Northwood letting agency in Romford, East London has shut up shop, leaving angry landlords out of pocket.

The Victoria Road branch – which offers landlords a guaranteed rent service - has reportedly instructed an insolvency firm to help put it into liquidation.

Two landlords who rent out their properties through Northwood told the Romford Recorder that they were still waiting for last month’s rent payment. Both said that since the summer, their regular monthly payments had been made later and later, before drying up altogether.

One, who has used Northwood’s services for the last 20 years, described the experience as “hell”. While another claimed the firm’s promise of a ‘guaranteed annual rental income on time, every month’ had not been kept, leaving him in the lurch.

“I was quite lucky that I’ve got a relationship with our tenants, so I’ve managed to sort something out with them,” he says. “If there had been an issue with the property like a leak, they wouldn’t have anyone they could have contacted, because they shut their Romford office.”

Recovery plan

The Recorder tried unsuccessfully to call the Romford Northwood branch, however, a spokesman for the franchise owner, Northwood GB Ltd, says it is supporting a recovery plan to address any arrears owed to clients, as well as transferring management of its properties to their owners.

He adds: “While Northwood GB does not exercise day-to-day control over the conduct of its franchisees’ businesses, it deeply regrets the distress and inconvenience the company’s difficulties will have caused to those affected.

“At this early stage in the process, efforts are underway to contact landlord clients of the company, with the priority being to assist and support them in liaising directly with their tenants.”

The company behind the branch, Northwood (Romford) Ltd, has a single director listed on Companies House, Scott Wilding. The branch's website now redirects to the nearest Northwood branch in Southend.

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