by property management in this case. Photos and videos available. Not able to attach video of leak, can provide upon request.

  Business response

  02/07/2022

  Hi Alexandria,
  
  At this time, the items in your home have been addressed.Unfortunately, some of these repairs were delayed due to COVID-19. We understand your frustrations and have agreed to allow you out of your lease with no penalties on 2/20. Please let us know if you need anything else.
  
  -Your Cortland ****** Team

• Initial Complaint

  01/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  During the construction of my apartment **** cortland failed to completely cement my bathroom floors causing a massive hole that I nearly fell through. i have filed a complaint to have it fixed but they are now charging me 135 for repairs even tho they caused the issue

  Business response

  02/02/2022

  Hello ***************,

   

  We understand your frustrations regarding the subfloor repair that had to be conducted. At this time, the work has been completed. To clarify, the $135 charge on your account was not related to the repair work and was your sewer ****. In going over this with you, we noticed that the utility company, Conservice, was reporting water usage of **** gallons. Your community manager and director of operations then contacted Conservice and were able to successfully have that **** adjusted. Please feel free to reach out to your team at ************************************** if you need any further assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  12/14/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I moved into the Preserve Apartments in November, 2018. I noticed that many of the outside light fixtures that turn on at dusk in front of each apartment are either off (which makes it dark around the area) or are missing their frosted plastic covers (which hurts my eyes with the bare bulb). The covers just fall off randomly. You can still see some of the covers on the ground today, after years of just lying there. Ive periodically asked several people including the office manager, *****, maintenance manager, *******, and office associate, ******* (no longer there), to get the fallen covers put back onto the fixtures and to replace burnt bulbs. They each said the issues would be resolved, but they were not. On 5/6/2021, I contacted the head of Cortland, *******************************, by email, and he had ***** call me the same week. ***** said she would start the process to resolve the issue and that I could follow up with ********. She said it might take awhile, but did not say a specific timeframe. So, I followed up by email with ***** and ******** on 8/9/2021, and I did not receive a response. On 10/05/2021, I emailed Mindi, Christin, and ****** expressing my frustration, and ***** responded saying she would have *********************** reach out to me. That same week, I walked out of my apartment, and Jenn and the manager, *****, were walking by my apartment. Jenn said that they were ordering brand new fixtures and that they would be installed on everyones apartments in about one month. They made sure I had a new fixture and installed new fixtures on 2 apartments around me. But, thats all - it made no difference, because I walk around the entire complex, not just right outside of my apartment. Almost two months later, and nothing else has been done. I still walk around my complex and see missing/fallen covers and burnt out bulbs everywhere. This is supposed to be luxury living and they claim to pay attention to detail on their website, but Im experiencing the exact opposite.

  Business response

  02/02/2022

  Hi *******,

   

  We share your frustrations with the lighting around the community. At this time, we are conducting weekly lighting audits to address them. As a longer term solution, we have also ordered all new light fixtures. However, due to the supply chain issues that are being seen globally, the shipment has been experiencing delays. We ask that our residents please bear with us and thank you for your patience. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at ****************************************************.

   

  **************, Community Manager

  Customer response

  02/02/2022

   
  Complaint: 16359907
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have been requesting assistance on this issue since 2018, so I dont believe you. Also, the same light bulbs have been burnt out for over 2 years, and nothing has been done about those, and I see them every night. You all are liars. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  02/03/2022

  New fixtures are on order but delayed due to supply chain issues. They will be replaced when they arrive at the community. This is Cortland's final stance on the matter. If you have any further questions please reach out to *****************************************.

  Customer response

  02/03/2022

   
  Complaint: 16359907
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I did not ask Cortland to replace all the fixtures with brand new ones. I asked you to put the fallen covers back on. You can clearly see from the photos that the covers still sit on the ground, yet you all do nothing to get them back onto the fixtures or remove them as trash from the ground. There are no excuses. And, there are burnt out bulbs that you havent replaced, yet you say you do nightly checks  I wish you all would stop trying to appear as if youre doing something when youre doing literally nothing. Stop the lies and the facade. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  11/24/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am a victim of identity- theft, I am writing to request that you block all accounts disputed as fraudulent on my credit reports with Transunion, Equifax, and Experian. This information does not relate to any transactions I have made. I did not give anyone authorization or consent to use my personal information. I hereby exercise my legal rights enacted by Congress and The ************************* which explicitly states when a victim of identity-theft dispute a fraudulent account on his/her credit report it shall be honored by all credit bureaus and all fraudulent information should be blocked within 4 days and proper notification shall be given to all data furnishers pursuant to section 605b of The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.1. BROOKSEDGE bal. $0.00 Acct # *******

  Business response

  12/02/2021

  ******
  
  We regret to hear that you are experiencing this concern. In looking over your account from 2018, there is a small balance left over from your final account statement, however we do not have any evidence that would indicate that this charge from your time living at Brooksedge would be fraudulent. If you would like to discuss this in further detail to add some clarity to the situation, I would be happy to speak with you directly at ***************************************
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩