A guide to living in West Midlands

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

It’s been amazing living at Elliot’s yard, the front desk is very quick to respond to query’s. The receptionists are very welcoming and pleasant.

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

Yes and very timely , when my curtain fell and needed help putting it back up it was done the very next day

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

It does get a bit noisy when there’s maintenance work going on

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

New all through school being built this goes from reception - sixth form Local supermarkets nearby Quiet and friendly people

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

Always available to help with any questions/issues

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

Make a list of any questions, we did this and all the questions were answered straight away

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

The local area is very convenient, with a good range of supermarkets, restaurants, cafés, and essential services within walking distance. Public transport links are reliable, making it easy to travel around the city. There are also nearby parks and open spaces for recreation. The street is generally quiet and well maintained, with regular bin collections and minimal anti-social behaviour. Parking can be limited during peak hours, but overall the area is pleasant and safe to live in.

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

Building management has generally been responsive and helpful. Any maintenance issues or concerns I have reported were acknowledged promptly, and updates were provided throughout the process. Most issues were resolved within a reasonable timeframe.

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

I wish I had known more about peak parking times and the best local amenities before moving in. It would also have been useful to know about nearby shops, transport shortcuts, and community facilities, as these have made daily life much more convenient. Overall, there were no major surprises, and the move-in experience was straightforward.

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

I want to start by saying that my first year here was genuinely one of the best living experiences I’ve had. There was a real sense of community, the building’s first anniversary celebration, New Year’s gatherings, neighbours who felt like family. I still look back at photos from that time with a smile. Sadly, that Cortland no longer exists. The building has gradually shifted to student accommodation, and with that shift came a noticeable drop in how residents are treated. The atmosphere in communal spaces has become unwelcoming. Practical issues that have built up over time: 1. The bin room is in a genuinely shocking state. I stepped in today and the level of dirt was such that I was genuinely concerned for my health. 2. There is persistent, strong odour in the lifts and corridors , no ventilation, no resolution. 3. The communal rooms look impressive but are largely unusable. There isn’t a single glass available anywhere in the building, residents have to walk back to their own flat just to get a drink of water. The coffee machine has also been removed. 4. Monthly residents’ meetings are scheduled at times when almost nobody can attend, and have been cancelled on several occasions. The reception situation deserves special mention and to be clear, this is not a criticism of the staff. The reception team are doing their best in an impossible situation. Staffing has been cut significantly most of the time there is nobody at the desk, and at best one person trying to manage everything at once. You can see the exhaustion and low morale on their faces. The warm, genuine smiles that used to greet you are gone and I don’t blame the staff, I blame the system they’ve been put in. The clearest example of how serious this has become: a couple of weeks ago, an ambulance arrived at reception looking for a resident. There was nobody at the desk. I happened to be passing on my way to the gym and personally walked the paramedics to the resident’s apartment, because there was simply no one else and a life was potentially at risk. I later found out the sole reception staff member had been taken off the desk to show an apartment because the leasing team no longer exists and reception is now expected to cover that role as well. This is a structural failure by management, and it has real safety consequences.

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

Residents’ meetings which are the main channel for raising issues — have been cancelled on several occasions and are consistently scheduled at times when most residents cannot attend. Beyond that, there is little evidence of issues being acknowledged or acted upon. The problems I have described (bin room hygiene, smells, understaffing at reception) are ongoing and unresolved.

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

I wish I had known how much the building would change. When I first moved in, it felt like a genuine community, well-managed, welcoming, and full of life. That is not what it is today. The communal spaces look impressive, but in practice there is nothing available to use. It wasn't always like this there used to be pots, cutlery, and kitchen equipment available. Now you'd be lucky to find a handful of items. Among residents, the general feeling is that management is cutting costs wherever possible, which would explain why even the most basic amenities have quietly disappeared.

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

Great location with very easy transport links. Easily walkable to the Bullring, mailbox, etc. Beautiful park right across the road and a supermarket nearby too.

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

Yes. When I moved in the door lock needed to be repaired. It was done in less than 20 minutes.

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

Don’t try and get an uber when the crowds are leaving the stadium. Traffic is chaos, but it only lasts for about an hour.