Honestly one of the worst letting agents ever, we had so many issues and it took them a while to do anything about it and tried to scam us on our deposit which we disputed and we got most of the exaggeration back. I don’t know how they’re rated so highly, also very rude over email makes me think this is fake.

Those guys are really unprofessional and they will make everything they can to rip you off. They are holding our deposit for 2 months already as they put a list of unfair expenses to dry out the whole deposit. An example of this is charging … More

Very poor customer care. Treating everyone as fraud. Very rude and unprofessional. Arranging viewing the property by themselves and using their spare keys, be careful they are entering the property without current tenants. Finally they … More

Scammers!!! We were advised to pay a holding deposit on a property before any legal paperwork. Unfortunately we trusted this agent only to know that the application was withdrawn once deposit was paid and the deposit was retained without any justified reason. This was an unprofessional way to finalise an agreement. AVOID at all costs !

Very poor customer care. Treating everyone as fraud. Very rude and unprofessional. Arranging viewing the property by themselves and using their spare keys, be careful they are entering the property without current tenants. Finally they locked the property with ERC - extra lock after viewing. Current tenant homeless overnight on the streets under freezing conditions. Please aware this is from Harborne branch

Contacted by Martin and Co and arranged a rental valuation for my property. Organised time off work to be able to show their colleague around my 6 bed house. They cancelled the appointment less than an hour before it was scheduled even though confirming their attendance the morning of the appointment - even mentioning that they may be early to get a feel for the area. I was given a half hearted apology and told that they are only able to now come out a week later to view and was not contacted by them again to book this in. Unprofessional and would not recommend as wasted my time completely.

Normally, I do not leave reviews if I am unhappy with a service; I simply choose not to use it again. However, I believe sharing this experience might be helpful for potential new tenants considering this branch of Martin & Co. Our experience began very positively. Five years ago, we rented a house through this agency, and overall, we had no issues during the tenancy period. However, as we encountered a few disputes with the landlord, we decided to terminate our contract. We sought advice and support from the agency during the notice period, but unfortunately, this was not provided. We were told that we needed to speak directly with the landlord, as the agency could not assist. To maintain a professional relationship with the landlord, we requested the agency to act as a mediator and facilitate communication to prevent conflicts. Unfortunately, this request was ignored. Given the circumstances, we also inquired about the process for inspecting the property at the end of the notice period and who would make the final decision regarding the return of the deposit. The agency informed us that the landlord would inspect the property and decide on the deposit's return. It is unclear to me why the agency documented the property's condition with photographs before the tenancy but was not involved in assessing it afterward, leaving such decisions entirely to the landlord. Once the contract was finished and we moved out, we called the agency regarding the deposit holding. The first time we called, we were told that the property manager would call us back—but no surprise, that never happened. So, the next day, we called again and were informed that it was too early to request the deposit back, as the inventory had been processed the day before. Just one question: what inventory, if we were told the landlord would be making the decision? If you expect this agency to provide tenant support, it is better not to. Another significant issue arose during the notice period when the agency conducted viewings for potential new tenants. As we were working during the agency's operating hours, we were unable to schedule viewings from Monday to Friday. Our landlord asked if viewings could be conducted in our absence. Hoping to maintain professionalism and assist the landlord in finding new tenants, we agreed. However, this situation quickly deteriorated during one of the last viewings where we were present. The agency scheduled six viewings at the same time with only one agent present. People entered the house unsupervised while the agent was upstairs with another person. Given that our belongings and valuables were still in the house, we revoked permission for viewings in our absence. This lack of supervision was unprofessional, even from the perspective of the potential tenants viewing the property. In addition to these issues, we experienced numerous unreturned phone calls from the agency and unfulfilled promises from the property manager. This left us feeling unsafe and unprotected as tenants, as the agency appeared uninterested in providing adequate support. In summary, our experience with Martin & Co was highly disappointing, and we will be avoiding this agency in the future. I hope others have a better experience than we did and avoid the stress caused by such unprofessional behavior.

Very bad for tenants. The property managers claim to be impartial but clearly they are doing the landlord’s bidding. When we moved out of our flat they tried to take over £400 from our deposit. Our property manager listed numerous ridiculous charges - mostly things we could not be held responsible for. When I contested these charges, I was met with belligerent, obnoxious replies. Our property manager was the epitome of incompetent and refused to see sense. Essentially, what they were trying to do was extort us. After weeks of back and forth, despite the fact I’d said in the early stages that I was happy to take this to dispute, they finally raised it with the DPS. When the DPS took a look at it, they decided to award most of our deposit back to us (unsurprising, as any reasonable person with a working brain would realise the charges were completely unjustified.) If you are in the unfortunate position of being a tenant with Martin&Co, keep a record of all communication, and take photos when you leave. When they try to swindle you out of your money, insist that it is taken to dispute.

We’ve been renting a property through Martin & Co Birmingham Harborne for some time now, but unfortunately, the experience has been very frustrating. From the beginning, there were multiple issues with the flat that needed to be fixed. Despite reaching out to them numerous times, no action was taken. In the end, we had to involve the Birmingham City Council just to get basic repairs addressed. Whenever a new issue arises, we have to chase them repeatedly, only to hear the same response—“the landlord is not responding.” This has been an ongoing issue not just for us, but for several other tenants in the building as well. The communal areas are in poor condition, and the outside of the building is not cleaned or maintained. As tenants, we expect a level of service and responsiveness, especially when renting through an agency. Unfortunately, Martin & Co has failed to deliver that. It’s disappointing to have to deal with these issues repeatedly, and it really makes us question the value of renting through this agency. I hope they improve their services for future tenants, but based on our experience, I cannot recommend them.