Martin & Co Abingdon & Didcot reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

​In my opinion, the Abingdon office's lack of communication shows disrespect for someone else’s time and is simply unacceptable. After requesting more details about the property, I received an email and a voicemail requesting that I call back asap, as I was informed that their ''properties are letting very quickly''. I returned the call within 5min and was advised that Gary would call me back because he was busy at that moment. I have been attempting to arrange a viewing for a week now; however, my call has not been returned and my follow-up emails have gone unanswered. Silence is not an acceptable standard of customer service, particularly after collecting personal information. I have now requested that they erase all of my personal information from their records as it appears my data was collected without any intention of providing the requested service.

Monica · 23 May 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

An astonishingly bad experience. We were tenants of Martin & Co from May 2018 to late 2022, a solid 4.5 years, with an excellent record and a very good relationship with our landlord. In August 2022, our circumstances changed unexpectedly and we needed to leave Abingdon at the end of the year to move to another country. We notified Martin & Co immediately, hoping for a constructive dialogue. Instead, we encountered rigidity, opacity, and a distinct lack of decency. Martin & Co informed us that they wouldn't even contact the landlord until we paid an "early release fee" of over £2000 to them. When we asked for a breakdown or justification of this amount, we were told flatly: “We do not need to provide you with any evidence of costs, because this is an early release fee which we are allowed to charge you for.” Our request to discuss this in person was also refused. In the end, under legal advice, we paid this sum under protest so we could move. Tenants were found within three days of the property being listed, using recycled marketing materials from years before, and signed within the week after a single viewing. The landlord raised the rent, meaning he actually gained financially from our early departure. To add insult to injury, days after paying the early release fee, we were told we must pay an additional 3 days' rent “just in case any jobs are needed to be carried out.” Again, failure to pay meant we would not be released. Another sum, paid under protest. In our view, these charges constituted prohibited payments under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. We made every effort to be reasonable and cover legitimate costs, but Martin & Co offered no transparency and no evidence that the fees were anything but profiteering. Having reported them to the Property Ombudsman, we recovered most of these costs. In addition, deductions were made from our deposit, which were outrageous. One example being evidence of mould on some curtains. The photos used to justify this were photos we had previously raised with the agent and prior to having the curtains dry cleaned and repaired at our cost. These photos were provided in the checkout report, but were in fact our own photos we had previously shared with the agent. There were charges for the lawn not being lush and green despite damaged caused by the intense summer. Most of these charges were returned to us following a complaint to the DPS. We would urge other tenants to proceed with extreme caution. Ensure every i is dotted and t crossed, ensure you are well covered. The interactions were perfectly good during our tenancy, but incredibly hostile afterwards.

Angus · 27 June 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Thanks to the persistent efforts of Gary from martin & co we managed to push through a worst case scenario in terms of start-of-chain buyers. Long past the point where I had given up hope, Gary was taking daily action to push the chain forward. I now find myself in the new home, almost in a state of disbelief of how things worked out so well. As the buyer in this particular transaction I owed no money to him, but without a doubt I owe sincere thanks. For someone wishing to sell their property via martin & co I can wholeheartedly offer my recommendation.

Jack · 12 May 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Gary should consider a job that isn’t customer centric. My partner called in enquiring about a property this agency advertised. Gary was condescending throughout the conversation and made inappropriate remarks when my partner wasn’t able to provide him information in regard to MY self-employment books over the phone. Paraphrasing because we didn’t have the foresight to record the call ourselves for a direct quote: “who is this person because presumably if it was your partner you would know.” Gary, it’s none of your business what I information I share with my partner in regard to the intricacies of my self-employment. If this is how you speak to customers who are trying to bring new business to you I dread to think how you communicate with those who you already got a contract with. Other agents might be more pleasant to work with but we will think twice before trying this agency again.

Anton · 8 September 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

It was an amazing experience for me with Martin & Co Abingdon from the day one I started negotiations. Punctuality, clarity and professionalism are few key values I enjoyed in dealing with them. Specially the attitude of the staff towards customer service is commendable. I should mention the kindness and active listening ability of Daniel and the exceptional services of Dan and Emma too. Special thanks to Garry for his guidance as well. I wish all the very best to Martin & Co - Abingdon and to its valuable associates.

C · 24 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Extremely disappointing experience from start to finish. It took almost four months for us to receive our deposit back, during which time we were repeatedly pressured to accept almost £400 in proposed deductions. We disputed the charges and ultimately took the matter to independent adjudication, which rules in our favour. This was particularly frustrating given that the issues had been reported during our tenancy and necessary maintenance was not carried out in a timely manner. This was unfortunately part of a wider pattern of poor property management. At one point during the tenancy, we were left without gas, meaning we had no hot water or cooking facilities, for months while the landlord and boiler company disputed payment. Overall, we felt that the focus was on passing maintenance costs onto the tenants rather than properly addressing issues during the tenancy. The fact that independent adjudication ultimately found in our favour was very telling.

Amy · 2 August 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

First of all, we are grateful to Gary that we found a house. Because we have a cat, it is nearly impossible for us to find a house but unlike other agents, Gary tried to find a house for us. The viewing of the house was well planned. After we had the agreement, Emma was the person who was responsible for the move in. Emma was quick to reply to our emails. She answered all of our questions because we came from a different country and we are not sure about the letting system in the UK. To be objective, the only thing we can say that when we asked a question about the short-term let, we had quick and somewhat angry answers from Gary and Emma. But I guess they misunderstood us and informed us afterwards. Overall, we had a great service. Thanks a lot for the warmth and welcoming service.

Deniz · 6 July 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Recently moved into another rental property and used the services of Martin & Co in Abingdon to do so. Excellent team with plenty of experience and know how, they listened to my needs and were able to find me the ideal property, promptly. Gary and Hayley were concise and to the point whilst still making the experience very relaxed and easy to follow, couldn’t recommend them more.

Jamie · 24 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Avoid this agency. They will demand all your personal details (phone number, e-mail address, name, estimate salary, even current address, etc), and refuse to discuss the property you are just calling to inquire generally about until you give them all the personal details they want. Then after all that they tell you they have only one slot for viewing the property, at a very uncomfortable time, and try to create a feeling of urgency by telling you exactly how many other viewings they have for the same property. The person on the phone will also treat you surprisingly poorly. If this is how this company treats prospective tenants at the first point of contact I dread to imagine how it treats actual tenants.

Aster · 31 July 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I have rented out my property via Martin and Co. Gary has done an amazing job and has been extremely helpful and responsive during the whole process. I approached the agency just before Christmas and Gary got back to me rightway, came to look at the property, went over terms and conditions with me and took the pictures. The advert was up before Christmas and the viewings took place before New Year. Martin and Co team have been very efficient with paperwork and all the checks and the new tenant moved in in early January. The whole process of getting a tenant in was less than 3 weeks and that was during Christmas and New Years! It was extremely efficient and I would recommend Marting and Co to anyone who is looking to rent out their property.

Lubica · 28 January 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

My sincere advice for someone in the marketing looking for renting: AVOID THIS COMPANY, YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE SOON. I will explain my experience with Martin & Co in more detail below, but for those who may not wish to read the full account: please avoid them. You will only see the friendly smiles and polite faces when you are signing the contract, or, at best, during a renewal. After that, everything changes. Towards the end of my tenancy, I began to notice a few concerning things. Martin & Co arranged viewings for new tenants while I was still living in the flat. I was present during them, trying to be polite and helpful. Unfortunately, the agent from Martin & Co was less than honest. He provided misleading, and in some cases blatantly false, information to the prospective tenants. Not once, not twice, but on multiple occasions. I genuinely tried to believe he might have been having a bad day or was perhaps unprepared. But it quickly became clear that this was not an isolated incident. It appeared that honesty was being sacrificed for the sake of a quick deal. When I returned my keys, I visited the Martin & Co office and brought with me a few letters addressed to the next tenants or to the agency, routine letters regarding TV licensing, utilities, and so forth. They were clearly not for me, but for the new occupant. I handed them over politely, only to be met with a rather sharp and dismissive response: “What are these? I do not need these letters, throw them in the bin.” All the courtesy and professionalism had vanished. As soon as they cannot profit from you, their true colours begin to show. I then asked, again, very politely, about the return of my deposit. I was told, in an annoyed tone, that it was a matter for the landlord and that tenants like me always “bother them” after leaving asking for a date of deposit release. However, since I had paid the deposit to Martin & Co (before signing the contract), it was entirely reasonable to ask about the process and expected timelines from them. Instead of being helpful, the agent made me feel like I was being a nuisance. I was too tired to argue, so I simply left and contacted my former landlord directly. Despite multiple attempts to reach both the landlord and Martin & Co, over thirty days passed with no communication, no check-out report, and no proposed deductions. Only after I sent a message giving 48 hours' notice to resolve the issue did I finally receive a report, more than a month after moving out. It listed several deductions which I strongly disagreed with. As most tenants know, the law in England states that if there is no dispute, your deposit should be returned within two weeks. At that point, there had been no discussion, no report, and no proposed deductions, just silence. The so-called inventory and check-out report were highly questionable. After reading reviews from others, one thing is absolutely clear: document everything. Take photos. Get all communication in writing. Because, unfortunately, they do not tell the truth, and they will try to rip you off. My experience with them is still ongoing, as I have now escalated the matter to a formal dispute. But regardless of the outcome, I want to share my honest opinion: this was an exhausting, disappointing, and frankly unacceptable experience. I hope it helps someone else avoid the same.

Willames · 1 July 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Kelly was great throughout my selling process. She was very focused on getting my property sold and would always communicate and feedback to me after each viewing. Also, Martin and Co only charge you a fee for the percentage you're selling whereas every other estate agent wanted to charge me the full value fee regardless if it was shared ownership or not. From start the finish the response and communication was brilliant, I would highly recommend Kelly and Martin and Co for selling your shared ownership property.PositiveResponsiveness, Professionalism, Value

Emma · 1 July 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We worked with Kelly Virgo while selling our house and she was great. She was friendly and professional but most importantly she was really easy to get hold of. Even if she wasn't in when we called she would get back to us as soon as possible. Having someone we could get in touch with easily made the whole experience a lot easier as we never felt out of the loop. She drummed up a lot of interest for our property which was great. We were also marketing it with another agent but Kelly and Martins got us at least three times as many viewings as the other agents and it was through them we sold the property. Would recommend working with Martins as we also used them as a lettings agent for our property and again found them very professional and responsive.PositiveResponsiveness

Ruth · 14 June 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Finding a property began as a tough search, but when me and my housemate found our current place, Martin & Co were amazing and very helpful. They made the process smooth and were easily approachable and contactable. Thank you to Daniel, Gary and Reyanda for making the move simple.

Tom · 24 April 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We worked with Kelly Virgo while selling our house and she was great. She was friendly and professional but most importantly she was really easy to get hold of. Even if she wasn't in when we called she would get back to us as soon as possible. Having someone we could get in touch with easily made the whole experience a lot easier as we never felt out of the loop. She drummed up a lot of interest for our property which was great. We were also marketing it with another agent but Kelly and Martins got us at least three times as many viewings as the other agents and it was through them we sold the property. Would recommend working with Martins as we also used them as a lettings agent for our property and again found them very professional and responsive.

Ruth · 30 March 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Kelly was great throughout my selling process. She was very focused on getting my property sold and would always communicate and feedback to me after each viewing. Also, Martin and Co only charge you a fee for the percentage you're selling whereas every other estate agent wanted to charge me the full value fee regardless if it was shared ownership or not. From start the finish the response and communication was brilliant, I would highly recommend Kelly and Martin and Co for selling your shared ownership property.

Emma · 30 March 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Regrettably horrible experience with these agents during the checking out process. Completely ignored our emails by the end of the tenancy and just kept re-submitting the deposit return. The agent just didn't show up on the last day of the tenancy to complete a checkout, then subsequently fabricated a checkout report, after the tenancy had ended. Director of the business was made aware and just didn't acknowledge this. Further, people were let into our flat to view it without prior notice to view it, we noticed this as we were returning home and were told that they were just very early. The entire reason being we wished to be present during viewings.

Arron · 1 January 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We worked with Kelly Virgo while selling our house and she was great. She was friendly and professional but most importantly she was really easy to get hold of. Even if she wasn't in when we called she would get back to us as soon as possible. Having someone we could get in touch with easily made the whole experience a lot easier as we never felt out of the loop. She drummed up a lot of interest for our property which was great. We were also marketing it with another agent but Kelly and Martins got us at least three times as many viewings as the other agents and it was through them we sold the property. Would recommend working with Martins as we also used them as a lettings agent for our property and again found them very professional and responsive.PositiveResponsiveness

Ruth · 11 January 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

The best letting & estate agents in Abingdon.. Kelly was very proactive in helping me with my property search, presented the best options she had and followed up with me on further viewings at the same time was definitely not too much in your face either which is great. I even was offered a pickup for a viewing as I was struggling without a vehicle which was going out of the way to ensure amazing customer service! 5 Stars to them and highly recommended! Would definitely use their services again!

Neeti · 4 July 2020

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We marketed our house for renting through Martins. Kelly Virgo managed the process and was excellent in everything. There were no surprises and the whole process ran very smoothly from initial meetings with Kelly through to the tenants moving in. Overall Martins gave an excellent service which I highly recommend. They were very easy to communicate with and always returned calls. Tenants were found within 7 days and the costs were very competitive.PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

Rob · 13 June 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Need to say a big thank you to Martin & co for moving so fast in finding me a flat Liza was so helpful and made sure that we had something before the end of the year Her manger is so lucky to have someone like her If I can rate it I will give it 10/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Manasseh · 13 July 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I’ve been meaning to put a review on here for for quite sometime & feel bad that I haven’t done so, so firstly I’d like to apologise to Martin&Co. So firstly, I’d like to thank Martin&Co for everything they done for me. I’d recently come out of a relationship with 2 young children & was desperate to find a family home for us all. I was extremely vulnerable & wanted the best place with a tight budget. Kelly found a beautiful home for me, she done everything she could to negotiate the best deal & her manager Sharon also helped with this, then in a very short time I managed to move out of a very unhappy situation & started a new tenancy a home that felt like a home. They went above and beyond and I highly recommend them to everyone . Well done to all all the team and thank you again x

Miss · 20 November 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I’ve been meaning to put a review on here for for quite sometime & feel bad that I haven’t done so, so firstly I’d like to apologise to Martin&Co. So firstly, I’d like to thank Martin&Co for everything they done for me. I’d recently come out of a relationship with 2 young children & was desperate to find a family home for us all. I was extremely vulnerable & wanted the best place with a tight budget. Kelly found a beautiful home for me, she done everything she could to negotiate the best deal & her manager Sharon also helped with this, then in a very short time I managed to move out of a very unhappy situation & started a new tenancy a home that felt like a home. They went above and beyond and I highly recommend them to everyone . Well done to all all the team and thank you again x

SLouise · 31 July 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I’ve been meaning to put a review on here for for quite sometime & feel bad that I haven’t done so, so firstly I’d like to apologise to Martin&Co. So firstly, I’d like to thank Martin&Co for everything they done for me. I’d recently come out of a relationship with 2 young children & was desperate to find a family home for us all. I was extremely vulnerable & wanted the best place with a tight budget. Kelly found a beautiful home for me, she done everything she could to negotiate the best deal & her manager Sharon also helped with this, then in a very short time I managed to move out of a very unhappy situation & started a new tenancy a home that felt like a home. They went above and beyond and I highly recommend them to everyone . Well done to all all the team and thank you again x

Miss · 5 July 2019