Martin and Co Tonbridge reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Martin & Co in Reading manage a…

Martin & Co in Reading manage a converted house split into 3 separate flats on my behalf. They do an amazing job, particularly a lady called Anita who is super efficient and a pleasure to deal with. There are regular changes in tenants and Martin & Co work hard to fill the voids and keep on top on the maintenance. We have requested alot of extra work lately, asking for quotes to be obtained for new windows, to arrange access for an upgrade to the fire alarm system, and just recently Martin & Co facilitated in the relocation of a gas meter. Without their help we could not get these essential jobs completed and we are truly thankful and appreciative of their willingness to assist with all our maintenance issues. Highly recommended!

Paul · 27 September 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

I don’t usually write reviews however…

I don’t usually write reviews however reading some reviews on here makes me question why aren’t the other branches as good as the Banbury one? We came in last Friday, now this is the third Martin and co branch I’ve been to and yet this is by far the best one. The office is clean and tidy and the staff are warming and welcoming. I spoke to a guy named David, instantly I felt like I was being looked after. He knew what he was doing, he was extremely professional and patient. My family aren’t the easiest to deal with but he dealt with it in the best way. It’s a let down that your other branches aren’t as good, it’s a shame as it’s a good company. Hopefully David can start improving the other offices!

Laura · 20 September 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

martin an co rochdale

i would not give this company 1 star they are a terrible company to give properties to to rent out they are greedy money grabbers take rip off fees have a heating engineer who is a bankrupt who does not give recipes they have a rent garrentee through there own insurance company that does not pay out because the owner phill watson ownes it ,who lives at burswell close rochdale an if you take your properties off them because they mess up they charge you 473 pounds per property and still try to carry on collecting the rent by harrasing the tennants stay well clear of them

David · 18 September 2019

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Good experience

Dealing with Martin & Co was relatively stress-free and they are well organised. As a new renter I was a bit worried but Grace (Banbury branch manager) was very good, friendly and accommodating. I am moving out today of the flat I rented for 18months and I am happy to recommend them as letting agents in Banbury.

Gael · 23 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Hanley Branch- Wouldn’t even give 1 star!

Wouldn’t even give 1 star, very unprofessional service. Booked time off work to view a house and after waiting over 20 minutes rang to ask where they were. Was told that they had “spoken to me and cancelled the appointment” although nobody had even contacted me at all! They then said they would see if anybody could come and ring back ASAP, as we were waiting outside the property, over 5 hours later and nobody has still rang. Wouldn’t even bother looking at any other houses they are selling. Avoid if possible!

C · 28 August 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Croydon Branch. Awful Customer Service!

Awful customer service! Spoke on the phone with a lady for roughly 10 minutes in which she stuck rigorously to some sort of script and made no attempt to answer my actual questions. The conversation quickly escalated to the point where she was raising her voice at me and being quite curt, I'm assuming this came from her frustration at me asking the same question multiple times and not getting an actual answer. Will not be dealing any further, I've dealt with plenty of estate agents and letting companies and they've all been happy to answer my questions. Terrible experience!

Tosin · 16 August 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Terrible customer service & communication

Struggled to book a viewing for an apartment in Manchester but eventually managed to get through to a gentleman who seemed generally very unhappy, I felt as though I was bothering him. On the day I received a phone call to say the apartment I was due to view that day had been taken off the market but he could show me a different one for let in the same building; that was fine with me. However during my 2 hour drive up to Manchester he rang again saying actually they couldn’t get access to that apartment & the tenant wouldn’t be in. I asked what could be done as I’d gone to a lot of trouble to travel up, he said he’d check with the tenant & get back to me ASAP. 3 hours passed whilst I was hanging around in Manchester waiting, I rang the office & a lady told me I just needed to wait for him to call me back. Then, at 5 minutes past the original time of the viewing, a different guy called me & asked if I would be attending the viewing?! I replied that it had been cancelled but wasn’t happy that I was getting mixed messages, he then had to check with someone else to confirm that it was actually cancelled! It’s been over a week since I was supposed to receive my urgent call back, and I have heard nothing. I have gone with a different agent who have been much more helpful than this company. Disgusting customer service towards potential tenants, I was really hoping to secure the flat I had seen with them but they do not make anything easy & are far from helpful. I would never use this company after this first dealing with them, and am so relieved that I will never deal with them again. No apology, clarification or communication at all. I would be very wary about trusting people like this to manage a property.

A · 6 August 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I am so glad to finally say I never…

I am so glad to finally say I never have to deal with Martin & Co Manchester Central again. I've been waiting a year to write this review, purely because I wanted it to reflect every part of our experience from start to finish. From the beginning, they were terrible at communication. I had to email and chase with phone calls every issue because they were incapable of handling small things. The flat was a state when we moved in, it wasn't clean, the lights had been left on, about 10 things needed repairing (chairs, doors etc). One of the doors never got fixed in the entire year we lived there. Issues with black mould in the bathroom were ignored (there's no ventilation and when we complained that the extractor fan wasn't doing the job, they didn't bother fixing it or offering any other help). At one point during the year, we got letters saying our internet provider was being changed over. We didn't request this, so called the provider to find out. Turns out, Martin & Co had tried to move people into our flat instead of a free one they had. The staff are rude and have no care. One time, I called the person I'd been given as a contact to ask about something. She said she'll check on it and call me back in 10 minutes. After an hour went by I called back, a guy picked up and said she'd no longer be speaking to me because I'd "screamed and shouted at her". This never happened. I asked for phone recordings which they conveniently didn't have and it resulted in a full-blown complaint to the Ombudsman. Interestingly, she did end up speaking to me again, and claimed that she'd never said I shouted at her. Another example of their polite service is a guy genuinely replying to a question with "Not being funny but do you really need me to answer this?"When it got to the end of the tenancy, we asked them to let us know about any viewings 24 hours in advance. On a Sunday evening they emailed me saying there'd be a viewing "tomorrow". No time given, and I had to take a day off work. Moving out was another barrel of fun. They clutched onto our £1075 deposit for dear life. We were presented with a long document of all the things supposedly wrong with the flat (including "rubbish" being left behind, which was actually some cheap canvas prints that came with the flat, a sofa that was described as "brand new" when we moved in, and definitely wasn't). They also decided to blame the mould in the bathroom on us despite us having cleaned it fully before moving out, and them failing to fix the ventilation. When I called out all these issues and said we wouldn't be paying for them and requested invoices, they quickly changed their tune and agreed to £90 for cleaning, which we were happy to accept. Then commenced two weeks of back and forth where the manager continually claimed that the deposit couldn't be released because I hadn't sent them copies of final utility bills despite me sending them twice and her herself thanking me for them 10 days ago. After sending a final email with 6 screenshots showing that she DID receive them, she blamed it on "technical issues" and finally released our deposit. I've warned every single person I know in Manchester to avoid this company, it's not worth the hassle.

Valery · 2 August 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Before renting my house with Martin &…

Before renting my house with Martin & Co, I was told that my tenancy agreement would be long term. 3 months into my tenancy, I was told that my landlord was selling the property I was living in. Despite being told this would be a long term agreement, an estate agent from Martin & Co told me that this landlord had been thinking about selling the property for a while which was not mentioned to me before my tenancy started. I have had 6 viewings from potential buyers all in the matter of 2 weeks which I am not happy about. The majority of the investors that have been to view this property have discussed moving into this property themselves even though I was told that I would be able to continue renting with a new landlord. I moved in to this property hoping me and my 3 year old daughter would have a home to stay in long term. Now with this happening, we will have to look for another home. I have had a terrible experience with this being my first private rented home and when I have to move, I will not be renting with Martin & Co.

Lucy · 31 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Shocking from start to finish

Well what can I say about this company and the Hillsborough office.DO. NOT. USE.Useless. Unreliable. Unprofessional. Don’t care about issues that occur. Take your money and ignore you.Handed my keys back yesterday. I await with baited breath as to whether I get any deposit back even tho I left the house in a better state than I arrived in.Wish I’d read reviews on this website before I entered into my tenancy with them. Disgusting company.

Rachel · 24 February 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Disgusting service. Avoid at all costs.

Would give 0 if that was an option. Having rung on Saturday afternoon to book an urgent viewing of a property, I was told someone would ring me back to arrange a viewing for the Monday or Tuesday. No such call emerged. When I rang back later in the afternoon, my call was answered and I was told they were closed until Monday - who answered the phone then I am unclear.I rang again first thing Monday morning. According to the website they opened at 8:30. I rang, was told they weren’t open until 9 but that they would pass a message on to contact me as a matter of urgency as I had a limited window in which to view the property. Again, no one was in touch. I called back only to be told I couldn’t see it that day or the next (the two days I had given my availability for on the Saturday) but could view it on the Wednesday. My partner had to take time off work to ensure we could do this.We saw the property and were told there was a viewing straight after us. We weren’t in the property for more than 10 minutes before we were ushered out. We told our “negotiator” that we wanted to go ahead and take the property. She told us she would call her office to let them know to expect a call from us.We rang the office imminently and were asked if we would like to pay to take the property off the market and go ahead with renting, which we did.Hours later I received a phone call from the “negotiator” to say she had sent the applications of mine and the second viewing’s details off to the landlords for them to decide who they would take. Confused, I said I had paid to secure the property and was answered by saying “I explained this to you at the viewing, we have to make it fair for both parties. The person you spoke to in the office didn’t know there was another viewing after you. Okay?”.I finished the conversation saying that no this wasn’t really okay but accepted what had been said. I then called back to ask that the landlord be made aware that we were misinformed and had been assured the property was ours due to a mistake between the negotiator and the office (she had not told the office she had another viewing, hence them allowing us and assuring us that we had the property). Our negotiator Kelsy proceeded to speak to me in the most vile manner, talking over me, becoming overly defensive (clearly she realised she had made a mistake), and was being incredibly rude and unprofessional, which I called her out on only to be talked over again. We ended up losing the property. I asked Kelsey for any feedback there may have been as to why our application was unsuccessful and she responded “I can’t discuss someone else’s application with you.” Not what I was asking. Needless to say I will never be going through Martin & Co. again. The practice and service were ridiculous. Perhaps this is different in other areas, but I would not recommend the Colchester branch to anyone. Be wary. I hope the branch records calls and can have a listen to how the situation was dealt with and ensure staff are properly trained in customer service and professional communication to stop enormous errors like this occurring in the future.

Turner · 18 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Last minute

I had a viewing one day before my flight back home for a property. Came one day before all the way from manchester and stayed at huddersfield then been called 30 minutes before the viewing and been told the property is not on the market anymore ! Truly been let down i would have been found and sorted another property instead of wasting all my time and going back to the next academic year without a place to stay at. Totally unsatisfied with the customer service.unprofessional people

Jack · 16 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Last minute

I had a viewing one day before my flight back home for a property. Came one day before all the way from manchester and stayed at huddersfield then been called 30 minutes before the viewing and been told the property is not on the market anymore ! Truly been let down i would have been found and sorted another property instead of wasting all my time and going back to the next academic year without a place to stay at. Totally unsatisfied with the customer service.unprofessional people

Mon · 16 July 2019

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Friendly staff, some minor issues

I rented a house share via Martin & Co and all of the staff members I encountered were really friendly and helpful. I wouldn't have found such a great place to live at short notice if it wasn't for their help. I did have a couple of minor issues though:-The agent who showed me round promised me that the house share would only be rented to people in their 20s and said they were very selective about who was allowed to look round. I was therefore surprised when a man in his 60s moved in about a month after I did. Fortunately I got on with him really well and we didn't have any issues, but I did feel lied to by the agent. Also, we were never warned when someone was coming to view the house. I didn't mind too much as I was usually out when the agents came, but there was a Saturday when someone came to look round and I was still in my pyjamas. I'm not sure how the rules apply to house shares, perhaps the agents are only legally obliged to let us know if they're going into our rooms. However, it would have been polite of them to let us know in advance if they are going to be entering the house, especially at weekends.

Sophie · 14 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Worse house rental experience ever

Worse house rental experience ever. The staff was not helpful and friendly at all during the check in process and also throughout my tenancy, but expecting me to write a good review for them. The flat was in poor cleaning condition when handing over to m but the staff was irresponsible and ignore all my problems because she was on a trip and the others didn’t know anything. While during check out, they point out all the little cleaning problems in regard of my deposits. Overall, it was a disappointment.

Wingwing · 9 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Harassed on my own house!!!!

Terrible at fixing any issues, unless it revolves around them getting money. Just today at the Derby branch I heard loud lashings at my bedroom door and inaudible shouting (I was in my en suite shower). Got to the door and was greeted by Jon from Derby Martin and co who proceeded to shout and scream at me and tell me it was unacceptable for me to have a small pet caged bird (which I cleared up with them at the beginning of my tenancy, and they said was fine) and threatened to throw my personal belongings away that were kept in the kitchen. He then proceeded to order me down stairs for a "chat" despite me having nothing but a towel on, and shampoo still unwashed out in my hair!! I feel my basic right to personal space was challenged and the fact I was ordered to do something despite being a 23 year old women, but a patronising 60 something man. I am utterly furious, ans actually broke down in tears after he told me he would be charging me £2000 a month, instead of £450, as the other 3 tenants had moved out. He accused me of being messy when I just simply refuse to clean up the mess the other ex housemates left, and then said my washing that was drying on the radiators was also contributing to the mess. I am so angry I am strongly considering calling 101 for charges of harassment!!!! Please do not use this company, they are the absolute worst!

Brooke · 9 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Lettings Manager St. Margarets

I was dealing with the lettings manager at St. Margarets. My wife enquired on a letting and was told that the place was under offer. Subsequently we were told that this offer was not taken up and we could view. This happened on Friday 05.07.2019. We also viewed other properties, but set our sights on the property offered by Martin and Co. We made an offer immediately of full asking price. I then discussed the offer with him that Friday who assured me that our offer was good and that we could stop our search. Stating he would come back to us the Monday morning. We did just that. We made contact with him the Monday for updates, but were told to be patient and that he was sure of a positive answer pending. Only to hear on the Tuesday 09.07.2019 afternoon that he had submitted another persons offer the Monday afternoon without letting us know. The other person's offer was accepted and my family wasted valuable time and money with this unprofessional individual. I did lay a complaint with the company. Will see if they respond. For now, and based on what I am reading on Trust Pilot, I would not recommend this company at all.

Wayne · 9 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Honestly the worst company I’ve ever…

Honestly the worst company I’ve ever dealt with. They are so difficult to get hold of and when you do manage to they fob you off with excuses. They had my deposit since 2013 and NEVER paid it to a tenancy deposit scheme. Then when I moved estate agents they didn’t send it over to them. I had to give them all the information I had proving they were in the wrong and they still blamed the other two companies that they had never received the money. After 6 weeks of daily calls and emails I finally managed to get my money back from them after threatening legal action. Like they all say below avoid at all costs and if you have the misfortune of being with them check you have the correct paperwork for your deposit or I doubt you will get a penny back.

Jay · 9 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Just wondering if the 'co' in Martin…

Just wondering if the 'co' in Martin and Co actually stands for completely useless! I was sent an email from a letting agent, asking if I was available to view a property on a certain day at a certain time. I replied saying yes this was fine. I didn't hear anything back, so I sent a further TWO emails and did not receive any replies. My partner and I still turned up for the viewing, assuming it was going ahead. We were stood outside for 15 minutes when I noticed they had an office nearby. I went in and spoke to a lady, who was actually rather polite. I showed the emails I had received from the letting agent and she asked me to take a seat as he had gone to collect the keys for a different viewing. When the letting agent returned, he asked us if he 'could help' and I explained who I was, the emails etc. He then had the audacity to explain that we weren't booked in for a viewing. I responded by explaining that I had emailed him twice and he has not replied at all. The letting agent was then really rude and quite defensive, saying he hadn't confirmed the booking and the current tenants need notice. I said I know this, I'm not stupid and said he should be checking his emails at it is his responsibility! The letting agent responded by saying I should've rang and throughout this, had his head down the whole time. I completely lost it at this point and explained I have a full time job and I cannot just step out to be calling estate agents! He was so rude and completely ignorant. My partner and I feel like he was embarrassed by the situation and we hope he realises what an absolute moron he has been. After reading the other reviews on here, it sounds as if me and my other half have had a lucky escape and have been fortunate enough to not be letting from this useless estate agents. For the love of God, please do not waste your time even BOOKING A VIEWING. Inconsiderate, foul time wasters.

Uganda15* · 6 July 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

No bad experience for me.

Dealt with Rebecca from the Nottingham office. Had no issues whatsoever. Kept in the loop with any updates or documents that needed providing / signed.

Richard · 16 July 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Which there was less than 1 star...

Honestly if there was something less than 1 star, that's what they truly deserve. Requested to move into a property in July and the estate agents told us it HAD to be June, so we reluctantly accepted. Due to move on the 1st of June however we didnt get to the property until the 17th because we were told there was work and cleaning to be done on the house. When we arrive to the house after being told it's in a condition we can live in, we see that both the fridge and oven in the place were so mouldy it was a health hazard, the garden overgrown and where plants have obviously been neglected and have died have attracted many bugs and left the garden in a state where you cant even walk through it. Even though Martin & Co were well aware of these issues they still allowed the move to happen and we are still fighting to get the garden sorted. We called earlier for an update where the property manager accused me of lying about something my partner had said in regards to the garden, blaming me for their lack of organisation. Never have I ever come across someone so unprofessional in my life. Would NEVER reccomend to anyone after the way we have been treated.

Charlie · 21 June 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Dreadful...

I tried to set up a viewing for a rental property in Manchester. When I eventually got hold of them, which was difficult as they don't respond to emails and seldom answer the phone, they refused to show me a property available for the end of July in mid June, even though I don't live in Manchester and was making a special trip to see it. The justification was that they are struggling to let properties available immediately and so can't look that far (6 weeks!) ahead. With customer service like these reviews indicate it's no surprise they are struggling to find tenants. I'd advise both prospective tenants and landlords to avoid.

JM · 18 June 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I would even give them 1 star if I am…

I would even give them 1 star if I am honest! Leave you with out heating for 3 months in winter with a child and apparently they did everything possible to limit the inconvenience...3 months without heating I feel that’s more than an inconvenience! When the landlord wanted to sell the property we had to do over 15 viewings at very short notice sometimes they would just show up. At the end of the tenancy they have now kept part of our bond £120 to clean an oven! We left item behind as it was a massive rush to move out and we asked to collect these the next day but they have refused, they are difficult, rude and greedy and I would stay away from using them. Huddersfield branch

Nicola · 9 June 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

DO NOT USE DAVID MCKNIGHT

I would absolutly not recommend this branch, To be honest more perticularlly David McKnight! He is a vacant in helping us rent our mothers house the second you pay him some money he is gone like a ghost.He never gets back to us when he said he does and i mean NEVER.He says he will check in with the tenants but doesnt we have o speak to the tenants directly! What am i paying you for David?And while were talking about payments David accepts part payments from my tenant "on my behalf"! Great only half the rent will be collected this month!But sure as hell David still get his full cut !

Tomy · 29 May 2019