I have been using Northwood (Wigan) as a landlord for over 5 years now. As I live abroad, it is vital that I had the best team to manage my property, for my piece of mind. I first started with one of Northwood's competitors in Wigan and what a shambles that was. I can honestly say that Steve and his team at Northwood have been nothing short of exceptional. They are without doubt the most professional letting agents in Wigan. Any landlord thinking of letting a property in Wigan should not waste their time and money with the others. What does a landlord want from a letting agent? To be honest you dont' want to hear from them at all! If you don't hear from them everything must be ok. You just want the rent to go in at the right time, on time, every month. Unfortunately letting a property doesn't always go like that, which is why you need to know that you have the best agent behind you. It's when things go wrong and how they go about correcting things that make Steve and his team the best in Wigan. Hopefully this review will be of some use to other landlords who are looking for a letting agent and the following reasons are why I higly recommend Northwood Wigan. Firstly I have a full management contract with Northwood. If you live abroad the fees charged are a pittance to give you that piece of mind. I have had only two tennants in five years in my property. This I put down to the extremely thorough vetting process Steve and his team at Wigan put prospective clients through. Northwood is a business. Could they have put anyone in as soon as they found someone and got their commission early? Yes they could, but they actually declined two people, before informing me they had found a suitable renter. This speaks volumes about the customer care that I have found is in abundance at Northwood Wigan. Payment:- Each month without fail I receive an email informing me of how much rent is being paid into my bank account, minus fees. This includes an invoice which I just download or print off for my records. Not once in five years has this not happened. The process has been flawless. When things go wrong:- Everyone is entitled to their opinion, that is the purpose of these reviews and I am writing this really in defence of Northwood, with regards to a negative review that has been posted. Depending on the contract taken out at the start, depends on how much involvement the landlord and Northwood have. It is all very clearly explained at the very beginning. If you are a landlord who lives near your property in Wigan and are yourself pretty handy at fixing things, that's great, it will save you a lot of money. If, like me you live abroad, you need someone to do things for you. The procedure is fully explained and is reflected in the fees charged from day one. One thing is certain. Things will need fixing! Either way it is the landlords responsibility to put things right, whoever fixes it, not Northwoods! What Northwood Wigan have is a fantastic team of professional tradesmen that will, on the instructions of the landlord, go to the property after consulting with the tennant and carry out the repair, to a very high standard. If you can't get to it yourself. Northwood send me an email, stating the problem and ask me what I want to do about it. They give me the choice to do it myself, or instruct them to send their tradesman around to do it. They give me an estimate of what it will cost to fix with their tradesman. At all times it is the responsibility of the landlord. The vital thing is that it must be attended to straight away! As I am abroad I always instruct Northwood to carry on and do the repair. At the end of the month they send me my usual email with the rental received, less their fees, less the cost of the repair, with another invoice for my records. It's part of being a landlord. Expect things to go wrong. If you don't think you can deal with these problems, don't be a landlord, sell your house, don't rent it! You cannot leave your tennants with the problem more than 48 hours. They get hacked off, naturally, like the gentleman who sent the bad review. Unfortunately directed at the wrong person, it should be directed at the landlord of the property and is really not a true reflection of the professional way Northwood Wigan carry out their business. There is one caveat to the repair section and that is if the problem is a health and safety issue. When I signed the agreement with Northwood, it was made perfectly clear that if the repair in Northwoods opinion is a risk to the tennant, then they have a duty to immediately go ahead with the repair using their tradesman and bill me for the cost. ( I actually think it is the law that they have a right to correct the problem, if they cannot get hold of the landlord, not sure on this) but they have a duty of care to their tennants. Maybe somebody will correct me on this! Some examples of repairs and actions taken. Switch for washing machine defective. Northwood emailed and asked what I wanted to do. Told them go ahead with their tradesmen. Fixed within 48 hours. Billed at end of month. Toilet not flushing. Only one in property. Health hazard to tennant. Northwood emailed me to inform they had sent plumber out to fix. Fixed immediately. Billed at end of month Defective lock on only accessable door to property. Tennant finding it hard to unlock to get out. Northwood emailed me to inform me that they had immediately sent a joiner out and fitted new lock. Fire hazard. Sorted immediately. Billed end of month. Holder in lampshade in front room broken. Unable to put a bulb in. Northwood emailed and asked what I wanted to do. Gave me a quote to use their electrician. Fixed in 48 hours. Billed end of month. Hopefully this will help landlords who are looking to let out their properties to decide if Northwood Wigan is for them. In my opinion, they cannot be beaten on the professional way they go about their business. They are efficient, have great and knowledgeable staff. Keep you up to date on any new regulations that require your attention and are just a first class service. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is thinking of using a letting agent in the Wigan area.