Does anyone use Northwood Lettings

emjauk

I use them to rent out my house, they have caused nothing but problems. The best bit is with the guarenteed rental is when you want to end the contract they kick the tenant out. So you can't just move to another agent after your 12 months with them.
I use the Wrexham branch, staff are rude and the owner has no backbone and they take months to sort out the smallest of problems. Do no regular checks of the property. All they want is the money.

I am due to leave them in April and it is a shame that the current tenant will have to leave as he likes living there. The only way he could stay there is if I pay Northwood 6 months loss of rent! Yeh right!

Slinky

GillsMan7 wrote: »

Just to say, that we were tenants through them last year in Crawley and found them to be a breath of fresh air. Maybe it just varies from branch to branch?

Certainly better than our current agents. :mad:

We used Northwood in Crawley to sell our flat late last year, because we bought it through them and they gave us a VERY good rate. They specialise in lettings rather than sales these days, but since they use Rightmove we let them have a go anyway.

Can only reiterate GillsMan7, we had a very positive experience of the staff and they achieved a VERY good price (£19K more than another in the same block which completed 2 weeks later).

tbs624

Mixed reviews here: http://www.allagents.co.uk/northwood/

Wokingham branch seems to have many "friends"

UnionGirl

ellies_angel wrote: »

I use Northwood in Aberdeen as my letting agents for my house. They have been my agents now for 14 months. I went for the guarenteed income which means I pay a hefty % but get my rent regardless of tennants. A price I'm willing to pay.

I have found them to be very proffessional, helpful and on the ball. They arranged building and contents insurance for me (cheaper than I could and with better cover) they inspect my property quarterly and let me know if the tennants have any problems and deal with them straight away.

It is a francise (spelt wrong I know) and think I have been lucky that the guy who has the Aberdeen branch cares very much that he is providing a good service. I have no complaints.

You have been very lucky then.

I now have my flat back but nowhere near the condition that Northwood received it from me. There was mould all over the livingroom walls and the bedroom window cills. I did notice a strong smell in the months November 2010 to January 2011, but since I have not had any experience of mould I didn't know what it was! Considering Northwood had carried out inspections they claimed that they didn't know the mould was there. Perhaps they need to employ more suitably qualified personnel. The manager has no backbone and the constantly ignore messages when they know that you are complaining about something.

Still have a disagreement with them regarding damage caused by tenants but (surprise surprise) Northwood accepts no liability. Will have to go to Property Ombudsman and then court if necessary.

DO NOT TOUCH NORTHWOOD ABERDEEN WITH A BARGE POLE UNLESS YOU ENJOY DEALING WITH LOTS OF HASSLE AND INCONVENIENCE!:mad:

willing2learn_3

mlz1413 wrote: »

Has anyone had any dealings with Northwood Lettings? They are advertising heavily on the radio around here, Milton Keynes/Bedford (although they are all over England) as they do a guaranteed rental income scheme.

I recently signed up for this and have been bitterly disappointed with the reality. I have been mis-informed twice, they put me on the wrong scheme and then blamed my partner getting involved for the problems even though he has never spoken to him!

Just wondering if anyone else has had any good or bad experiences with them?

As a tenant, bad experience just from hearing them on the radio! They speak about tenants as if they are second class citizens and anyone drawn to use their services must therefore think the same - i would avoid any landlord in future that uses them if i can.

wiggly_2-2

willing2learn wrote: »

As a tenant, bad experience just from hearing them on the radio! They speak about tenants as if they are second class citizens and anyone drawn to use their services must therefore think the same - i would avoid any landlord in future that uses them if i can.

I recently signed a lease with Northwood Lettings and on the walk through of the house was told by their agent that the landlord has offered for me to paint the house what ever colour I want and then to send in to them the receipts for the cost of paint and they will off set it again my rent. I have now successfully finished painting all this house, which was so grossly in need of it had marks all over the walls and some walls only painted half way up the wall. I sent in the receipts and now and being told, no one remembers telling me that I could paint the house or that I would receive a credit back for the paint. I am so mad as since I have lived here, I have had a water leak that took them 5 months to fix, the water/heater was broken when I moved in and it took the plumber coming out 6 times to fix it and me and my kids having no heat most days. And this house was supposedly inspected when I moved in but how it past inspection I have no clue. And when I complained about the heater I was told no one had ever complained about it before, unyet speaking with the previous tenants and the plumber he had been out for the same complaint 10 times that year. So now I am beyond mad that Northwood is telling me that I made it up the fact that I was told by them to do the work and I would get the money I spent back on paint back. Since living here I have had so much wrong information giving to me by them for work that needs to be done on this house that I don't know who lies them or the landlord. Its just become a joke. I am now being told that if I deduct the paint money from my rent that I will be in breach of my lease. I told them that a verbal contract is legally binding and that I have witnesses that heard their agent at Northwood tell me I could do this. I am so stressed out about it.. So no don't have any business with them, for me it has been a bad experience.

ellies_angel

UnionGirl wrote: »

You have been very lucky then.

I now have my flat back but nowhere near the condition that Northwood received it from me. There was mould all over the livingroom walls and the bedroom window cills. I did notice a strong smell in the months November 2010 to January 2011, but since I have not had any experience of mould I didn't know what it was! Considering Northwood had carried out inspections they claimed that they didn't know the mould was there. Perhaps they need to employ more suitably qualified personnel. The manager has no backbone and the constantly ignore messages when they know that you are complaining about something.

Still have a disagreement with them regarding damage caused by tenants but (surprise surprise) Northwood accepts no liability. Will have to go to Property Ombudsman and then court if necessary.

DO NOT TOUCH NORTHWOOD ABERDEEN WITH A BARGE POLE UNLESS YOU ENJOY DEALING WITH LOTS OF HASSLE AND INCONVENIENCE!:mad:

Well I am another year on since my last posting and I have sitll nothing but praise for Northwood Aberdeen. I am on my second tennant and have to say I had a look at my house (which is fully furnished) between tennants and I would never have know there had been a family there will a small girl. They carried out regular inspections and carefully vetted prospective tennants. I have british gas insurance which covers me for almost everything and have to say, if the tennant has a problem they contact Northwood who deal with it and inform me as a matter of courtesy. They have arrange landlord insurance for me, my annual gas safety inspections etc at much less a cost than I could have got.

I personally have had nothing but a good experience from them and would recomend that in an instant

Gonzo33

I have used the Northwood Southampton office for the last 3 years as a LL. Apart from the fact that they are not great at communicating maintenance issues with me (the tenant always rings my parents, not the agents) I have not had a problem. They are currently preparing to market my house, so I will be ending the contract soon (hopefully) anyway.

poppysarah

stphnstevey wrote: »

I work out they charge about 25% of rental for their service.

Standard letting agent charges about 15% (including VAT). Add on the £300 for tenant rent and legal insurance, 1 months void period and you come to around 35% or rental.

So not too bad a deal

Even taking into account lower guaranteed rent and possibly less fussy about tenants?

The guaranteed rent schemes aren't usually good for landlords - not speaking in particular about this company.

which_witch

emjauk wrote: »

I use them to rent out my house, they have caused nothing but problems. The best bit is with the guarenteed rental is when you want to end the contract they kick the tenant out. So you can't just move to another agent after your 12 months with them.
I use the Wrexham branch, staff are rude and the owner has no backbone and they take months to sort out the smallest of problems. Do no regular checks of the property. All they want is the money.

I am due to leave them in April and it is a shame that the current tenant will have to leave as he likes living there. The only way he could stay there is if I pay Northwood 6 months loss of rent! Yeh right!

In 2009 we rented our house out through the Wrexham branch and the tenant stayed for eighteen months. During this time Northwood did only two maintenance checks and although they found faults and said that the tenants had been told to do something about them - mainly the garden, nothing was ever done.
When we signed a new agreement in June 2011 we said it would be the last time as we wished to sell the house in 1012. When the tenant heard of this they moved out in Oct.2011 leaving a further 6 months left on the agreement. Northwood found a tenant [single mother with two young children] for six months, but told her it would be long term. In May 2012 they told her she would have to leave. She had nowhere to live and when she did not vacate they took her to court and applied for an eviction notice, at a cost of £175. She did not go at the alloted time so they took her to court again at a cost of a further £175. They told us that it had cost them {Northwood} £1,000. We have since discovered that they kept the tenant's deposit of £525, telling her it was to cover the court costs. This meant that since the tenant then had no deposit for any other rental accommodation she was left destitute with two children. We were both victims of Northwood, and we wouldn't trust them with a Dolls' House.
There is a lot of damage and the garden is a wreck, much of it was done before the last tenant moved in, though some vandalism occurred whist a friend of hers was staying in the property. Northwood have offered us £50 towards repairs, which have cost us over £200 already an still more to add.
We are following the complaints procedure as stated on their Website. We have written to the Wrexham branch but did not receive any reply. We have now written to the Complaints Officer, Northwood in Fareham if we don't get satisfaction we will be contacting the Obudsman. We have photographs and all the necessary documentation.
We are determined notto let them get away with this.