Owners and renters beware My partner and I rented with Northwood for 8 months and they were simply terrible. We were able to get out of what should have been a 12 month lease as Northwood broke the terms of the lease by allowing people to come into the flat without our authorisation (terrifying and violating to come home and find your things moved). After speaking to Citizens Advice, we found out that in addition to the unauthorised entry, they had also illegally charged us a double bond and illegally forced us to get renters insurance. On moving out they charged us £50 for a window clean (despite the windows not being clean when we moved in) but struggled to provide a receipt for the clean when asked. They finally did provide a receipt however it seems unlikely that it was genuine. They also attempted to charge us for additional days rent and it was only after a number of emails and calls they withdrew the incorrect charge. Advice for renters: check and challenge everything they charge you. Advice for owners: high turnover of tenants due to poor estate management ultimately costs you rental income.

Very poor service. Could not recommend Northwood as letting agents to deal with as tenants. Be sure to scrutinise any proposed charges/deductions very closely. We challenged the basis for a cleaning invoice to receive a job specification which was dated after the date of the cleaning invoice. Quite remarkable.

I have been renting in the UK for about 12 years now (Thankfully this was the last rented place) and while none of the agencies I have dealt with are great as most of them like charging exorbitant amounts of fees, Northwood are the only ones I am leaving a negative review for a multitude of reasons. When we moved into the property 9 months ago the kitchen and bathroom were really really dirty (horrible deposits in the toilet which we cleaned and really really greasy hob and oven). None of the extractor fans in kitchen worked(One of them was fixed by Northwood after 6 months of continued chasing). Agency fees are illegal in Scotland but Northwood make sure they get money from you somehow and I will list the ways they do it. To start with the first month's rent was 150 extra. When I asked why they had no response to it other than that's the way they do it. Also, they have a fixed term contract which they force you to renew and never convert to rolling as the contract says it would turn into if you don't renew it. That means if you try to move away at any point other than at contract end irrespective of the notice period, you will be forced to pay the exorbitant 330 pound advertising fees. Their suggested cleaner charges super high fees too compared to other cleaners you can hire yourself and refuse to give an estimate and say they will charge between a range on the day of cleaning depending on how it goes. They even sent the wrong meter reading and date to my electric/gas company which now I have to get a proof to if I want to fix it which I cant be bothered with. There were several other problems with them and this is just the top things I could think of. We were in a hurry to get a place as we were moving cities but if you have a choice then avoid them.

Disrespect

This is the second time that Belvoir agency organise a viewing for a flat. they said the first viewing is on Thursday but it turns out it is the second viewing not the first. and then they text me in the morning saying that the flat had been taken.

When money is involved they'll be straight on it but when you need a repair, don't hold your breath. As my tenancy period was due to expire in 2 months time, they would constantly contact me asking if I wanted an extra period. After the non-stop calls I confirmed I would. Fair enough I should have notified but I was hoping to move out, but couldn't find alternative accommodation. However, in the last month or two, I've had two problems with my flat. Water pipe burst and broken fridge. All they did with water pipe burst was take a few photos and broken fridge still has yet to be fixed after 6 days. Very poor service, unless your money is involved. Very dissatisfied given every rent payment has always been on time.

I have been renting all my life and this is the worst agency I have ever dealt with. I had some issues with them for entering the property without notice? Can you imagine you're sitting in the living room with your little ones and someone suddenly shows up and say 'hi'!? She even did not bother nock on the door or using the bell. When my husband called to tell them that they can't enter the property like that without prior notice as in the contract, the manager shouted at him over the phone. Again, unbelievable!!! After moving out, an employee from the agency sent an email that the property needs more cleaning according to their standards. When I asked to clarify what areas exactly need further cleaning (as her email was unprofessional and lacked details), she replied few hours later with some photos, with one giving us her middle finger!!! In addition, asked to replace freezer drawers and carpets. Why this was not mentioned in first email? Don't we have rights as tenants, or humans, to ask for clarification? Oh, she is punishing, basically scamming, us by asking to replace some stuff, amazing!!!! Luckily, the last inspection report which was done 3 weeks before we moved out didn't have any of that. When I sent an email to the manager after that, he agnored it. Don't know if they do this to all tenants who are foreigners!!! All the people with negative feedback here didn't mention clearly where they come from, but me and my husband decided to stand against their malpractices, and will take this issue seriously further.

Absolutely appalling service. We have been in our property for over a month and despite being broken when we moved in, the oven has still not been fixed despite numerous e-mails. The bath was also broken (the seal on the drain needed to be re-sealed) and only after numerous e-mails and they only fixed it after I mentioned that they were legally required to fix it due to my partner's disability. When we moved in the flat was extremely dirty despite being "cleaned" and there was even a blood stain on the bedding provided! I had to wash all the utensils provided as things such as cups were visibly filthy and there were urine stains on the toilet seat. The furniture provided is not in good condition, the inventory they gave us was for the previous tenant and had not been updated and despite being on the ground floor they have still not replaced the too-small and filthy curtains provided. We also just discovered that the property is also infested with mice (and this was clearly an issue before we moved in as we found mouse traps) If this is the experience we have after just one month, I dread to see what the rest of the tenancy is going to be like. Attached are some of the images taken when we moved in showing the range of issues.

Never had such a horrible experience renting. Had 2 properties with Northwood. Nothing but issues. In the first property for 6-8 months before they moved us out due to owner wanting to sell. Not their fault, but we were faced with more hassle than it was worth thereafter. The property was not clean when we moved in. Cleaners equipment still in the hall. When I mentioned this to Northwood, they simply offered to send cleaners back to finish the job, while we were living there. The oven had dirty trays covered with tin foil , the oven door did not have a seal on it and we couldn't use it for 2 weeks until they sent an engineer out. Not a great experience for people moving in to a new home. When it came to moving out, things only got worse. In both properties they found things to pick out that were not checked on move in to charge for. Like dust on top of the skirting boards behind the couch. When we moved in, there were no pictures taken behind the couch. When we moved out, they did things like pulling the couch back and noting the dust on the skirting behind it. They were looking to charge us for a burn in the carpet that was hidden under the bed when we moved in, claiming that it was our fault. When I asked them for proof in pictures of before and after, they sent me pictures of 2 different spots on the floor. When I questioned this, they then changed the tune and started talking about us not amending the inventory for the burn when we moved in. The burn was hidden. That is why. Terrible experience overall and there isn't enough time to go through everything but it's all documented in pictures and emails. I'd be interested to hear their public response to this.

After being accepted, being

After being accepted, being turned down just before moving in!!! They asked a lot of documents, and then they offered the room to someone else!