Every review we hold for the Camden office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleI have just purchased a piece of land in my local area and this company has stung me with £7200 in hidden fee on a piece of land that was supposed cost £10,000 on the winning bid.
Check their wording below.
It's unethical and borderline illegal.
It says I will pay £6000+vat and no invoice will be provided, if I don't agree to this, my £5000 initial deposit and £1200 auctipn house fee will not be returned.
The following is the contract they sent me and they worded it in a way which is so unbelievably sketchy.
Condition number 10
No invoice will be provided. In addition, in relation to the transfer the seller’s solicitors shall prepare the engrossment for which the Buyer shall pay the Seller’s solicitors £200.00 Plus VAT per transfer with the balance of purchase monies on completion and such payment shall be made by telegraphic transfer together with the completion monies to the Seller’s solicitors. The seller will not be providing an invoice and the General/Standard Conditions is varied accordingly.
Condition number 15
On or before completion the Buyer is liable to pay the Seller a sum of six thousand pounds plus 20 percent equivalence to the VAT paid in relation to the Seller’s legal and agents costs. No invoices will be provided.
Worded exactly as on the contract to catch people out.
The are con artists. Do not purchase from them.
Fursan · 16 January 2026
Agent replied · 16 April 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We note that you have been in contact with our team during the completion of your purchase. During the registration process for the auction, we consistently emphasise the crucial step of thoroughly reviewing the legal documentation before purchasing a property. We encourage buyers to seek legal advice from their solicitors to ensure a clear understanding of all aspects involved. The legal pack will always confirm what is involved with the property purchase, including relevant costs on completion. We mention on every single lot page, including the page you were bidding on that additional fees may be applicable. We would like to clarify that McHugh & Co. is not directly responsible for the seller fees you refer to, these fees are not associated with ourselves and are paid to the seller’s solicitor on completion. McHugh & Co.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleWe had a great experience with Shemsi as our letting agent. His communication was excellent throughout the entire process, clear, prompt, and always professional. He has a very friendly and respectful manner, which made everything feel smooth and stress-free. Shemsi was also extremely helpful, guiding us step by step and making sure we had all the information we needed when securing our new flat. Awesoke company to work with and Shemsi is simply just a genuine guy. Highly recommended.
Rico · 24 December 2025
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI'm so glad I went through this company. I thought this would be a stressful experience but thanks to the calm, knowledgeable and friendly manner of Marino Costi the process of auction was so much easier and straightforward. He kept me up to date and responded to messages quickly and efficiently. I am very grateful for this. I would definitely recommend McHugh and Co (particularly Marino!).
Sue · 26 March 2026
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleMarino has been very helpful and cooperative with everything throughout the entire process. He has consistently provided reassurance and clear communication, which made everything much less stressful for us.
The company has been great from beginning to end, offering professional and efficient service at every stage. We truly appreciate all the support and would highly recommend them to others.
Saman · 16 March 2026
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI had a great experience renting my flat through McHugh & Co. Shemsi Jashari was super helpful and made the whole process really smooth. Communication was always quick and clear, whenever I had a question, he got back to me straight away. Everything was organised well and handled professionally, which made moving in so much easier. Would definitely recommend McHugh & Co, and a big thank you to Shemsi for all his help!
Laura · 16 October 2025
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotI’m writing this as a close friend of…
I’m writing this as a close friend of the buyer involved in a recent property auction handled by McHugh & Co., regarding Lot 35A, 301 Shirland Road, Maida Vale, W9.
The facts are very clear, your public auction listing explicitly stated:
“Leasehold. Approximately 142 years unexpired.”
There was no mention that the actual lease at the time was only 52 years, and that the extension to 142 years would happen after completion, and only if certain legal steps were completed.
Had this crucial information been clearly and transparently disclosed in the main listing, my friend would never have bid on the property.
McHugh & Co. has since responded by referring to the “special conditions” buried in the legal pack. But as an auctioneer, you must know that the headline lease term shown on your listing is the most relied-upon piece of information by buyers. Hiding contradictory lease terms in the fine print, without clear reference in the main advert, is misleading at best, and negligent at worst.
Let’s be clear:
The listing said: 142 years lease unexpired
The actual lease at time of auction: only 52 years
The lease extension: not completed, and subject to post-sale legal work
This is exactly why we believe this was a case of material misrepresentation. We stand by the original review and this statement. It is based on facts, supported by screenshots and solicitor correspondence.
⚠️ If you are considering bidding through McHugh & Co., please do your own legal checks early. Do not assume that the listing reflects the true legal condition of the property.
Ramak · 10 May 2025
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleAVOID!!! They are a con. They don’t tell you about hidden fees. Once you pay there £1k they brush you off! Ended up paying 6k extra to the seller which wasn’t mention at the time of buying. Then pay for the seller solicitors fee. The house we bid on. The legal
Pack said solid foundations no problems. Unfortunately it has subsidence. You would not get a mortgage, then after the problem is fixed, you won’t get a mortgage for another 6years. House was valued at zero. None of this was mentioned. AVOID auction properties AVOID Mchughs because after the sale they won’t help and would completely put the blame on you! We lost 10% and more on searches and fees. This 10% needs to be more regulated. Lots of buyers have lost out !
Aklima · 24 October 2023
Agent replied · 23 October 2024
We are sorry to hear that you feel this way. We would like to clarify that the seller fees you refer to are not associated with ourselves and are paid to the seller’s solicitor on completion. We state in our buyers guide and on every lot page on our website - The seller may charge additional fees payable upon completion. If applicable, such fees are detailed within the special conditions of sale. Buyers are deemed to bid in full knowledge of this.
McHugh & Co.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleWe originally contacted a large, international firm about selling a commercial property at auction, and received a copy-paste response with a laughable suggested reserve price (it was so ridiculous that I'm sure it must have been copied from a different lot). McHugh & Co couldn't have been more different: Marino was always very helpful and responsive, providing a personalised service. Our property sold for nearly double the value we expected it to, with completion taking place within a week of the auction. Needless to say, we're delighted that we went with McHugh!
Tom · 5 April 2025
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleShemsi was a superstar from start to finish. Polite, knowledgeable and trustworthy. I am very grateful to him and McHugh & Co for delivering such an efficient and professional service. Whilst the whole team have been excellent, Shemsi is worthy of particular merit. Thank you!
Andrew · 16 March 2026
★★★★★ 2/5
TrustpilotBought my first property and it was a…
Bought my first property and it was a quick, prompt process.
Becareful when buying as there are extra fees in the legal pack.
And they are worded in letters not numbers so its easy to miss especially if you're dyslexic.
Eg. Instead of £3568 , its written as Three thousand five hundred and sixty eight pounds, .
Mine came to a total of almost £10k, not including my solicitor fees or the actual property.
Tahir · 2 August 2026
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleShemsi was a fantastic help from start to finish. We’d worked with so many estate agents before McHugh & Co and had very mixed experiences. The process with Shemsi was very smooth from putting out offer in to getting the keys!
Sophie · 9 April 2026
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI found my first home through McHugh & Co, and I couldn’t be happier with the experience. A massive thank you to Marino Costi for always being available, supportive, and making the entire process feel smooth and seamless from start to finish. I highly recommend their services it was professional, approachable, and willing to go the extra mile.
Katherine · 15 November 2025
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotStay Away Do Not buy or sell from here
Buyers Beware of hidden fees in contracts and contracts with no dates before the auction. How can contracts with no names and dates before valid?!? Sales memos not sent until very late in the process resulting in extra fees. Stay clear of this company. If I could give 0 I would 100000 times over. Do Not Recommend. They have been copied into every email between solicitors and still don’t get involved to ask the sellers to provide the correct information to be able to complete resulting in even more fees!!!!! Worse auction company ever dealt with.
Shari · 11 June 2026
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleAn excellent level of service from start to finish.
Marino is a star, he was extremely available, we hadn't previously gone through an auctioneers, but he walked everyone through the process and overcame obstacles for a quick turnaround.
Brian · 16 February 2026
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleThese guys are a disgrace, they lure people in with a small guide prices however the day before the auction they simply increase the guide price so you are looking at their auction properties under a false pretense, complete waste of time and in any other business this would be considered fraud. Keep away!! We spent money on solicitor and surveyor fees and taken time out to view the property and even paid for the reserve to bid, only to find out that the evening before the auction the guide price has increased by £100k, had we been aware of the actual guide price we wouldn't even have looked at the property. Now what is their excuse for this to happen? That they do not have the skill for a correct valuation or that their business model is based on a scam. This is an absolute joke or fraud!
Responding to owners comment- There was an auction guide price increase in one of your Lots in the London area, so either your are being dishonest on purpose which validates my comment above about your business model or you don't have an absolute clue about your business operations which means you would have been out of business long ago if that would be the case. Which one is it?
A · 24 October 2022
Agent replied · 23 October 2024
There was no guide price increase as you mention in our last auction. If you can e-mail me with the property this relates to I would be happy to help and look into this for you, sean@mchughandcompany.co.uk
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI was apprehensive when we decided to auction the house we inherited because I had never had anything to do with auctions before. However I needn’t have worried because the whole process, from start to finish was seamless and stress free. Marino Costi was our contact at the auction house and he was brilliant. His knowledge and experience in the field was obvious and reassuring, he instilled confidence and once we had handed the house over to Marino and McHughs there wasn’t much else for us to do but wait. We were very happy with the price the house fetched at auction and I have no hesitation in recommending Marino and McHughs to anyone considering selling their property by auction.
Geraldine · 3 November 2024
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleI've reviewed a couple of legal packs from this company - unless spending a tedious (but necessary) time working through legal documents, buyers will not realise the many hidden fees associated with their properties.
Normally, there is an auction bid price that obviously has to be paid, then a fee to the auctioneer for their services in advertising the property and putting together legal packs. Most auctioneers gain double bubble - gaining a fee from both the buyer and seller for this.
Now, instead of overtly stating fees for any particular property being auctioned within the main listing, this company appears to hide the costs within legal packs. The information is not 'hidden' per se, but neither is it readily available - unsuspecting buyers new to auctions might miss it until too late - when committed to a purchase.
E.g.1:
On or before completion the Buyer shall pay the Seller a contribution towards the cost of any searches or disbursements including any indemnity policy, or any other search provided by the Seller whether in the auction pack or after exchange a sum of £650.00. The seller will not be providing an invoice and the General/Standard Conditions is varied accordingly.
E.g.2: In the event of the Seller serving Notice to Complete the Buyer shall as a condition of completion pay the Sellers solicitors costs of £750.00 plus VAT in relation to the service of notice. Any additional work incurred as a result of a failure to complete on time will be charged accordingly.
All prices are +VAT, therefore £650 is actually £780, and £750 is actually £900 (£1650 in additional fees already).
There are many other contract clauses e.g.: "The property is being sold with limited title guarantee save that for the purposes of Section 6(2)(a) of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act 1994 matters now recorded in registers open to public inspection shall be treated as being within the actual knowledge of the Purchaser", which effectively means:
The buyer is expected to perform their own due diligence by reviewing public records (e.g., land registry records, local authority searches). If any adverse matters are found in these public registers, the buyer cannot claim to be unaware of them after the purchase is completed. The limited title guarantee also means the seller is not liable for title defects that arose before their ownership of the property unless explicitly disclosed.
In short, the buyer is responsible for checking public records and assumes the risk for any issues that could have been discovered in those records.
It goes on and on and on.
Legal eagles (raptors) of course gain benefit from this - I'm sure the owner(s) are lawyers - not content with gaining sales fees (from both buyer and sellers), they add gorge on other extras and then, as added security for themselves, tie prospective buyers in legal jargon, knowing most, if any will not proceed to court about it - and if they do, there's lots of ambiguity - more food for lawyers.
The Summary of this review is Buyer BEWARE McHUGH & CO
Rob · 27 October 2024
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotRaptors in Sheep's Clothing
I've reviewed a couple of legal packs from this company - unless spending a tedious (but necessary) time working through legal documents, buyers will not realise the many hidden fees associated with purchasing properties from McHugh & Co.
It seems that normally, there is an auction bid price that obviously has to be paid, then a fee to the auctioneer for their services in advertising the property and putting together legal packs. Most auctioneers gain double - a fee from both the buyer and seller for this.
Now, instead of overtly stating fees for any particular property being auctioned within the main property listing, this company appears to hide the costs within legal packs. The information is not 'hidden' per se, but neither is it readily available - unsuspecting buyers new to auctions might miss it until too late - when committed to a purchase, which is no longer as affordable but, for which they can do nowt abowt.
E.g.1:
On or before completion the Buyer shall pay the Seller a contribution towards the cost of any searches or disbursements including any indemnity policy, or any other search provided by the Seller whether in the auction pack or after exchange a sum of £650.00. The seller will not be providing an invoice and the General/Standard Conditions is varied accordingly.
E.g.2: In the event of the Seller serving Notice to Complete the Buyer shall as a condition of completion pay the Sellers solicitors costs of £750.00 plus VAT in relation to the service of notice. Any additional work incurred as a result of a failure to complete on time will be charged accordingly.
All prices are +VAT, therefore £650 is actually £780, and £750 is actually £900 (£1650 in additional fees already).
There are many other contract clauses e.g.: "The property is being sold with limited title guarantee save that for the purposes of Section 6(2)(a) of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act 1994 matters now recorded in registers open to public inspection shall be treated as being within the actual knowledge of the Purchaser", which effectively means:
The buyer is expected to perform their own due diligence by reviewing public records (e.g., land registry records, local authority searches). If any adverse matters are found in these public registers, the buyer cannot claim to be unaware of them after the purchase is completed. The limited title guarantee also means the seller is not liable for title defects that arose before their ownership of the property unless explicitly disclosed.
In short, the buyer is responsible for checking public records and assumes the risk for any issues that could have been discovered in those records.
It goes on and on and on.
Legal eagles (raptors) of course gain benefit from this - I'm sure the owner(s) are lawyers - not content with gaining sales fees (from both buyer and sellers), they additionally gorge on other extras and then, as added security for themselves, tie prospective buyers in legal jargon, knowing most, if any will not proceed to court about it - and if they do, there's lots of ambiguity - more food for lawyers.
The Summary of this review is Buyer BEWARE McHUGH & CO
Robert · 22 October 2024
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI’ve had the pleasure of dealing with Shemsi in the search for my next rental property. I’ve always dreaded dealing with estate agents, and Shemsi was the only person in my 4 month search that treated me with kindness and offered genuine insights into the property, the landlord and how I could make my application stand out.
After the offer stage, Shemsi went above and beyond to help me with various requests (e.g., accessing the property again, reaching out to previous tenants on my behalf) and kept me informed on the progress of my application. I trusted him completely with everything and he always was a friendly face to any concerns I had. Thank you so much Shemsi!
H · 9 October 2024
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotI would like to highly recommend McHugh…
I would like to highly recommend McHugh & Co to anyone who is thinking of selling property at Auction. I realised my best option to sell my flat was to go to Auction and a friend of a friend who had years of experience working in the North London’s property market suggested and recommended I used McHugh & Co. As a person who was totally new to selling at Auction, I received all the information, and had all my questions and queries answered by the extremely professional, helpful and patience staff at Mc Hugh’s - especially Marino Costi.
Marino always responded quickly to all my phone calls and emails, and gave very good advice and support throughout the whole process.
Everything went exactly as I wanted - a very good result.
Deborah · 7 October 2024
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotTitle: Misleading Lease Information in Auction, Very Poor ExperienceMy sister purchased a flat in Maida…
My sister purchased a flat in Maida Vale, W9, through an auction held by McHugh & Co. The auction catalogue and online listing clearly stated that the property had a lease term of “approximately 142 years unexpired.” Based on this information, she bid on and won the property, paying a 10% deposit and auction fees.
However, after the auction, we discovered that the actual lease was only 52 years at the time of bidding, and any lease extension would only take place after completion, subject to further legal formalities. None of this was mentioned clearly in the auction listing or marketing material. This information was buried in legal documents that were not easily accessible before bidding.
When we raised concerns, McHugh & Co. refused to take responsibility, referring us to the “special conditions” and disclaimers in the legal pack. But this is not acceptable: when a listing says “142 years unexpired,” it implies the lease already exists, not that it might happen later.
We’ve since filed formal complaints with The Property Ombudsman, Trading Standards, and the Solicitors Regulation Authority regarding the misrepresentation and the conduct of the seller's solicitor.
⚠️ If you're considering bidding with McHugh & Co., be extremely careful. Their listings may not reflect the true legal position of the property, and you risk losing a substantial deposit based on misleading information.
Amir · 9 May 2025
Agent replied · 22 September 2025
Dear Amir,
The property is being sold with a long lease of approximately 142 years unexpired and NOT a 52 year lease. This has already been clearly explained and was within the special conditions of sale that you are buying with an extended lease. We cannot see what the actual problem is, whether your sister has buyers remorse or you simply do not understand. Your sister successfully bid and bought a long leasehold flat and that is what is being purchased, the same as which is advertised. However, you seem to keep referring that you are not getting what is advertised which is simply untrue.
We note that you have emailed last evening and before giving us time to respond have made false accusations against us online.
We completely refute your claims and will respond accordingly.
McHugh & Co.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleOur experience with McHugh & Co. and especially Marino Costi for his kind and exceptional service, was very much appreciated! His expertise brought us an excellent price for our property, in a very exciting bidding auction! Our family highly recommend Mr Marino Costi and McHugh & Co auction company! Thank you
Andrew · 18 September 2025
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotMost dodgiest auction ever seen in my…
Most dodgiest auction ever seen in my lifetime. I won a building 66-68, which after that was sold as two separate just to make more money from all the hidden fees, finally just one entrance to only one building. I’m asking where is the second one. Just no sense. Have other purchases in the past building with number 7-9, never been asked to pay for 2 separate numbers. AVOID AVOID AVOID
Mr · 8 May 2026
★★★★★ 1/5
Trustpilot******BEWARE of this company's PROPERTY…
******BEWARE of this company's PROPERTY AUCTIONs dont buy**** very sneaky - they say 850+300 but charge £6000 below on every auction sale they do.
15. On or before completion the Buyer is liable to pay the Seller a sum of
six thousand pounds in relation to the Seller’s legal and agents costs.
No invoices will be provided.
Ajay · 29 February 2024
Agent replied · 23 October 2024
We would like to clarify that the seller fees you refer to are not associated with ourselves and are paid to the seller’s solicitor on completion. We state in our buyers guide which each customer receives a copy of when registering for the auction and on every lot page on our website - The seller may charge additional fees payable upon completion. If applicable, such fees are detailed within the special conditions of sale. Buyers are deemed to bid in full knowledge of this.
Thanks,
McHugh & Co.
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