Lets Woodcock: ethical lettings & property management agent

22/11/2024

Very good critique of service charges levied upon leaseholders, which are often exorbitant or at least highly inflated. This applies to housing associations (such as One Manchester), which take over tower blocks containing leaseholder (privately owned) flats. Inevitable, they see the service charge as a way of boosting profits.

Play from 1.05.00:

Jeremy discusses Ukraine, Israel, gems, random leasehold charges and Christmas lights.

29/09/2024

I am an ethical lettings agent based in Chorlton and working across south Manchester. Until very recently, I managed this property in Old Trafford, until it had to be sold due to the death of the owner. Debbie Parkinson - who works in housing and understands the importance of maintaining rental properties in good order, has kindly provided the following recommendation:

“I inherited the responsibility of property management when my friend died. I asked Nigel to manage the property and he proved to be an absolute star, making my life a lot easier. It was clear that there were a lot of outstanding repairs needed and Nigel organised these quickly, liaised with the tradespeople and made sure the tenants were kept updated. Part way through management one of the tenants moved on and Nigel did a great job sourcing a new tenant. Eventually I had to sell the property and Nigel managed the whole process of ending the tenancies really well; we both wanted to make sure we gave the tenants plenty of notice (after all it had been their home for a long time) and Nigel made sure this was as painless as possible for both myself and the tenants. He was a great help from beginning to end and definitely went above and beyond. If you’re in need of a decent and ethical management service then I highly recommend Nigel’s service.”

Meanwhile, Stan who was one of the tenants in the same property, has provided this feedback regarding my service:

“I had the pleasure of renting from Nigel Woodcock at Park Avenue for a little over a half a year. Throughout my time as a tenant, Nigel was consistently professional, communicative, and highly responsive to any issues that arose.

“One of the things I appreciated most was their attentiveness to property maintenance. Any repair requests were addressed promptly, and they ensured that the property was always in excellent condition.

“In addition to being a responsible landlord, Nigel was always respectful and flexible. They made the renting experience smooth and stress-free.

“I would highly recommend Lets Woodcock to anyone looking for a
reliable and professional landlord. My experience renting from Nigel
was extremely positive, and I’m confident others would have a similar
experience.
Sincerely, Stanley.”

Finally, Boomer Callaghan, who has been a tenant in Hulme for a couple of years (who also does a lot of my odd jobs at various properties I manage), has said the following:

“Nigel has been my landlord for two years. All communication before moving in was timely and accurate and always very friendly.

“In my time in the property Nigel has always responded to any query almost immediately and resolved everything faultlessly. I’d highly recommend him.”

Being an ethical lettings agent isn’t rocket science. It means treating people well, being efficient, getting repairs carried out as swiftly as possible, and returning 100% of tenants’ deposits. But it’s surprising how many agents fail to tick all these boxes.

If you have a property that you rent out and you’d like to do so ethically and with the minimum of fuss, then choose Lets Woodcock and drop me a line.

I charge less so that you can charge less.

22/04/2024

Forest Foods are based in Chorlton, and their burritos are absolutely outstanding (available in Unicorn). ♥️

18/04/2024

Pleased to have received this review from Tom and Becky, who moved abroad some years ago and have rented out their home ever since. If you have a property that you rent out, and want to do it more ethically (eg, by passing on the saving on my lower fees to tenants*, agreeing to pay for repairs to be carried out swiftly when required, etc.), then get in touch and let’s have a chat.

* I charge 8.5% of rental value per month, compared with high street agents’ 10% + VAT.

22/03/2024

Alan was a tenant of mine until fairly recently, and he’s kindly supplied a testimonial. He rented a house in Chorlton for two years, with his business partner.

“I was a tenant of Nigel Woodcock's for two years and found his friendly service to be extremely responsive and of a very high standard. Fortunately, I didn't have too many issues concerning repairs etc. but whenever I needed Nigel he resolved issues quickly and effectively. I have no hesitation recommending Nigel to future tenants.”

I suspect Alan has forgotten about repairs (and the removal of a dead rodent) because I got them expedited so swiftly!

Anyway, I currently have some spare capacity, so if you let a house or flat in Chorlton and you’d like to do so more ethically, then please get in touch and we can have an informal chat. I have no high street overheads, so I can charge only 8.5% of rent (with no VAT) to landlords.

18/01/2023

I managed a large house in Whalley Range for Miranda (which she has since had to sell due to a change in her circumstances). She was kind enough to give me the following commendation:

“I would highly recommend Nige as a landlord agent – he is reliable, trustworthy and ethically sound. Has good knowledge of household issues and handy black book of tradespeople. Was a pleasure to do business with him!”

Please get in touch if you’d like to rent your property out more ethically. I’ll be happy to take a look and give advice on a non-obligatory basis.

26/10/2022

Raymond was until recently the tenant in a flat I managed in the city centre, which unfortunately had to be sold by the owner. After Raymond moved out he received back 100% of his deposit. He was kind enough to send me this testimonial:

“My name is Raymond from Hong Kong. I was first time in uk, i got a trouble to find a share house in Manchester. After i met Nigel in SpareRoom[.co.uk], the big problem sloved immediately, he introduced the a M1 property which is good for newcomer as i can travel everywhere without using too much time. I was happy to stay in this house, and Nigel also help me to slove the conflict between the flatmate.

“I am so thankful to him because this is my first home in uk. Try to imagine, it is quite difficult to find a appartment in m1 with reasonable price. So this was a wonderful experience to me. He also introduced another appartment to for friend. Finally, Thanks Nigel again.”

20/10/2022

I notice that Facebook has changed things again and deleted my “about” info, so I’ll summarise briefly:

I am an independent lettings agent, based in and around Chorlton, and as I don’t have a high street office with overheads, charge only 8.5% of rental value to manage properties on an ethical basis.

Ethical? This means that I get repairs carried out swiftly, and at the end of tenancies I return 100% of deposits. It’s not rocket science, but too many agencies are far from ethical.

I was an A-level teacher for many years up until 2018, when I took voluntary severance, and now I’m semi-retired. I own one property - a flat in the city centre - which I’ve managed for many years, so I understand the process and I properly vet would-be tenants, set up the legal paperwork, etc., taking the stress away from landlords. I can sort out your electrical safety report (required by law since 2021) and update your gas safety certificate, if applicable, using experienced and reliable tradespeople.

If you have a property to rent, or want to switch from your current agent, the please give me a call for an informal chat. I’m happy to share my expertise, value your rental property, and evaluate any work that needs doing prior to offering for rental.

In an ideal world, landlords pass the saving on their agency fee onto tenants, which is more ethical, and it means I can choose good tenants who will respect your property. I’m also happy to give landlords the final say on tenants, if they so desire.

Thanks for reading. Message me here or give me a call on 07891 070955 if you’d like further details.

Best wishes, Dr. Nigel Woodcock.

17/10/2022

I managed a house in Old Trafford which was rented on a medium term basis for 18 months whilst the owner went travelling. Callum was one of the household members (who received back 100% of their deposit after moving out). Callum was kind enough to send me this endorsement of my services:

“Nigel was a great agent for us - really friendly, went through the contract with us, and if we had any maintenance issues he made sure they were resolved as soon as possible (usually the next day!) He even coordinated a spare key when one of us locked ourself out while he was away on holiday! Couldn’t recommend him enough - we just wish every agent in Manchester was like him!”

Some properties I’ve been managing have recently been sold, so I currently have some spare capacity (I don’t like to be overstretched, so that I can offer an excellent service.)

If you have a property that you would like to rent out on an ethical basis then please get in touch for an informal chat. 👊👊🏾

17/08/2022

Robert went travelling for 18 months and I found tenants for his house in Old Trafford for while he was gone. He’s since returned, and the tenants have had their full deposits returned. Robert was happy to provide the following reference for me:

“It is my pleasure to recommend Nigel Woodcock as a trustworthy and reliable property agent with a strong sense of ethics. As a first time landlord he guided and advised me through the process.

“He was happy to include me in the tenant selection process and was both professional and friendly in his dealings with all parties. He was very prompt in arranging repairs which were provided at very competitive rates.”

A few landlords have recently sold properties I was managing, so I now have spare capacity (I don’t allow myself to become overstretched, so that I can always offer an excellent service). If you have a property to rent, please get in touch - I only charge 8.5%, so you can pass on the savings to tenants, and that way we’re all happy.

15/03/2022

I recently received this testimonial from a satisfied local landlord. Please get in touch if you would like help or advice with renting out your property, instead of going via a large (and more expensive) agency.

“I used Nigel Woodcock to sort out new contracts for my tenants and deal with the tenants’ deposits. He did exactly that in a timely manner, with no problem and in a reliable and friendly way and at a very reasonable rate. I will certainly be going to him in the future and would highly recommend him for anyone wanting to rent a property or have any matters relating to property rentals they need dealing with.

Jeremy Harrison.”

If you want to manage the property yourself then I can help with checking references, saving deposits, and drafting tenancy agreements. Drop me a line!

05/01/2021

The latest lockdown rules clearly state that the property business / lettings agents can continue to function with sensible distancing practices in place.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/949536/NationalLockdownGuidance.pdf