Martin and Co Pontefract reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Apsolutly apauling

Apsolutly apauling DO NOT USE We found a house we liked and began to go through the proccess I had to call atleast 3-4 times a day to get spoken to once We gave them £50 of the 250 to take it off the market and get credit checks started like they agreed We were told that it would be used for that specifically They then did NOT take the house off the market and did NOT do the checks We gilled out the form and since im new to all the procces i was trying to get in touch but no one picked up the phone When we decided no we dont want the property as there level of attentiom was abismal I called up to ask for the £50 back as nothing that was agreed had been done They organised a call back And didnt call back They did that multiple times throughout They also claimed to have tried to call me whitch they didnt as i would have had a missee call or a call discone ted notification And also claimed that they only had 1 missed call from me All of whitch are lies Do not use this company i trully belive they have no respect for people who are looking to buy They take far to long and drag there heels and borderline refuse to follow through on a agreement Id give them negative stars for everything and will not use them again Even if they offered a mansion for a tenna Disgracefullwashington

Dan · 13 August 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

They will deduct your deposit for definite!

I signed a 12 month contract with Martin and Co. I paid £350 deposit. One week before the contract ended, a pre-check-out insection was carried out by their staff called L****n. L****n said everything is okay. The property is cleaned. And I did clean the property etc. On the check out date, L****n came for check-out inspection and keys collection. L****n took tons of pictures of every corner of the property. L****n said a deep cleaning is needed. They charged me £180 for minor dust on the skirting, some stain on the stove whch is irremovable, and mould on the windows silicon. What a hypocrate! Don't be like Martin and Co. Don't rent from Martin and Co.

Randy · 31 July 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Look for a better company - they are terrible…

I can only recommend to both landlords and tenants that they do all they can to avoid this incompetent company. I am a tenant who has reported a faulty shower since I moved in, ten months ago. Nothing was done for 8 months and then they promised to fix it. They have not done so in the subsequent two months. I now have family and guests at Christmas and we will all have to share the only working bath/shower, which is in my en suite. They have already tried to get 2 contractors to complete the work. No success. They cannot tell me when they will try a third. They cannot guarantee any date or progress. They are a Management Company that appears not to have the ability to deliver a service to landlord or tenant. Yet they take a significant fee on the promise that they do. To add insult to injury, they do not even communicate with me to tell me what is happening. Because they do not care for the end user - and this comes from a national business that professes to offer personal services. I am just beginning an exercise to be compensated for their inability to get anything done and for the botheration and distress that it has caused me.

Ralph · 20 December 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Well where do I even begin?

Well where do I even begin?! After living in London for a decade and being exposed to many years of renting, I can honestly say that my experience with Martin & Co wins the award for the worst tenant experience hands down. From day one the service that we recieved was dreadful. During the paperwork stage, we spent alot of time chasing for updates as we were relocating from London and wanted to ensure everything was in order. The fees were seriously high (approx. £550 agency fees) and I never paid this much even in London. We had several issues after moving in and it took over two months to come in to the property to inspect and fix the issue. It shouldnt take this long when it only takes a matter of seconds for them to take your hard earned money for rent and fees. When we ended our tenancy we where then charged additional fees for extra cleaning. This was frustrating and not a surprise as I was waiting for the company to put extra charges ontop of the final bill. We left the property in a cleaner state than what we moved into and even fixed some things in the property whilst living there. My advice is don't use this agency. You will spend so much time being frustrated, angry and chasing for responses and updates. Its a waste of time.

HP · 13 July 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

This company is extremely horrible.They…

This company is extremely horrible.They never return calls or emails after taking their payment.They lie to you they will take down the property and then list it again, hence taking application fees from multiple tenants which is non refundable.They never return calls, they never offer any sort of help or information whatsoever as long as they took the money.Please never use them, i wonder how they are still in business. I AM IN TOTAL REGRET FOR MY HEARD EARNED MONEY

Eightonetwo · 9 July 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

After 23 weeks of waiting for the purchaser to obtain a mortgage and costing me over £6,000 with promises of it will be next week there is an 8 day turnaround on paperwork !!! When I agreed to a lower offer I was told the mortgage was in place and would complete by the end of May ! middle of September I pulled the plug !! Total incompetence !!!! stay away !!! I was also given a name of a handyman who has commented (5 stars) on their website !! He also charged me over the odds for emulshioning the bungalow !! Stay clear of him too !! £900 for a small repair on the lounge floor and magnolia in two bedrooms lounge n kitchen no ceilings, just walls No glossing at all !! Very bad advice from staff !!

Gloria · 17 June 2018

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

A first rate experience ( we were selling a property). An offer was received within a few short weeks (and at a 'slow time' leading up to Christmas) after other agents had failed to sell. Staff were friendly and helpful and went that extra mile when the buyers raised queries. I was kept in touch throughout so I knew what was happening. The offer translated into a sale and we have completed today! I would recommend this team to anyone wanting to sell.

Tanya · 17 June 2018

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

After the stress of a rental property falling through, all the staff at M&Co Pontefract worked tirelessly to get me into one of their property's on a very tight deadline. They kept me updated daily with the progress, and just generally reassured me when I began to worry. The staff are friendly, attentive and empathetic. I would highly recommend the branch, being one of the most helpful that I have dealt with in the Wakefield area. Thanks to the team.

Charlotte · 17 June 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Avoid at all Costs

This agent needs to be avoided at all costs. I chose to rent a flat through Martin and Co Nantwich and it was the worst decision I have ever made.On moving in I found a huge number of issues that I believe should have been found in the check that is meant to be done prior to a new tenant. There include a leaking pipe under the sink, a boiler that constantly needed resetting and a washing machine that was unusable due to the seal being black with mold. The whole flat was also filthy with cobwebs everywhere,dried food and grease all over the kitchen and limescale on all taps.On all phones I was assured issues would be sorted but they always done the cheapest repair possible if they done anything at all. I was regularly left without hot water and heating and this was whilst the UK had snow. At this time my boiler never worked for more than 20 hours at a time. I was never offered heaters I had to borrow theses from friends as there was just no empathy from Martin and Co.I did write a complaint but it got me no where the whole thing was shrugged off as though I was over reacting. The fact the flat was so dirty was shrugged off as I had signed the inventory but I had sent an email advising off all this and it was acknowledged.Most of all their out of hours service is useless. I lost all power on a Saturday morning and was told I would have to wait until Monday as it wasn’t classed as an emergency. Again this happened on a weekend where the temperatures were in the minuses. Luckily I could go and stay with friends as not sure what I would have done with no power!Advice to anyone is just stay away, they will cause you nothing but stress and in the end you start just living with some of the issues you find as you just can’t bring yourself to deal with them as you know it will be a battle

Joanne · 16 June 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

WORST Agency ever!!

WORST Agency ever!!! Do not rent from them! They are a bunch of scammers! They stole money from our deposit and we had to go through disputing it and we only got very little back. And what was their excuse? That the landlord paid a lot of maintenance for us!!! As if its not their job to do that!! Even the contract says so! We got charged for light bulbs that weren't working so they will put new ones in. Guess what! They didn't even change them! We know that because we asked the new tenant that moved in after us! It was a very stressful period. They couldn't give a damn to be honest. They seemed used to it. Also, we had a lot of problems with the flat because most of the stuff in there were old and it was like begging them to come and sort it. One time a guy came in to fix our shower and he left all the tiles he took out from it in our living room, and left the place extremely dirty and messy. On top of that we had to clean it all! When we first got inside the flat, we had to clean it all because it was dirty and there were blood stains on the wall!! We left the place cleaner than it was but they charged us for cleaning in the end!

Notauser · 13 June 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Do not use Martin & Co (Manchester) under any circumstances!

In 2016, I had received my first role post-graduating and was moving to Manchester (from London). Unfortunately I had the misfortune of coming across Martin & Co as the letting agency that I was to be renting with. Being slightly desperate to find accommodation in Manchester (as my role was to begin soon), I signed for a property that at the time seemed like an ideal distance from my workplace. The first red flag arose when the letting agent from Martin & Co was showing us the property and had a stand off with the tenant at the time who refused the agent entry to the property, claiming he had not been informed of the viewing. Despite this, I chose to sign for the property and was due to move in the following month and had agreed a collection time and date for the keys to the property. A week before I was scheduled to move in, Martin & Co rang me, asking if I could delay my moving in date. I told them I couldn't as I had arranged movers and I had members of my family who had taken time off to help. A day before moving in I rang Martin & Co informing them I'd be coming the next day to collect the keys, when suddenly they said I would not be able to move in as the flat was not ready. I was seething at this point and told them that everything had been arranged for me to move in and I had already incurred a cost under the impression that I would be moving in. I also asked them what would they have done had I decided not to inform them that I was coming to collect the keys. Martin & Co chose to hang up the phone call and did not offer any explanation until I hounded them again via e-mail. The previous tenant was refusing to leave. I had finally managed to move in to the property (one day before I was scheduled to start work at my new role). The property was a mess. It hadn't been cleaned at all, there were several glaring issues such as hanging wires, damaged sofas and a bed that shook. However the biggest issue was in the bathroom, with a movable lino floor that was a health hazard and was allowing water to escape to the flooring beneath. I informed Martin & Co of all these issues with picture evidence, including informing them that the movable lino could damage the property below. Martin & Co stated they would resolve the issues, however never got around to doing so. So months went on and I continued living at the property. Martin & Co were always slow resolving issues including a faulty fire alarm and a bathroom door that did not shut. They decided they would try to increase the rent, however never addressing the issues with the property. Approximately 8 months later, I was informed by the occupants of the property below that water was seeping from the property I was renting into theirs. I informed Martin & Co of this and they immediately attempted to pass the blame on to me. Claiming it was my usage of the bathroom that had resulted in the leak. I showed them evidence where I had informed them of the movable lino and potential water damage to the property below on the first day of moving in. They removed the shower-head so I could not shower. I had to send several letters to the landlord and numerous calls to the agent to get this reinstalled. Unfortunately during this process this caused a massive influx of drain flies and essentially made the property almost uninhabitable. At the end of my tenancy, Martin & Co attempted to withhold my deposit money and thus causing me to engage in a multiple month long battle fighting to get my deposit back. I sent Martin & Co and the landlord multiple evidences, however the response was always denial on their end. Eventually, getting to the end of my tether I threatened with county court action and only when threatened with legal action did Martin & Co return my deposit. They also tried to claim a "cleaning fee" from me, however knowing how this letting agency operates I took pictures of the condition that I left the property in. In short, do not use Martin & Co they do not operate within the realms of the law and are a cowboy agency. If you are going to use them please make sure you document everything.

Customer · 3 May 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Completely bizarre experience

Completely bizarre experience. They don't reply to texts or emails, told me the property was for sale after the checks were completed (too late to find anywhere else) changed the move in date, had people visiting constantly for viewings (I mean a LOT) while I was out, extreme damp in property (they know about) which I cleaned off the walls and units (actually, weekly!) threw out most of my stuff due to it stinking of mould - but they want bond money for the blinds and artex walls which have damp damage (which cannot be cleaned), said 3 lights weren't working when they are (they hadn't pulled the cord properly), promised to call me multiple times but didn't., I could go on. Just incredible. when I brought up issues the response was really shocking (I'm glad I saved that email.) So I just made sure it was spotless when I moved out.I've never had a problem with lettings / landlords and always had my full bond back. I didn't complaint about issues I should have because I don't like to cause a fuss. But seriously, even if you love the property, avoid them. I actually can't quite believe they are managing to survive as surely due to word of mouth and people avoiding them they must be struggling. I have to go through the ombudsman now as the response I had last time (and only time) I raised an issue was frankly insulting. I signed up just to help others avoid going through what I did. As I know (looking at the other complaints) my deposit money will not likely be returned without external involvement. Stress you don't need.Of course they know it's my word against theirs but I bet the Ombudsman will have a trend of complaints about Martin & Co. Shameless, dishonest, disingenuous. Makes me really bloody angry. they didn't respond to my last 5 emails so I'll vent here on the public forum.

Chris · 26 March 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

The absolute worst "agency" we moved…

The absolute worst "agency" we moved into a flat and it had black mould and was freezing cold due to there being no insulation and they did nothing about it despite us trying to call them so many times on the issues they sometimes don't even answer their calls. i wish i had never moved in none of the doors worked properly either so it was hard to keep heat in. the oven didnt work. theres was just a huge list of issues and they do not care at all. i do not recomend this agency even if you're desperate. really sad excuse for a company they need to sort themselves out. pathetic.

Joshua · 11 December 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Substandard from start to premature finish

My boyfriend and I tried to lease a flat through Martin and Co. and we have now withdrawn our application as a result of their conduct; judging from the reviews on this site we got out in time!My boyfriend was the one to view the flat. Having experienced troubles with previous rental properties I gave him a list of things to look out for, including to ensure that the boiler worked well. The Martin and Co. employee ran the tap over her hand and reported after a minute that it was warm. My boyfriend ran his hand through the water and found it to be cold, which wasn't surprising when it transpired that the boiler was in fact switched off! This lie, intentional or otherwise, didn't fill him with confidence.We decided to go ahead with the application and were promptly charged a £400 non-refundable admin fee (£200 per person). We were asked to complete a terms of business form (no issues there) and also an application for a reference check with a third party. As the instructions were to fill in our current employment details I did so, despite the fact that I would be starting a new job between that time and the start of the tenancy. When we contacted Martin and Co to rectify this issue we were told that we would have to pay an additional £150. This, alarmingly, turned out to be untrue when I contacted the referencing company directly who immediately updated my details over the phone free of charge.We then discussed the signing of the lease. Martin and Co. required us to sign it in person at their office, which is a bit of a trek from our current flat and it is not feasible for us to reach there during the work week. We arranged to visit in two weeks time as that was the first Saturday during which we were free. We agreed that in the interim we could be emailed the lease, print it, sign it and send a scan to Martin and Co. This was on a Thursday and we were told that the employee to do so would be in touch on the Tuesday with the lease. Tuesday came and went as did the rest of the week and we were finally sent the lease the following Tuesday.Having grown increasingly concerned at this point, I sent it to my stepfather, a partner in a national solicitor's firm specialising in real estate, who described it as "over the top" for a simple residential rental. He provided me with a list of issues to raise with Martin and Co. and I sent this list on the Wednesday night. On the Thursday morning I received an email at work from my boyfriend warning that I would likely receive a "rude(ish)" phone call from Martin and Co. who were inquiring as to when we could return the signed lease, as the landlord was chasing for it. This, we can note, was approximately 48 hours (and working days) since we had received it. We can assume that Martin and Co. did not tell the landlord that the delay was due to them sending the lease a week late.My boyfriend told Martin and Co that we had sent a list of concerns. Martin and Co. then contacted me requesting we resend it as the person I had sent it to was off that day. In the same email they chased for this to be completed so that the lease could be signed. Before I saw this email they managed to find my original one with the list and responded to the queries.The first query regarded liability for shared areas. I was told that the contract said "where applicable". This does not confirm or deny any liability.The second regarded a long list of potential deductions from our deposit, none of which had any indication of their amount. I suggested that estimates should be included and was told that the fees that would be payable to Martin and Co. were "clearly stated" in the Terms of Business. I agree with this point, however, this is no reason why they should not be included in the lease. I will also note that these fees are higher than those from other letting agencies in the area.The final query regarded the lease informing us that we had been supplied with a "head lease" which we were to adhere to. We have been sent no such document and I was told in Martin and Co's response that "This can be requested from the landlord." While I do not doubt this, that is not what the lease we were expected to sign stated.Finally, we grew seriously alarmed throughout the entire process at Martin and Co.'s inability to use basic punctuation, spelling and syntax; for example "Ive just managed to pick up (name with no apostrophe) emails regarding your queries. Please see my response in red to your queries if you have any further questions please let me know, can you advise when you can send the signed tenancy over as advised the landlord is chasing for conformation on this to book the check out with the existing tenant." This indicates a worrying lack of due attention and proofreading. I have since emailed to withdraw our application, though as this was sent after business hours this evening I do not have a response. Fortunately we have not paid any other fees than the £400 admin fee. In a nutshell; I would strongly advise that everybody should avoid Martin and Co. at all costs.

Richard · 8 March 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I purchased my flat

I purchased my flat, got keys and a temporary fob which I was told they want back, so I will be left without one. I was told I would have 2 replacement fobs provided to me, yet to receive these. I haven't been provided with my Post box key, code to the meter cupboard so I couldn't provide meter readings, no key for the balcony, basically I haven't got half the access to my property that I have purchased.I phoned a week after I completed the purchase (after sending 2 reminders asking for these last items to allow me to move in fully) and got a defensive message about how I will most likely have to pay for all these items to be replaced..... WHAT! I think I have had to spend enough money getting house clearances organised for the furniture that I requested to be moved out by the seller, now I have to pay for things that I should have received... 'Did it say in your paperwork that a post box key would be provided?' Not being funny, but a key to the post box is pretty standard. I categorically am not paying for these items that I should have been provided in the first place. Now I am living I'm an insecure flat that I cant get meter readings to so don't want to use electricity as I have not been able to get my baseline meter readings. Any info from the building manager about paying my service charge and ground rent will be sat in my post box which I don't have access to so don't know who I can directly contact about organising my direct debits for it. On top of having to clear out all the sellers furniture at my own cost! I am very angry.Such a joke.***UPDATE**** *(05/03/18) No news from M&Co. Still no postbox key, nor fobs. Had to pay £140 to replace car park fobs. £80 for the house clearance. Booked in for locksmith (which will be god knows how much) for the other jobs. Trying to sort the issue without escalating to the head office because I dont want to complain for complainings sake. I just want to live in a secure property.Still insecure, still not fully moved in. Still angry. Dont think its work chasing it up again. I dont want some snotty defensive reply. Just going to sort it myself. Martin and Co couldn't run a bath, let alone a business.

JC · 5 March 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

How rude

On Friday I received a call from Martin & Co informing that the boiler had broken in on of my flats, I arrange for British Gas to attend and fix, I rang back today to ask if every thing was ok and was asked are we meant to keep you informed, very quick to inform me about the problem, would only have thought it good manners to inform me it was fixed, not to be so rude.Thank you for your response, the office was Stoke on Trent

Customer · 19 February 2018

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Successful and pain free sale of flat (Mansfield Branch)

My wife recently sold her late fathers flat in Mansfield and the staff at Martin & Co at the local branch went to great lengths to provide an excellent level of support. In particular, and on top of the excellent personal service they provided, they also helped find local companies to clear and clean the flat at short notice, which made the whole process hassle free. I can't thank them enough!

Philip · 9 June 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

An absolute nightmare.

An absolute nightmare.Don’t do it! My experience with them was so bad.They made us live in an apartment for 4 weeks without heating! No hot water for 4 weeks and it was freezing cold! Got in touch with them to discuss this and guess what their response was “the property manager for one of the apartments in crewe, “what do you want me to do about it”.It was so horrible. We finally decided to move out and the landlord still wanted to claim our deposit! No apologies for putting us through the terrible experience! Their office in crewe, Nantwich road, avoid! It was really bad, I am still traumatized! Worst month of my life!

Laide · 6 December 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Walton branch ran by a crook

They never seem to want to improve on their customer services. Awful company. They seem to like to hire crooks like the guy in charge of the Walton branch who takes bribes for allowing tenants to sub let and for some bizarre reason fire staff, then replace them with morons! One staff member was a two faced cow and was so up herself. To add further insult, they hire an electrician who makes YOU pay for something to be replaced!? AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!

Marketing · 4 December 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

No replies for over 5 month when holding over £1500 in deposits

I was a tenant through university and since I have left the building my and my housemates have had no contact in regards to deposits or when we would get them back. Countless emails have been sent (Sunderland branch) to Adele, each just getting fobbed off or sent to Juli who hasn't replied either, but rates the company 5* on Google reviews. It has now been well over 5 months since we vacated and would like deposits back.Would never recommend as severely unprofessional.

Liam · 21 November 2017

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Stay away from these people

Stay away from these people. They are extremely unprofessional. Had a viewing this Saturday past at 14h30. At 14h30, rang the office and was told the agent was on her way. After 30 minutes waiting for her outside in the rain no one turned up. Current tenant opened saw me standing in the rain, took pity and invited me in to show the property herself. Left a voice message on their phone but no one returned my call. Managed to get hold of them later on the day and the guy who answered the phone was unapologetic. I said I liked the house and got told he would call back on Monday to advise me on the next steps. Guess what? No one called. Very unprofessional.

Not · 20 November 2017

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Martin and Co Banbury. A refreshing experience.

I am staggered to read the negative reviews directed to Martin and Co in Banbury.My own personal experiences with the company and the owner David Stone have been very positive. David has many years experience in the local property market and his wide experience of both lettings and saleswere apparent from the moment I decided to do business with them.Their office is in an excellent position and I found all staff members to be both welcoming and professional.I would have no hesitation in recommending Martin and Co to my friends or anyone seekingto sell, buy, let it rent.C.J.Stace.

John · 30 October 2017

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Total scam

Total scam. Avoid at all cost. Rude staff. Ran away happily with my 150 pounds application fees by saying "sorry, landlady rejects you". When I demanded them (and also their scamming referencing partner) to disclose information about me passed onto landlord they said they could not due to "data protection". Wait a minute, I am asking to see MY OWN information held by them. They insisted that my reference passed their internal check and landlady just "didn't like me".

Kay · 31 August 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

How this cowboys can still run a …

How this cowboys can still run a company like this were is about housing people....i rent a property from them on 29...they offer me to clean it for me...i was very happy...they ruined the carpet with chemicals...and they closed the windows...when I gone to the property to move in as I open the door I throw up...the smellcwas disgusting....as I call them to see what happen...they told me everything is ok..just smell a bit like a pet house....i can't live in this condition....so after argument they replace the carpet but not before me spent 100 pound on candles air cleaners...even a air blower...to take the smell out the house...all this took 2 weeks...so I offer them I will start pay rent from the day I move in....and are like not...when you took the keys...but they didn't even give me a I kay for the front door...very disappointed and I will not going to pay them any rent at all...we going to resolve it In court....horribele staff like deepa...and some other living people were they are liers....i wish them kids to get what I got from them...and to take there three..years old kid like they ask me ...in this disgusting place....

Giorgos · 20 September 2017