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Apr 08,2024
Apr 08,2024
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We signed up with Northwood on their Guaranteed Rent scheme over 10 years ago when they were a well-run independent company and we were very happy customers. However, Northwood were taken over by the Belvoir Group some years ago and this is when we started to see a decline in performance. Changing agents is no simple task so we put up with this decline for many years but the incompetence and lies reached an unbearable level, so we were forced to move. I won't go into details about their failings as there are so many, however, just to give you an idea, it was things like not paying the “Guaranteed” rent during Covid, quoting us £3300 for a central heating repair and the plumber we sent round fixed it for £120, but the worst part is when we tried to change agents, as they resorted to blackmail and carried out a forced eviction of the tenants against our wishes and despite one of the tenants being treated for Cancer (of which the new), let me explain more.
After taking the final decision to leave Northwood, we employed a new agent to take over the tenants (switch service), however, Northwood had a clause hidden in the contract so they can evict the tenants before handing the property back, which they again explained this would cost me lots of money to move away, hence I should stay with them. I explained this was exactly the reason that I could not stay with them and even if they offered their services for free, I would still leave as their code of conduct was despicable. I explained that the tenants had done nothing wrong to Northwood and they do not deserve to be punished, but they proceeded to evict the tenants out of spite.
I spoke to the tenants to warn them of what was happening and the single mother of 3 children explained it was terrible timing as she was currently undergoing chemotherapy for Cancer. I promptly got in touch with Northwood to explain this and that they could not evict them as it was so cruel, but they issued the eviction letter a few days later anyway. I tried to work out with the tenant that they could stay after the eviction notice, but Northwood had this boxed off in their contract also, hence the eviction was carried out.
I lost many nights of sleep worrying about the tenant's eviction and I tried all sorts of options to allow them to stay, but nothing could combat the Northwood contract, even my solicitor explained the contract was extremely unfair as it did not have any reasonable get out clauses, hence there was nothing I could do.
So my advice is that you avoid falling into the Northwood trap, as it is literally a trap which will punish both the landlord and tenant should you realise they are not capable of fulfilling a letting service and choose to leave.
But more importantly, if a company has staff who are happy to evict a single mother of 3 who is unwell, just out of spite, then even if they were the best letting agent in the world, this totally cruel behaviour should never be rewarded.
After taking the final decision to leave Northwood, we employed a new agent to take over the tenants (switch service), however, Northwood had a clause hidden in the contract so they can evict the tenants before handing the property back, which they again explained this would cost me lots of money to move away, hence I should stay with them. I explained this was exactly the reason that I could not stay with them and even if they offered their services for free, I would still leave as their code of conduct was despicable. I explained that the tenants had done nothing wrong to Northwood and they do not deserve to be punished, but they proceeded to evict the tenants out of spite.
I spoke to the tenants to warn them of what was happening and the single mother of 3 children explained it was terrible timing as she was currently undergoing chemotherapy for Cancer. I promptly got in touch with Northwood to explain this and that they could not evict them as it was so cruel, but they issued the eviction letter a few days later anyway. I tried to work out with the tenant that they could stay after the eviction notice, but Northwood had this boxed off in their contract also, hence the eviction was carried out.
I lost many nights of sleep worrying about the tenant's eviction and I tried all sorts of options to allow them to stay, but nothing could combat the Northwood contract, even my solicitor explained the contract was extremely unfair as it did not have any reasonable get out clauses, hence there was nothing I could do.
So my advice is that you avoid falling into the Northwood trap, as it is literally a trap which will punish both the landlord and tenant should you realise they are not capable of fulfilling a letting service and choose to leave.
But more importantly, if a company has staff who are happy to evict a single mother of 3 who is unwell, just out of spite, then even if they were the best letting agent in the world, this totally cruel behaviour should never be rewarded.
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Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 100% | 100% | £138,500 | £275,000 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Areas covered
- WA6
- CH1
- CW6
- CH2
- CH3
- CH4
- CH5
- CH6
- CH7
- CH8
- CH66
- CH65
Services offered
- Sales
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- Block Management
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- Conveyancing
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- Home Builder
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Apr 08,2024
Apr 08,2024
1
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We signed up with Northwood on their Guaranteed Rent scheme over 10 years ago when they were a well-run independent company and we were very happy customers. However, Northwood were taken over by the Belvoir Group some years ago and this is when we started to ...
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Sep 25,2018
Sep 25,2018
4
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Never ever use Northwood as they are a joke!
Fake promises of white goods before you move in when they arnt there.
Never call you back when promised, rude unfriendly attitude on the phone
Moved into dirty flat, and they didn't do anything about it. ...
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Comment on agent fees
Bad! Didn’t tell us there was an extra deposit for pets,
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Feb 20,2018
Feb 20,2018
2
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Such a shame , the whole rental process let down by customer service
Held onto the deposit for 11 working days and an overpayment of three weeks
Promised in emails that it would be paid and then apparently they put the wrong sort code in...
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Feb 20,2017
Feb 20,2017
1
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Easy to deal with, efficient and clear move in/out instructions. Both Lisa and Luke were friendly, supportive and made move in/out as easy as possible....
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Feb 05,2017
Feb 05,2017
1
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Very helpful and efficient as always. (Why do you need 20+ words? Everything is summed up in my first sentence.)...
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Comment on agent fees
Happy
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Oct 24,2016
Oct 24,2016
2
people found
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I have had a grat relationship with Northwood since first contacting them to arrange my viewing.
Emails have all been answered and have a personal touch. Doesn't feel like you are emailing a robot!...
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N/A
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Oct 23,2016
Oct 23,2016
1
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Positive experience of renting with this branch all staff members are efficient, helpful , friendly and have reasonable letting administration fees ....
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Oct 13,2016
Oct 13,2016
1
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Sold my house through Northwood - they were great throughout the whole thing. Will sell this new one with them when the time is right....
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Oct 13,2016
Oct 13,2016
1
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I am a tenant of northwood in hoole road. they always help with my issues and have been a good agent. i will look for a home through them again....
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Comment on agent fees
yes good
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Oct 10,2016
Oct 10,2016
1
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Northwood are a good letting agent. I always pay rent and they always help me with any issues I have. I would like another house through them...
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Comment on agent fees
Admin fee for me was £125
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Sep 22,2016
Sep 22,2016
1
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I am both a tenant and a landlord of Northwood. I could not sell my home but wanted to move closer to Christleton High School to get the children in. Northwood guarantee me £700pm on my property and my rent in Christleton is only £750pm ...
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Comment on agent fees
I think the fees are really fair as they take about £100 a month for guaranteed rent but I never have to worry about any arrears or voids and they don't charge a set up fee.
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May 19,2016
May 19,2016
1
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Rented my property through Northwood in Chester for the past two years on their guaranteed rent scheme. I have recently moved back and am delighted with the condition my property was handed back to me in. The staff have been great, wouldn't hesitate to use ...
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Apr 29,2016
Apr 29,2016
1
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I have rented my house with Northwoods for the past 3 years on their guaranteed rent scheme. The staff are always helpful and the rent is always paid into my account on time with no problems. Would recommend to anyone looking to rent their house out....
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Comment on agent fees
No fees on the guaranteed rent scheme
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Apr 15,2016
Apr 15,2016
1
people found
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Very pleased. Julie keeps me informed about issues with my property. She usually emails, but when i have phoned her she is always pleasant and helpful....
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Jan 13,2015
Jan 13,2015
1
people found
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For the sale of my bungalow in Hawarden I found the Northwoods team very helpful, very professional and offered a first class service. Lesley and the team found me the right buyer and secured the full asking price. Well done.
I have no problem in ...
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Sep 25,2014
Sep 25,2014
1
people found
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Have rented my property with Northwood for the last three years on guaranteed rent scheme. Have found the peace of mind of being on the guaranteed rent scheme an advantage. However I have found that communication has been an issue. Some E mails have not ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Better communication. More reasonable fees.Attached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
Rather a lot of commission taken for not much work.
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Jul 30,2014
Jul 30,2014
1
people found
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I have rented my property with Northwood Chester for the last 5 years on their Guaranteed Rent Scheme. The scheme has worked so well for me and my husband, the Northwood staff have been so helpful and really care about my property. I would recommend Northwood ...
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Comment on agent fees
We are on the guaranteed rent scheme and there are no fees as such. Northwood guarantee me ‚£420.00 per month absolutely guaranteed. The tenant then pays Northwood ‚£550 per month so Northwood make there ‚£130.00 per month profit from that. Although about 18 months ago, my tenant missed 3 rental payments but I still received my ‚£420.00 whilst Northwood took the hit on the rent and went to court with the tenant to retrieve the outstanding rent. Once the tenant finally left (without paying back any of the arrears) we had a 2 month vacant period whilst we re-let the property, during this two month period I still received my ‚£420.00 regardless. Very good scheme for peace of mind!
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Apr 30,2014
Apr 30,2014
9
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We have been renting with Northwood for a number of years and have found them to be extremely poor at communication, several times this has resulted in a financial loss for us.
Some members of staff are very rude and unwilling to take criticism, get ...
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Oct 08,2013
Oct 08,2013
6
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I can't even give NorthwoodUK 1 Star for the service I have received. Avoid at all costs. I am a tenant with them in Chester and after securing a property we were told that the utility bills were more than advertised and what was pre-agreed. If ...
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Oct 12,2017
Oct 12,2017
0
people found
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For many years I have been playing with the idea of renting out my property, I had concerns and I had worries. What if I couldn't get a tenant? What if the property was vacant for a long period of time? I went to Northwood ...
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Comment on agent fees
I believed the fee's were very reasonable and worked well with my budget and financial plans for the property.
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Oct 28,2016
Oct 28,2016
2
people found
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As a landlord letting several properties through Northwood I cannot praise the quality of their service too highly. Helen Cameron and all other members of the team I have had dealings with have always been efficient, friendly and professional. Having found suitable tenants for us, ...
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Comment on agent fees
Overall the fees are very fair and reasonable. The true test is when a specific problem rears its head and Northwood have proved to me they are there when you may need them most. There is an excellent legal service, if needed, that works side by side with the Agent.
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Apr 07,2017
Apr 07,2017
0
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I have nothing but praise for Katie, Lesley and the whole team - from the moment Katie came round to assess the property; the pictures which made the place look amazing; the arrangement of viewings; the quick offer of sale etc. Nothing was too much ...
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Comment on agent fees
Reasonable
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Feb 07,2017
Feb 07,2017
1
people found
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It is my pleasure to confirm we have been delighted with the service we have received from Lisa Reeves. Lisa has proved to us that she is fully in tune with our requirements as a landlord and has delivered a steady stream of suitable candidates ...
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Comment on agent fees
The agent's fees are clearly explained, fair, reasonable and flexible dependent upon the level of management sought by the landlord.
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Jan 29,2015
Jan 29,2015
1
people found
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Lesser agents would've told me some time ago to accept the fact the house would not sell. Not so, Northwoods. They were constantly in touch with progress updates and excellent advice that can only be given when a person really knows their stuff. House finally ...
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No fees information available
Kindly note that legally, letting agents need to publish information about their tenancy fees, government-approved redress schemes and client money protection schemes on their website and on third party websites (on which agents are listed). For properties to lease/rent in England, agents need to keep this information up to date and precise on allAgents or specify within the property description.
Complaints Procedure
Please see our website as per the link below for how to make a complaint
http://northwooduk.com/complaint-handling-procedure
Last updated at 11:33 AM 05/07/2018 by allAgents
http://northwooduk.com/complaint-handling-procedure
