Contacted the agency to view a property, but was sent a note to pay £126 non-refundable holding deposit while the application ("referencing"?) is processed. No return if the "referencing" fails. It seems like a clever scam with very little redress if the landlord has a quibble and refuses to rent. Or what if they delay the process and after 3 weeks you find somewhere else? They keep the deposit. Apparently, the holding deposit is to pay for a thorough "background check" and the guarantor. This is despite paying £650 security deposit for a £500/month flat. Maybe some people have had good experiences (one wonders if the reviews are fake), but there are too many warning bells screaming: "avoid avoid"! Do landlords ever get to rent out their properties with this agency either? Or are they milking a high demand for housing by scamming dozens of potential tenants for each property on their books? The reviews are Trustpilot are almost universally negative! Maybe because good reviews are harder to fake there...? UPDATE: hardly a malicious review, I've uploaded the message, which seems to indicate that the deposit won't be returned regardless (certainly no mention of when or how it will be returned). The rent was £550, so why is the security deposit £634? Where is "the law" to charge these outrageous prices? Apparently the £126 is to pay for a thorough background check of the tenant and the guarantor. That alone sounds like a "legal" scam, when there's already a hefty security deposit and a month's rent up front - and no doubt several candidates in a series all paying their £126 or £115 thorough background check fees. Why does one have to pay a week's rent (without being able to move in, of course) to allow the owner/agent to make up their minds whether to rent to you or not? Other agents take references and let you know by the following day whether to proceed with the paperwork. No charge. Go to Trustpilot and search for Martin & co (some decent reviews, from sellers or landlords, and a few really awful complaints, from tenants and one irate landlord) and martinco (same company but ALL with bad reviews). It seems they also charge £90 to renew the tenancy - no mention of that anywhere in the messages or the website. From their website: "... your holding deposit will be withheld if any relevant person (including any guarantor(s)) withdraw from the tenancy, fail a Right-to-Rent check..." I think the devil's in the details: the Right-to-Rent check seems to be for foreigners and there is no fee involved, just provide a "share code" from the government. Where's all the other nonsense about a "thorough background check", which could be quite strict and difficult to pass, so a very good chance you will lose the holding deposit. Based on the experience of other reviewers, this agent seems unhelpful and dubious at best. Prove me wrong!