Trusted Agent profile · Exeter
★★★★★
996 reviews across 3 platforms
68 South Street, Exeter, EX1 1EE
Martin and Co's office in Exeter, at 68 South Street, is rated 2.3 out of 5 across 996 reviews on three platforms, including 138 Google reviews rated 4.2.
Every review we hold for the Exeter office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
1/5
TrustpilotThey just wanted to take the money from…
They just wanted to take the money from deposit and make lame excuses to keep the deposit money. Be sure to talk to them before leaving their property other will they are gonna keep your deposit or deduct unfortunately charges.
1/5
TrustpilotA company of fraudsters
I'll skip mentioning the unhelpfulness and rudeness of several of the staff members as that has been amply covered in most of the reviews about this company. My particular experience with Martin & Co (Balham) was one where they fraudulently attempted to claim part of my deposit with fake charges. I was renting a small flat from them for about a year and a half. A few weeks after my tenancy ended and I moved to another property, I requested my deposit back. In response, they emailed me saying that they would release my deposit if I accepted deductions for "professional cleaning" services of £150. I pressed for a receipt and quoted the tenancy agreement that clearly stated that the tenant would not be required to pay for professional cleaning unless the property was left in a worse state than received (which was not the case). They did not even bother to respond to my email. A few months passed with no response from them when I decided to chase them up on the status of my deposit. An additional week passed before Bethanne came back with the same story of the cleaning charges, only this time the amount they were claiming transformed to £75. I once again pressed for a receipt. The best they could come up with, a week later, was an email with two quotes from a cleaning company that they probably got on the day. I called Bethanne directly, said that I wouldn't accept the charges and that we would have to go through TDS adjudication. A few hours after that they dropped all claims on the TDS website. It was very obvious that they did not pay a single cent to clean the property (and thus had no receipt) and they were trying to fraudulently get me to accept fake charges. I'm currently looking into escalating this issue and go through the official channels to accuse them of attempt to defraud. Avoid companies like this and just rent directly from landlords.
1/5
TrustpilotDo not even think about it!
I normally rent directly from landlords, but this time, I did not bother and I decided to rent through an agent to avoid hassle and headache. To my surprise, it is worse than renting from a landlord. I paid £350 for references and £120 check out fees. My first problem was with the right to rent checks where they insisted that me and my wife must be physically in the office to perform the right to rent checks which was pain in the neck to do as we were moving from London. Anyway, we followed the rules in the end and were forced to go to the office. After that, we moved to the flat to find the flat in inhabitable condition. The first thing we found in the kitchen was rat poison. Spider webs are everywhere, the flat stinks of damp smell. All the smoke detectors are outdated. Some of the light bulbs did not work. The doorbell does not work. The washing machine seal is covered with dirt and mud. The kettle covered in oil and grease. To my surprise, I realised that everything was written in the inventory which I received after I moved into the flat. Martin & Co finally sent a maintenance man to fix the detector. I was not informed by the visit (no 24 hours notice). My wife was asleep to find someone barging in the flat. I complained and was informed by their manager in Cambridge that this was a clerical mistake! ''I have looked at this, and unfortunately there was a typo on the “works order” we sent to the contractor, which stated that “new tenants enter the property on 31st February”, rather than January, as originally planned''. So far, my complaints have fallen on deaf ears. By the end of the day, I am stuck with them for 6 months and I will never ever rent through them again. If it is too late for me, this is a warning for others. This can look like a bad luck but by the end of the day all this could have been avoided if I was dealing with decent professional agent!
1/5
TrustpilotAbsolutely rip off. Avoid at any cost
Absolutely rip off. Avoid at any cost . Before you move in they charge all fees to the highest rate on the market . And when I moved in, stove is broken, dish washer is broken , fridge is not working and fault bulbs and door handles everywhere. Marks on the wall are unbearable .Each of it takes more than a week to get fixed . When I finally moved out after my tenancy, they file claims more than my total amount of deposit. Including the things were already broken when I moved in. Besides, anything a bit dirt or dusty they charge for a replacement . Their very poor quality cheap plastic blinds( either it falls by itself or any wind will blow it off) charge me £240 more to replace . I didn’t even use their table so just leaving there for six month and it collects some dust so they charge me 247 to replace it. Can you believe it?! Basically they just want your money for their whole redecoration . But I doubt if they will use the money on the property based on the condition when I moved it . I rejected couple of their ridiculous claims and filed dispute to DPS, see what happens .
1/5
TrustpilotUnhelpful
I rang to express interest in a letting they had and asked to be considered as a tenant. They weren’t interested or very helpful. Apparently they just go with the first person that expresses interest and don’t disclose any other interest to the landlord.Poor and wont bother looking for anything else through them.Someone could do with training the staff in customer service as it was clear that they haven’t any skills in that area.
1/5
TrustpilotSeveral years back they took admin fees…
Several years back they took admin fees and checks of approx £400 on a property from my retired father (who was helping me out to get a rental) when we viewed we were pressured to pay or risk losing the bungalow. From there on the communication was dreadful. They made excuses every time I asked how the checks were going. It is my belief that someone else viewed the property, who was a better prospect. They hadn’t even done the bank checks or references as they were supposed to. I had to assume that we didn’t get accepted for the property as no one would tell us. I asked for the £400 back but they refused. After much chasing, the manager of the shop said I might get half the fees back. But it never happened and we were left high and dry. Absolutely criminal. My advise to anyone using Martin &come, is don’t do it! But if you must, then make sure that you get written communications from them, ask them to confirm anything you have discussed on the phone to be put in writing. The communications I did get were all via the phone, but I could not use this as evidence since it was their word against mine. I have rented a lot and always in good standing, and excellent quarterly checks. This is the only agent I went with, who went through all the processes verbally on the phone. Leaving no evidence of our conversations or agreements.very disappointed and angry!!!!
1/5
TrustpilotAbsolutely disgraceful service
Absolutely disgraceful service. They aren't looking out for the tenants or the landlords, only themselves! I've not seen this level of incompetence my entire life. DO NOT EVER trick yourself into thinking these people are professionals, they will take your money and do everything possible to avoid your best interests. They may temporarily lull you into a false sense of security, and then they'll double fk you. Read more reviews and you will find the TRUTH. Head office needs to take these pirates down.- Martin and Co Chorlton
1/5
TrustpilotVery Bad customer service
Bad customer service, no responses to emails, long waiting over the phone. For one week I tried to pay the holding deposit for a flat (needs to be done over the phone), but no one was ever available and every time I was told someone would get back to me which never happened. Later I saw the flats I was interested in were no longer available. They lack seriousness and transparency, absolutely cannot rely on them!
1/5
TrustpilotGenuinely would give them 0 stars
Genuinely would give them 0 stars if I could. Rented with them for 2 years and it was so stressful - I had to repeatedly chase for them to fix anything and they were so unhelpful each time. For some reason it's acceptable to them to just not reply to your emails? It was so stressful having to deal with them. Would NEVER rent with them again and highly recommend you don't either.
1/5
TrustpilotApologies to Worsop Franchise. I am an absent landlord and rely on…
My sincere apologies to Worksop Franchise in Nottingham. This was not a reflection in any way of your franchise. It was for the PLYMOUTH franchise and I attached it to the incorrect franchise. I am an absent landlord and rely on this company in Plymouth. On 31st March 2018 it was noted in a report from them that a curtain rail was not working and another blind needed replacing. Immediately I asked that these be fixed. Regardless of emails and telephone calls, nothing has yet been done. Today I telephoned again and received yet another pathetic response as to why the work had not been carried out.. My tenant has been living with this since March. Unacceptable on every possible level. If they cannot manage this small problem, I question their expertise.
1/5
TrustpilotMartin & Co
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!I signed up specifically to leave this review as I have never before encountered service as appalling as the service received from Martin & Co. If it were possible to leave 0 stars, I would. Martin & Co manage several properties for us, and we actually work with several different offices, including both the Preston and the Blackpool office. Whilst I wouldn't recommend either of them, the Preston office is at least, marginally less useless. Given that we pay Martin & Co for their services, I expect them to do the job they are being paid for, which, in my opinion, they have not been doing.It came to my attention that there was a lot of inconsistencies in the rent Martin & Co were charging on two of our properties, and so I requested all of the relevant information from them so that I could investigate and check that there was no money outstanding. It took OVER TWO MONTHS of my constant prompting, before they finally sent the information I was requesting (very basic paperwork, nothing complicated. I still cannot comprehend how it took them so long to complete such a basic task). Upon receipt of this information, it transpires they have been under-charging our tenants for several years and subsequently owe us several thousand in unpaid rent. I have sent several further emails and lodged a complaint regarding this and am now being ignored completely.Their complaints policy is as follows:"The correspondence will be acknowledged within 3 working days. The matter will then be investigated and a full response sent to you within 15 working days." I sent my complaint two weeks ago to Martin & Co, and have been repeatedly chasing them over the past two weeks, requesting acknowledgement of my complaint. Not a single one of my emails has been properly acknowledged, never mind investigated - most of them go completely ignored. I do not have much faith that a full report will be forthcoming, given that they can't even manage to acknowledge my complaint. Unfortunately this will leave me with only one course of action - to take it to the ombudsman.A complete disgrace and utterly incompetent.
1/5
TrustpilotWouldn't trust that Dan with a barge…
Wouldn't trust that Dan with a barge pole!! My mother in law was selling her house with them and the indoor cctv picked up him going through her personal belongings. Safe to say we soon switched to gibbons Richard's, much better service and so much more trustworthy!!
5/5
GoogleFantastic agency. They are all very helpful, kind and attentive to our needs. I totally recommend Martins&co.
5/5
Trustpiloti just got the keys yesterday am so…
i just got the keys yesterday am so happy for nadeem. who helped me sale of this.house very kind and. humble person. am so sad he lift martin co state agents. we need people like nedeem. moor in offices. will be missed.
1/5
TrustpilotStill the rogues they were 3 years ago
Just seeing if this agency had upped their game but No, still as bad as they were 3 years ago. I will never forget the dreadful experience I had with them. An email they sent me today just reminded me of that and I thought that I would see if they had got any better. They are still the rogues I remember and I have unsubscribed from their emails now. Do beware this company
5/5
TrustpilotAlison at Martin and co Sunderland has…
Alison at Martin and co Sunderland has been great sorting out all of the repairs and keeping us informed about the dates and times would highly recomend them
5/5
GoogleAs a landlord of a number of properties in Exeter, I am really pleased with the service Martin and Co offer. In particular I would like to mention Madeline who is always so efficient, hardworking and capable. She is a pleasure to deal with and has a great ability to match suitable tenants to properties, resulting in a number of my properties being rented on a longer-term basis. I would not hesitate to recommend Martin and Co to others.
5/5
TrustpilotLettings feedback
We were very happy with the response and understanding of the property lettings manager Brittany. She was extremely helpful, friendly and knowledgeable and very professional. Very impressed with our end of tenancy checking out and her communication skills are exceptional.
1/5
TrustpilotNightmare Agency in The Midlands
DO NOT RENT OR BUY THROUGH THEM ! I have moved into a flat in Leicester in July 2020 and in many occasions, the agency proved to be unprofessional, unhelpful and totally care-less. ZERO COMMUNICATION as they're supposedly always busy, even at 9am on a Monday !! I cannot write explicitly what I think of them, but I hope you get the point!! Also good reviews are probably paid or fake !!!!
5/5
TrustpilotExcellent service from Martin&Co Wokingham
Martin&Co Wokingham have been excellent! Rosemary has been so helpful in all aspects and I couldn't recommend her highly enough! Fantastic service! :-)
1/5
TrustpilotWhat an Attitude
Phone this agent for a viewing the attitude the agent had really disapointed me.YOU DONT TALK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS LIKE THAT.THis dude needs training on how to speak with people
Hello Amjad, we are sorry to learn that you were not satisfied with the service provided by a Martin & Co. office. To help us further our investigation, would you please email us your contact information and the name of the branch?Email: social.media@martinco.com
1/5
TrustpilotI don't usually give just 1 Star
I don't usually give just 1 Star. But one particular branch in Cornwall has proved to be quite unprofessional. I would like to tell them that one size does not fit all. We all have our own story especially more so during this Pandemic. This company needs to adapt to the changes regarding people's changed lives during this time, and become much more emphatic and sensitive in their dealings with individuals.
5/5
TrustpilotI’ve been using this company for years
I’ve been using this company for years. They have always been professional and done their best for me. I don’t understand why there are so many 1 star reviews and suspect that are from a competitor. I also have noticed the complete lack of 2 and 3 star reviews which is strange.
1/5
Trustpilotirresponsible, frustrating
we have called them tomake an offer so many times then we have been told to wait for an email when we called back we have been told that there were too many offers so we cant make one, it was soo frustrating to hear that as we could of made an offer but due to their irresponsible behaviour I will never try to do anything with this company
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