Serene Court Apartments 1130 Northeast 1st Avenue, Portland, OR 97232

"The owners of this building are completely neglectful. They only make repairs concerning the entrance and the lobby area. The windows are ORIGINAL- from the 1920s or 1930’s! Single pane, the frames are rotting apart. They let in every draft and noise from the busy highway and the moda center which is practically next door. We couldn’t have friends over because their car windows would be smashed (including in the middle of the day & late morning) Management will eventually respond to emails, but never actually does anything. I have heard a plumber on the phone trying to explain that they had to replace a bit of pipe because it was so old it was falling apart, and clearly having to convince the owners that they had no choice but to replace it. There are lots of issues with the pipes and electricity that take a long time to be fixed *very poorly*! The bathtubs have a bunch of caulk all around the drains because they don’t actually maintain the drains/ fixtures- when something leaks, they add more caulk. I didn’t expect to get our deposit back from these absolute slumlords but they charged us additional fees on top of our deposit- for painting. We specifically signed a lease saying that the cost to repaint was a flat rate $300, that it would be reduced by 50% after two years and would be waived after living in the apartment for 3 years. There were several accessibility issues such as a dumpster being moved in front of our paid parking lot that we’re never addressed. You can’t reach management by phone, often during emergency situations. Luckily, they are more responsive if they think their property will be damaged or they will lose money in any other way. I could write so much more but this is the worst building management/ ownership I’ve ever had in a horrible building. Even if you don’t have a car or care about highway noise & car alarms going off 24/7, you can find something so much better for the same price. These people should not be allowed to be landlords, especially for a beautiful old building that could’ve been restored instead of ruined"

"Historically beautiful!"

"Good things about living here: - Top location for public transport - Charming building - Quirky rooms with Trundle beds - Gas heating in each apartment - Good management & maintenance (yeah Kim & Steve!) - Lots of window light (depending on unit) - Good price for the area - For the 1 bedroom units there is a sliding door that separates the bedroom from the living/family/dining room. If you open the door and push the trundle beds in, you end up with a large gathering space - Fun old style phone-buzzer setup for opening the front door from your apartment - Next to Moda & Convention centers, great for going to events - Large tub that is fantastic for baths Less than good things: - If you do choose to live here, take detailed pictures before you move in and before you move out. We cleaned our unit to a higher standard than we received it in, and were charged more than our security deposit ($430) for some bogus cleaning fees. After not responding to our calls and emails for a month, they finally admitted they had no proof to back up their claims and dropped the charges - Car traffic caused by events at Moda & Convention centers - Parking is limited & cars parked on the street often get dinged - Homeless camps sometimes get large across the street - AC unit is a must in the summer - Shower temperature fluctuates heavily depending on neighbor's water usage (can get scalding) - No elevator - Lots of flies around entrance & open windows in the summer - Laundry is on the 1st floor, can suck without an elevator - Close to I5, though you do get used to the sound - Un-reinforced masonry building -- means you might die if you're in there when the earthquake hits Overall: I enjoyed my stay at Serene Court (though the exit process was a headache). Would recommend to friends, especially if they don't have a car"