Martin & Co Abingdon & Didcot Lettings & Estate Agents - Abingdon

Willames M. B.

My sincere advice for someone in the marketing looking for renting: AVOID THIS COMPANY, YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE SOON.

I will explain my experience with Martin & Co in more detail below, but for those who may not wish to read the full account: please avoid them. You will only see the friendly smiles and polite faces when you are signing the contract – or, at best, during a renewal. After that, everything changes.

Towards the end of my tenancy, I began to notice a few concerning things. Martin & Co arranged viewings for new tenants while I was still living in the flat. I was present during them, trying to be polite and helpful. Unfortunately, the agent from Martin & Co was less than honest. He provided misleading – and in some cases blatantly false – information to the prospective tenants. Not once, not twice, but on multiple occasions. I genuinely tried to believe he might have been having a bad day or was perhaps unprepared. But it quickly became clear that this was not an isolated incident. It appeared that honesty was being sacrificed for the sake of a quick deal.

When I returned my keys, I visited the Martin & Co office and brought with me a few letters addressed to the next tenants or to the agency – routine letters regarding TV licensing, utilities, and so forth. They were clearly not for me, but for the new occupant. I handed them over politely, only to be met with a rather sharp and dismissive response: “What are these? I do not need these letters – throw them in the bin.” All the courtesy and professionalism had vanished. As soon as they cannot profit from you, their true colours begin to show.

I then asked – again, very politely – about the return of my deposit. I was told, in an annoyed tone, that it was a matter for the landlord and that tenants like me always “bother them” after leaving asking for a date of deposit release. However, since I had paid the deposit to Martin & Co (before signing the contract), it was entirely reasonable to ask about the process and expected timelines from them. Instead of being helpful, the agent made me feel like I was being a nuisance. I was too tired to argue, so I simply left and contacted my former landlord directly.

Despite multiple attempts to reach both the landlord and Martin & Co, over thirty days passed with no communication, no check-out report, and no proposed deductions. Only after I sent a message giving 48 hours' notice to resolve the issue did I finally receive a report – more than a month after moving out. It listed several deductions which I strongly disagreed with. As most tenants know, the law in England states that if there is no dispute, your deposit should be returned within two weeks. At that point, there had been no discussion, no report, and no proposed deductions – just silence. The so-called inventory and check-out report were highly questionable.

After reading reviews from others, one thing is absolutely clear: document everything. Take photos. Get all communication in writing. Because, unfortunately, they do not tell the truth, and they will try to rip you off.

My experience with them is still ongoing, as I have now escalated the matter to a formal dispute. But regardless of the outcome, I want to share my honest opinion: this was an exhausting, disappointing, and frankly unacceptable experience. I hope it helps someone else avoid the same.

Angus M.

An astonishingly bad experience.

We were tenants of Martin & Co from May 2018 to late 2022 – a solid 4.5 years, with an excellent record and a very good relationship with our landlord.

In August 2022, our circumstances changed unexpectedly and we needed to leave Abingdon at the end of the year to move to another country. We notified Martin & Co immediately – hoping for a constructive dialogue. Instead, we encountered rigidity, opacity, and a distinct lack of decency.

Martin & Co informed us that they wouldn't even contact the landlord until we paid an "early release fee" of over £2000 to them. When we asked for a breakdown or justification of this amount, we were told flatly: “We do not need to provide you with any evidence of costs, because this is an early release fee which we are allowed to charge you for.” Our request to discuss this in person was also refused.

In the end, under legal advice, we paid this sum under protest so we could move. Tenants were found within three days of the property being listed – using recycled marketing materials from years before – and signed within the week after a single viewing. The landlord raised the rent, meaning he actually gained financially from our early departure.

To add insult to injury, days after paying the early release fee, we were told we must pay an additional 3 days' rent “just in case any jobs are needed to be carried out.” Again, failure to pay meant we would not be released. Another sum, paid under protest.

In our view, these charges constituted prohibited payments under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. We made every effort to be reasonable and cover legitimate costs – but Martin & Co offered no transparency and no evidence that the fees were anything but profiteering. Having reported them to the Property Ombudsman, we recovered most of these costs.

In addition, deductions were made from our deposit, which were outrageous. One example being evidence of mould on some curtains. The photos used to justify this were photos we had previously raised with the agent and prior to having the curtains dry cleaned and repaired at our cost. These photos were provided in the checkout report, but were in fact our own photos we had previously shared with the agent. There were charges for the lawn not being lush and green despite damaged caused by the intense summer. Most of these charges were returned to us following a complaint to the DPS.

We would urge other tenants to proceed with extreme caution. Ensure every i is dotted and t crossed, ensure you are well covered. The interactions were perfectly good during our tenancy, but incredibly hostile afterwards.

Aster L.

Avoid this agency.

They will demand all your personal details (phone number, e-mail address, name, estimate salary, even current address, etc), and refuse to discuss the property you are just calling to inquire generally about until you give them all the personal details they want.

Then after all that they tell you they have only one slot for viewing the property, at a very uncomfortable time, and try to create a feeling of urgency by telling you exactly how many other viewings they have for the same property.

The person on the phone will also treat you surprisingly poorly. If this is how this company treats prospective tenants at the first point of contact I dread to imagine how it treats actual tenants.

Jack B.

Thanks to the persistent efforts of Gary from martin & co we managed to push through a worst case scenario in terms of start-of-chain buyers.

Long past the point where I had given up hope, Gary was taking daily action to push the chain forward.

I now find myself in the new home, almost in a state of disbelief of how things worked out so well.

As the buyer in this particular transaction I owed no money to him, but without a doubt I owe sincere thanks. For someone wishing to sell their property via martin & co I can wholeheartedly offer my recommendation.

murugi W.

You will meet dedicated, committed & hardworking individuals with great knowledge, whom will take you step by step, explaining every little details you need to know about any type of property and when it comes to their delivery and process, its fast, reliable & correct to details. I am a happy tenant. thank you

Noman H.

At the beginning of my tenancy, the agency seemed very professional and attentive, but unfortunately, my experience changed towards the end. It became clear that they were more focused on representing the landlord’s interests.

If you are a landlord, I’m sure they will do a great job for you. However, as a tenant, I cannot say I had the best experience. My advice to future tenants is to document everything. After every phone call or interaction, follow up with an email summarizing the conversation. Trust me, you’ll need that paper trail.

Talia A.

Securing the tenancy was a breeze, Liza did a great job showing me the property and sorting everything out. Communication throughout the year was also good. However, the check-out process wasn't so great. The inventory used for my tenancy used old photos and so did not match the condition of the flat as I received it. I made comments, but missed items, so was charged for the previous tenant's damage. Just a "beware", be present at the check-in if possible, or request a redo if the photos don't match the property.

Anton E.

Gary should consider a job that isn’t customer centric.

My partner called in enquiring about a property this agency advertised. Gary was condescending throughout the conversation and made inappropriate remarks when my partner wasn’t able to provide him information in regard to MY self-employment books over the phone. Paraphrasing because we didn’t have the foresight to record the call ourselves for a direct quote: “who is this person because presumably if it was your partner you would know.”

Gary, it’s none of your business what I information I share with my partner in regard to the intricacies of my self-employment. If this is how you speak to customers who are trying to bring new business to you I dread to think how you communicate with those who you already got a contract with.

Other agents might be more pleasant to work with but we will think twice before trying this agency again.