67% sales valuation accuracy
67% sales fee satisfaction
100% lettings valuation accuracy
67% lettings fee satisfaction
Nov 28,2012
Nov 28,2012
57
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The rating is a little innaccurate here as I have to have at least one star.Anyway my experience with this letting agency has been absolutely awful.Before moving into the property I had to pay £545.00 for the application fee and deposit combined.As a student this is a lot of money , most agents would only charge £200 deposit and one wonders what the 'application fee' is actually for if the property was found and applied for by the tenant.Upon securing the property I paid a summer retainer which is reasonable and standard for student properties where the student does not move in until september.The retainer was at half rent for the summer months which again is very reasonable.However again one wonders what you're actually paying for.I paid a £250.00 holding fee(which is deducted at the end) a £395.00 deposit and £295.00 retainer for 2 months and still was not allowed to move any of my things into the property.With nearly all student property agents , you are allowed to move your things into the property on a certain day , hand back the keys and pay the summer retainer.When I raised this concern at the offices I was told 'what if there was a fire and all of your things where damaged , who would you hold responsible ?' this question alone did not put me in the greatest confidence as clearly the agent did not know the difference between content insurance and house insurance.
When I wanted to move in in September (I pay my rent on the first of every month , september is not a summer month so it is full rent) I rang the office to collect my keys , my messages where not passed on and basically I had to delay moving in by 3 days.Underwoods said that they where not aware that I had wanted to move in 3 days previously , which they wouldn't be as they did not pass on any messages.However although a minor inconvenience they did deduct rent for these few days.
Moving into the house is when the problems really started.I had been assured that the room had been cleaned after the previous tenant and was assured that it was in a fit state.When I moved into my room there where toenail clippings on the floor , large stains on the carpet , a red bowl with a mouldy cup in it , dirty clothes in one of the drawers, several stains in varying shades of brown on the mattress and on the main bed frame ,to sum it was an absolute sess pit.I contacted underwoods and informed them of the state of the room and they said that they where unable to clean it as they did not have the funds ( something which they should have checked before returning the last tenants deposit surely ?) and that I should do whatever I needed to do to make myself feel comfortable.Thankfully they did remove the mattress although they did refuse to refund rent for those few days that I could not sleep on the filthy bed arguing that this was my choice to sleep on the floor.
There have also been several problems with the house itself firstly there was a break in 6 months prior to my moving in , which I had learned about from the tenants , The door had not been fixed properly until now.This in my mind is an urgent security matter and far beyong a reasonable response time.Secondly the lock recently went bust , anyone could have broken in by lightly pushing the door, we notified underwoods immediately when it happened and they told us they had sent someone out to fix it.The next day , suprise ? it still was not fixed , I personally notified them the day after (I could not do this any sooner as I was working a night shift) and they basically blamed me for not notifying them sooner.Nonetheless they did send someone out immediately after my unpleasant phonecall.
Another problem upon moving in was the microwave which sent out blue sparks when turned on .Again we as tenants sorted the problem out ourselves by buying a microwave and notifiying the landlord directly.Dealing with the landlord directly seemed to yield better results.Additionally there where mushrooms growing in one of the rooms which was due to the shower above leaking through the ceiling.We were promised that the problem would be fixed in 2 weeks and that we would be able to use the shower room again.In reality it took 4 weeks.All six of us had to make do with the bathroom with detachable shower head for those 4 weeks.
Another word of warning is that in my experience I cannot speak for others , is that underwoods have not replied to my email complaints until recently.I would urge anyone to contact them by email and then phone them reciting the email verbatim or at least recording the phonecall.I propose that the reasoning behind not replying to the emails is to force the tenant to contact via phonecall , which is not recorded all of the time.Therefore when dealing with this agency leave a clear paper trail of evidence that you have contacted them.
Despite the rather long review , I am not someone who likes to complain as I think that everyone makes mistakes and people should be given a chance.However this chain of bad experiences is completely unacceptable and I feel that it is only fair and just that other tenants can avoid being treated in this way.
When I wanted to move in in September (I pay my rent on the first of every month , september is not a summer month so it is full rent) I rang the office to collect my keys , my messages where not passed on and basically I had to delay moving in by 3 days.Underwoods said that they where not aware that I had wanted to move in 3 days previously , which they wouldn't be as they did not pass on any messages.However although a minor inconvenience they did deduct rent for these few days.
Moving into the house is when the problems really started.I had been assured that the room had been cleaned after the previous tenant and was assured that it was in a fit state.When I moved into my room there where toenail clippings on the floor , large stains on the carpet , a red bowl with a mouldy cup in it , dirty clothes in one of the drawers, several stains in varying shades of brown on the mattress and on the main bed frame ,to sum it was an absolute sess pit.I contacted underwoods and informed them of the state of the room and they said that they where unable to clean it as they did not have the funds ( something which they should have checked before returning the last tenants deposit surely ?) and that I should do whatever I needed to do to make myself feel comfortable.Thankfully they did remove the mattress although they did refuse to refund rent for those few days that I could not sleep on the filthy bed arguing that this was my choice to sleep on the floor.
There have also been several problems with the house itself firstly there was a break in 6 months prior to my moving in , which I had learned about from the tenants , The door had not been fixed properly until now.This in my mind is an urgent security matter and far beyong a reasonable response time.Secondly the lock recently went bust , anyone could have broken in by lightly pushing the door, we notified underwoods immediately when it happened and they told us they had sent someone out to fix it.The next day , suprise ? it still was not fixed , I personally notified them the day after (I could not do this any sooner as I was working a night shift) and they basically blamed me for not notifying them sooner.Nonetheless they did send someone out immediately after my unpleasant phonecall.
Another problem upon moving in was the microwave which sent out blue sparks when turned on .Again we as tenants sorted the problem out ourselves by buying a microwave and notifiying the landlord directly.Dealing with the landlord directly seemed to yield better results.Additionally there where mushrooms growing in one of the rooms which was due to the shower above leaking through the ceiling.We were promised that the problem would be fixed in 2 weeks and that we would be able to use the shower room again.In reality it took 4 weeks.All six of us had to make do with the bathroom with detachable shower head for those 4 weeks.
Another word of warning is that in my experience I cannot speak for others , is that underwoods have not replied to my email complaints until recently.I would urge anyone to contact them by email and then phone them reciting the email verbatim or at least recording the phonecall.I propose that the reasoning behind not replying to the emails is to force the tenant to contact via phonecall , which is not recorded all of the time.Therefore when dealing with this agency leave a clear paper trail of evidence that you have contacted them.
Despite the rather long review , I am not someone who likes to complain as I think that everyone makes mistakes and people should be given a chance.However this chain of bad experiences is completely unacceptable and I feel that it is only fair and just that other tenants can avoid being treated in this way.
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Nov 29, 2012
Dear DangermouseWe are sorry to read your review. As we are already in dialogue with you we will respond to you direct.
We are a little concerned about some of your comments that are not quite right but we will explain again when we respond to you in writing.
Managing Director
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Latest Reviews
7th Apr 2016
reviewed by 'ovaiyani26poppyfields'
16th Dec 2014
reviewed by 'NorthamptonLucy'
24th Apr 2014
reviewed by 'cashana'
9th Oct 2013
reviewed by 'D312'
Opening Hours
Address
Underwoods Town & County
16 St. Giles Street
Northampton
Northamptonshire
NN1 1JA
01604 232400
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 67% | 67% | £0 | £0 |
| Lettings | 100% | 67% | £525 | £695 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 1 | 17 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Areas covered
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
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Latest Properties
Apr 07,2016
Apr 07,2016
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
From start they were unprofessional, arriving late to the viewing and I should have passed this agent based on this alone.
The bathroom door lock was broken and unsafe as it could fall on my little ones but it took 4 months to get fixed which ...
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Comment on agent fees
Too high
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Jan 08,2015
Jan 08,2015
0
people found
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this helpful
Class A service from Underwoods, polite, professional and hard-working lettings team as well as fantastic property management.
Would gladly use Underwoods for any property....
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Dec 16,2014
Dec 16,2014
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Efficient,effective,excellent!
I recently contacted Underwoods Town and County following a arduous struggle to rent out one of my properties without an agent.
I spent many months of my own time and money attempting to self manage this property with little joy or benefit.
...
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Dec 16, 2014
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(1)
Thank you Lucy, it's a pleasure looking after your property, please give us some more to look after!! Ha ha!
MD ...
Apr 24,2014
Apr 24,2014
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Anyone looking to have an agent manage the letting of your property in Northamptonshire would do well to have the team at Underwoods Town & County do that for you. They have consistently secured us professional, caring tenants in all three of our apartments over the ...
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Nov 12,2013
Nov 12,2013
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Underwoods Town & County have been absolutely fantastic the whole way through my rental experience. Naomi Stokes has been extremely helpful through the 18 months of renting, she has always been polite and professional, and is a credit to Underwoods. I have also dealt with Helen Brock & ...
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Oct 09,2013
Oct 09,2013
41
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I only have 1 property that I let out and it soon becomes apparent that you are just become a number after the honeymoon period. The communication between various agents (property management and accounts) is terrible and the fees they charge for i.e recieving yr ...
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Sep 30,2013
Sep 30,2013
42
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Not impressed with there service at all have lived in this property for 5 years they are unhelpful everything I ring up about that need fixing they never get back to me and nothing ever gets done. At one point the property was so bad I ...
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Jun 04,2013
Jun 04,2013
47
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Terrible service from day one. I don't know why I didn't see it as a sign. On viewing the property I waited 45 mins after the arranged time for someone to show me round, nobody appeared so when I called I was told that someone had ...
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Jun 06, 2013
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(1)
Dear Noggin123
You have listed a series of complaints that require investigation. You may, if you wish, write to this office so that an investigation may be carried out.
Thank you
Managing Director ...
Jun 04,2013
Jun 04,2013
7
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The property has rising damp which I informend the agency over a year ago and the main person they use to fix/mend properties is unprofessional and unreliable. So just hope nothing needs any work in your property. The only reason I would use this ...
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Jun 06, 2013
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Dear Tom
Could you let us know who the contractor was please. If a contractor is unprofessional and unreliable we need to know about it.
Many thanks
Managing Director ...
Mar 04,2013
Mar 04,2013
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Some years ago I rented a property for myself with Underwoods and found them a really nice company to deal with as they were always polite and helpful. Therefore, some years after this, when I was in a position of being a landlord myself, I ...
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Feb 08,2013
Feb 08,2013
10
people found
this helpful
this helpful
A very good professional company who always keep in touch, deal with tenants in a fair, polite and professional manner. All problems are sorted efficiently & cost effectively making my life stress free, which is all you can ask for as a landlord....
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Dec 08,2012
Dec 08,2012
12
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Underwoods Town and County are such a wonderful agent to rent with. People I know who are tenants with other agents always seem to have problems but I happily tell them what a pleasure it is to rent from Underwoods. I have rented from them ...
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Nov 28,2012
Nov 28,2012
57
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The rating is a little innaccurate here as I have to have at least one star.Anyway my experience with this letting agency has been absolutely awful.Before moving into the property I had to pay £545.00 for the application fee and deposit combined.As a ...
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Nov 29, 2012
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Dear Dangermouse
We are sorry to read your review. As we are already in dialogue with you we will respond to you direct.
We are a little concerned about some of your comments that are not quite right but we will explain again when we respond to you in writing.
Managing Director ...
Nov 07,2012
Nov 07,2012
60
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Overall I am disappointed with the service from Underwoods. When I have telephoned the office the member of staff who answered was very unhelpful and impolite. I felt she really had no interest in handling my query at all. We notified them a week ago ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Have someone polite answer the phone and talk things through in a helpful manner.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Nov 08, 2012
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We are very sorry to hear of your troubles. A letter is in the post to you and could you please contact the Manager of our Property Management Department so that we can immediately address the situation.
Managing Director ...
Nov 07,2012
Nov 07,2012
19
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have rented my property through Underwoods for the past 10 years and have found them to be extremely helpful, efficient and organised with all aspects of renting out my property.
The staff are extremely helpful and knowledgeable and when I have had the odd difficult ...
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Nov 06,2012
Nov 06,2012
13
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We have been letting our property for 6 years. Initially we experienced a very poor service from another Letting Agent and were just planning on leaving them when, luckily for us, the company was sold to Underwoods. From this moment onwards we have been very impressed ...
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Nov 02,2012
Nov 02,2012
23
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Agent dealt with an early lease termination in a helpful and understanding way whilst maintaining a professional approach to everything that had to be done....
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Nov 02,2012
Nov 02,2012
24
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Considerable and very professional assistance given by Susan Bowman in the termination of a difficult Tenancy.
Lee Bosley and his team efficiently and speedily handled the property re-let.
I have several properties in the area for which the Let Only has been handled to my ...
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Oct 31,2012
Oct 31,2012
27
people found
this helpful
this helpful
When searching for a property, I didn't really think about which estate agent to go with, as presumed all would provide a similar level of service... I now know better, so please do consider carefully. If you're considering Underwoods, go for it! Their reviews on ...
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Sep 03,2012
Sep 03,2012
63
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I rented a property in the County Chambers building for 2 years. I had no problems with Underwoods or the property for the first 8 months of my tenancy, things soon went down hill though after that!
*Firstly my washing machine broke down. I reported this straight ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Provided a better service, and generally upheld their side of the tenancy agreement.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Sep 04, 2012
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Your company had plenty of opportunity to respond to my complaints accordingly whilst I was a tenant. Sadly they failed to do this, hence my poor review. I got the result I wanted in the end, namely getting my full deposit back and no longer having to deal with the substandard level of service your agents provided.
I also don't see how you can fairly look into any of, as you call them, my allegations when your company's level of record keeping and ability to pass messages on to the relevan ...
Jul 06,2012
Jul 06,2012
30
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Underwoods have been wonderful. I rented a property of them in 2011 and it all went very smoothly.In june 2012 the tenancy was ending. A month before it ended me and my ex partner split up and so i had to move back to Oxford nearer ...
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Jul 04,2012
Jul 04,2012
27
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We instructed Underwoods when we were having problems with a tenant. Their professionalism, support and advice in dealing with the eviction enabled the whole process to proceed smoothly and with minimum of stress for me. I did not have to employ the services of a ...
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Jun 15,2012
Jun 15,2012
27
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Underwoods were a good agent, very professional. Rented a lovely flat and everything went really well while I was there- friendly staff who were very knowledgable and helpful. Would def use their services again. Thanks!...
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Jun 13,2012
Jun 13,2012
54
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Terrible service. Not long into the tenancy both me and my partner began to dread calling cause of the uncaring and condescending attitude of some of the staff. They change premiums for services that are little more than pressing print sometime, some of these costs ...
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Jun 21, 2012
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Dear Irate Northamptoner
I am sorry if you found my staff condecending and uncaring. It is difficult for me to comment further as I do not know who you are or the circumstances of your general complaint.
Our fees are clearly set out in the Tenancy Agreement that you signed in order to commence a tenancy. Therefore, you were in full knowledge of these before you signed the tenancy agreement and they were certainly not changed during your tenancy as you seem to be implying.
I am genuinl ...
May 31,2012
May 31,2012
53
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Awful as letting agents for a tenant! I would never use these again, another faceless unsympathetic company.
High volume of inspections, having to pay to have your tenancy renewed, awful for repairs.
Find it very strange this letting agents has so many "good reviews" and ...
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Jun 01, 2012
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I am extremely concerned to read this review and am wondering if we are, in fact, the agent you mean to refer to. My reasons for thinking this are set out below.
Firstly, we are sorry to hear of your bereavement and extend our condolences.
If a tenant has signed a fixed term tenancy it is a legally binding agreement for both parties, the landlord and the tenant. I am sure if a landlord wanted to break a tenancy agreement early a tenant would have much to say on the subject. If a tenant ...
May 02,2012
May 02,2012
26
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We had rented a property using Underwoods and never have had any issue with them, recently the propety we were renting was put up for sale and from the start of the process through to the end the staff at Underwoods have always been helpful ...
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Apr 24,2012
Apr 24,2012
24
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have to say that I am extremely impresses with the service I receive from Underwoods Town & County. As a first time landlord it was a nervous time renting out my first property. After them renting out my property within 2 weeks, 2 years on and my ...
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Apr 19,2012
Apr 19,2012
23
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We have been tenants with Underwoods since 2009 and have always found them to be helpful and friendly to deal with.
Naomi has recently taken over as our property manager and within just a couple weeks of speaking to her for the first time, she has ...
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Apr 18,2012
Apr 18,2012
32
people found
this helpful
this helpful
***WOW*** What a team!
Not only did Lee sell us the property a couple of years ago, it was wonderful to see his appreciation of our efforts when he came to view the changes made in bringing our three apartments up to today's expectations of ...
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Apr 18,2012
Apr 18,2012
23
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The team were kind courteous and most professional guiding me through the entire process from viewing the properties to the eventual signing of the tenantcy agreement. A thoroughly amazing job my thanks to you all...
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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
No procedure available.
We are sorry to read your review. As we are already in dialogue with you we will respond to you direct.
We are a little concerned about some of your comments that are not quite right but we will explain again when we respond to you in writing.
Managing Director