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Martin & Co Croydon

A selection of reviews/testimonials by highest rating
(in some cases, not all reviews/testimonials will be displayed)
1.00 /5

the worst estate agent to contact when looking to rent, called 4 days in a row to inquire about viewing properties and all 4 days no one was available and was ask to leave name and number and someone would call back. Does anyone work there?

Reply from agent

Almaz, hi sorry your experience has not been a positive one. The answer to your question is yes and very hard. Unfortunately one of our lettings colleagues has been away on well earned annual leave and it's been difficult to help all the 230 people who have contacted us about renting a property in the last week as a consequence. Please give me a call directly on 0208 688 8565 and I will be delighted to assist you personally. Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director

1.00 /5

Subject: Complaint Regarding Staff Behavior - Urgent Attention Required Dear Admin, I am writing to formally lodge a complaint about the unacceptable behavior exhibited by two of your staff members, which occurred during a recent interaction with me and my family… On 24/08/2024.. I was involved in a situation with a male staff member, whom I believe is named Matt, and a female staff member with long red hair. This encounter left me feeling intimidated, bullied, and subjected to what I believe were racist remarks. Additionally, their actions caused my children to become extremely distressed to the point where they were crying and screaming. I had to seek refuge at a friend's house to calm them down, which was both unnecessary and deeply upsetting. Here is a summary of what occurred: 1….. Accusations and Aggressive Behaviour: The female staff member accused my husband of bumping into her colleague's car…. When I asked for evidence.. she changed her story and then abruptly left the scene when I started to question her… This was extremely unprofessional and confusing. 2. Racist and Offensive Language.. The male staff member, Matt, confronted me in an aggressive manner… He used foul language in front of my children, despite my request for him to refrain from swearing. He then made a remark that I found to be racist and deeply offensive, stating, "Oh, people like you..." When I asked for clarification, he laughed and continued to use derogatory language, calling me a "crazy woman." This behavior is not only unprofessional but also discriminatory. It is deeply concerning that your staff would treat a customer in this manner, especially in front of children. I believe it is crucial that Martin & Co. addresses this issue immediately to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. I would appreciate a prompt investigation into this matter and a response detailing the actions that will be taken to address the behavior of these staff members. Thank you for your attention to this serious issue. Sincerely, Bebo

Reply from agent

Bebo Thank you for your posting regarding this matter, which I have already looked into. I am sorry to hear of any upset you and your children may have experienced, however I do not believe that this is the right forum to address this dispute. The incident on Saturday was a personal matter, with an argument between private individuals over damage to a stationary, privately-owned car in an accident irrefutably caused by your husband, who was driving, but which you denied, causing inevitable frustration. You are not a client or customer, the male colleague you refer to was not on company business and the female colleague you mention was there only in the capacity of a witness, having actually seen the accident occur. We have endeavoured to foster good relations with our neighbours in South Croydon over the last 15 years and will continue to work to be a productive part of the community. Therefore, as a gesture of goodwill, we will pay to repair the damage to our colleague’s vehicle, in order to avoid the need for a claim against your insurance. Please contact me directly at the office if you would like to discuss this matter any further. Peter Brown Director

1.00 /5

Awful agents. I have enquired about several properties and they have never come back to me. Some of those properties have been reduced after enquiring and have been on the market for weeks, so please don’t tell me they have been let. There is one in particular I enquired at it’s original price, today I have an email it has been reduced. Good luck to the landlord, you have already lost money.

Reply from agent

Patricia, hi thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Unfortunately, based on the information you provided, you are not earning enough to meet our normal income referencing criterion for the properties you have enquired about. As none of the landlords has wanted to consider a tenant with a guarantor we have been unable to help you in your search. Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director.

1.00 /5

Called to enquire about a property but seemed very uninterested and told me to email instead. No follow-up since.

Reply from agent

Thomas, hi thanks for bringing this to my attention. I am very surprised that you were told to email us - we receive many, many phone calls each day and endeavour to get everyone who rings us registered onto our CRM. I can see that you have sent an enquiry via rightmove about the property and we have tried to reach you twice in response to that so far. Unfortunately we have had a huge response for this property with over sixty enquiries in 24 hours and it has been difficult to contact everyone and get them booked in for viewings. Apologies for your inconvenience. If you would like to contact me directly on 0208 688 8565 or at peter.brown@martinco.com I will be delighted to assist you personally. Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director.

1.00 /5

I give one star just because isn't possible to give less than that. We rented a property that wasn't fit for the purpose at all. None of the doors was working,the kitchen and both bathrooms had a broken toilet bowl and serious damp problems(which later have been confirmed by a specialist),the house was given completely filthy and later we had a very bad pest problem caused by the dirt and the garden,that has never been cleaned in years. I understand that they didn't manage the property on behalf of the landlord. But before the agency puts it on the market,they should inspect it and advice the owner that if the house isn't in good conditions,he should take the appropriate actions in order to make it right. Obviously when we had the viewing,we didn't figure our this amount of issues and definitely we didn't go try the doors or open the cupboard in the main bathroom to see what was inside. These things should work and the house should be given in a good state.This is out of doubt and is common sense. Also,when we left,one of the agents commented that it was annoying because they had to put the property on the market all over again. What isn't clear about the fact that the property can't be rent in the current state? And above all, they put their name and reputation on that letting,which doesn't look good on them. I hope the house,that in 7 months has been a continuous aggravation for us,isn't let again as it is,because it is really a shame

Reply from agent

Rosella, hi i am sorry to learn that you had a bad experience in the property we introduced you to. We have let this property several times since 2014 -, with one couple living there for over 4 years - and prior to that it was the landlord's own home. We do not manage the property and the landlord is responsible for preparing the property between lets and for dealing with any issues that arise subsequently. We have not been aware of any mice problems at the house previously, but of course pest issues can arise at any property given the right circumstances. In our experience, this landlord has always been approachable and attentive, taking any issues seriously and leaving time between tenancies to prepare the house for new occupants. The property is currently vacant and has not been re-marketed, as the landlord has said he wishes to undertake some work there first. As we act for him only on a tenant finding basis, re-letting the house would be financially advantageous to us, so I'm unsure why we would feel annoyed by that. We will however ensure the matters you have brought to our attention have been addressed prior to doing so. Kind regards, Peter

1.00 /5

Tried to call them to enquire about a property, the guy on the phone couldnt hear me and complained it was too loud in his office. maybe, find a space where you can actually have a conversation on the phone without me having to repeat everything 5 times! Clownshoes

Reply from agent

James, Hi, I'm sorry you found this to be a frustrating experience. We are a very busy open-plan office - it can be noisy at times with 10 people on the phone at the same time. Also, where we are being called from mobile phones, lines aren't always the best. I'm sure we could have worked through it, if you had been a little bit more patient and not hung up on my colleague..... Please give me a call directly on 0208 688 8565 if we may still be of assistance and I will call you back from somewhere quieter if need be. Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director.

1.00 /5

Tried to call them to enquire about a property, the guy on the phone couldnt hear me and complained it was too loud in his office. maybe, find a space where you can actually have a conversation on the phone without me having to repeat everything 5 times! Clownshoes

Reply from agent

James, Hi, I'm sorry you found this to be a frustrating experience. We are a very busy open-plan office - it can be noisy at times with 10 people on the phone at the same time. Also, where we are being called from mobile phones, lines aren't always the best. I'm sure we could have worked through it, if you had been a little bit more patient and not hung up on my colleague..... Please give me a call directly on 0208 688 8565 if we may still be of assistance and I will call you back from somewhere quieter if need be. Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director.

1.00 /5

I would avoid this estate agent if you value good communication and a genuine interest from an estate agent helping you find a property. Peter the branch manager was helpful, however I had to ask to move away from having Esra from the sales team manage my purchase. She showed little interest in my purchase very rarely replied to emails and took from my opinion a "whatever" attitude. The survey on a property I was to purchase came back with a very bad report. The property did need updating but the survey found more internal problem which were not visible on viewing. When I asked for a price reduction she replied "the seller has no interest in selling for that price" I then asked if she had asked the seller if there was a chance to negotiate, she stuttered and seem to avoid the question. The most basic approach an estate agent takes is to say "we know you don't want to reduce the price of the property, is there any room for negotiating". This was an elderly man selling his property who probably will continue to get a bad survey on the property with buyers continuing to ask for price reductions and at the same time buyers spending money on surveys and searches. Both seller and buyers loose out when when working with an estate agent who takes very little interest. In the end I got annoyed and asked to speak with her manager as it was like speaking to a brick wall you could clearly hear from her response she was not listening. What was very bad from the manager and Esra was that I was not informed before the property went back on the market. I was told it could go back on the market but no follow up to say it definitely was going to be relisted. I am happy I moved on from buying the property as there were many problems, however the estate agents manged the sale with little personal touch as if they do not realise the property will be your home. They showed ultimately little interest.

Reply from agent

Desmaree, Hi, thank you for comments. What you failed to mention is that on 11th July you had asked the seller for a reduction of over £30,000 without having investigated the likely cost of dealing with the un-anticipated issues. You also mentioned at this time that you had been approached by another agent about a property with a short lease and you were now considering buying that instead. Our client took this very badly and insisted on our remarketing the property of which you were advised. After we spoke - even though I was off with covid - I managed to contact the seller via telephone (he doesn't have email) on 13th July and did persuade him to consider a more modest reduction in your favour. I emailed you at 11.08 from my sick-bed to see if we could find some middle ground, but also advised you that we had been instructed to remarket the property if this was not possible. You emailed me back at 12.56 to say you were withdrawing, without any further negotiation. As we work on a no sale -no fee basis and staff are paid commission, we all have a very real interest in making a transaction happen if possible. Sadly in this instance the difference in the financial positions of you and the seller proved too great. I do hope you will be very happy in whichever property you do make your new home. Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director.

1.00 /5

Whilst looking to rent a property we were told there would be no legal way to share as 3 tenants (a couple and a friend) claiming that a HMO license was needed. With one simple google search we found this to be completely untrue as stated on the Croydon council website. These so called experts are either unaware of basic renting laws or lied to us to prevent us from renting one of their properties. Either of these show them to be incompetent and I would strongly advise not dealing with these people.

Reply from agent

Sam, Hi, thanks for your note. You may have misunderstood my colleague, or we may not have explained this clearly - apologies if that was the case. The issue is not licensing in your instance, but the need for planning consent for both large and small HMO's. Here is an extract from Croydon Council's web site stating their requirement for all sizes of HMO to have planning permission for change of use: Article 4 Direction - HMO licensing On 28 January 2020, we introduced an Article 4 Direction requiring owners to seek planning permission for the change of use from a dwelling house to an HMO of any size. The definition of an HMO is a property with 3 or more people formed of 2 or more households who share basic amenities such as bathrooms and/or kitchens. https://www.croydon.gov.uk/housing/landlords/houses-multiple-occupation-hmo Unfortunately as a couple and an unrelated friend you would count as two households and, on the basis of the above, any landlord renting to you would be required to have planning permission for change of use - although a license is not necessary. This is very frustrating - a local policy intended to protect family housing is also adversely affecting younger people and the less well-off in their search for a home. I regret that we were unable to help you at this time and do hope you find somewhere suitable. Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director

1.00 /5

I would avoid this estate agents if you are looking for a speedy move as these guys don’t respond to your emails or calls and when you do call them, the person you need to speak to is always busy, they take your name and never call you back. It was a bad start from the jump as the agent I met at the house I was viewing was very rude and displayed poor mannerisms as he went straight into the viewing of the property without asking how I am, no introduction of himself and was unhelpful during the viewing as he knew no answers to the questions I was asking. Avoid at all costs.

Reply from agent

Hi, sorry that you haven't enjoyed your experience of dealing with us. We are very busy and often out of the office on appointments, but will always call back. I suspect that I may have met you and your brother myself at the property. We had already endeavoured to help find a property where the landlord would consider your large dog. However, as you were aware, we had other viewings at the house and you were not the only prospective tenants interested in taking the house. Hence the delay in getting a decision from our client. You spent the viewing either in conversation with your brother or on your phone and the only question you asked me was regarding a CCTV camera at the property, which I didn't know whether it was connected. I have been an estate agent for 35 years and have never been knowingly rude to anyone on a viewing, though if that was your perception please accept my apologies and I do hope you find something else that may be suitable. Regards, Peter Brown Director

Contact details
Sales Phone:

0208 688 8565

Sales Email:

croydon@martinco.com

Lettings Phone:

020 8688 8565

Lettings Email:

croydon@martinco.com

Opening hours

Unknown

Address

145 Brighton Road, South Croydon, CR2 6EF, UK, CR2

We specialise in selling houses and residential lettings in Croydon, Purley, Kenley and the surrounding suburbs and provide expert advice, guidance and support to our customers across the local area. Joint Directors Peter Brown & Paul Maruna together have over 40 years of industry experience and opened Martin & Co Croydon in 2009. With enviable local knowledge they're both passionate about supporting local people in fulfilling their everyday property needs. Croydon lies between fashionable South London and affluent Surrey and is only 10 miles from the centre of London. Rental prices are much more affordable than those further into Capital and the area is heavily populated with both commuters and families. Whether you are looking to buy or sell a property in or around Croydon or you would like a free valuation, please do get in touch with a member of our team who would be delighted to help.

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