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.

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

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

Nicole, hopefully we have now resolved your issue. Unfortunately the person supposed to be looking after you ran into some personal issues and they have subsequently moved on. In the meantime we have brought in some additional resources to ensure our property managers receive all necessary support and issues like your own are sorted out quickly. It's always disappointing if something goes wrong and I am very sorry for your inconvenience, please accept my apologies. Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director.

Lana, Hi I'm sorry you have had a bad experience. Unfortunately I can't find a record of you on our system, so I don't know who you spoke with or what it was regarding. We endeavour to be unfailingly polite and I must apologise if you have caught someone at a bad moment. Please contact me directly if we may still be of assistance on peter.brown@martinco.com Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director

Katie, thank you for your feedback. I am sorry that your experience of us was not a positive one. As you can see from the other reviews and the namechecks that Ru is usually the most helpful of estate agents. Please accept my apologies that we appear to have come across heavy handed in trying to establish whether we could get you through our usual referencing process. I hope you have now found a suitable property and are very happy there. Kind regards, Peter Brown, Director.

Wade, hi, thanks for your comments. Sorry to learn that you weren't happy with our service. As you can see from the many positive reviews here our team usually work hard to provide a positive customer experience. I can only think you caught us on an off-day for which I apologise. Peter Brown, Director.

I am sorry that you felt compelled to leave a low rating. Sadly I cannot find any record of our contact or dealings with you in order to investigate and respond further. Kind regards, Peter Brown (Director)

Sorry Ian, I believe your review is totally vindictive. You are unhappy because you were charged for carpet cleaning. You vented your argument at the time, but decided not to follow the correct dispute process, because the deductions were correct based on the evidence. I don't doubt you would of have disputed the matter had you had a reasonable argument and the check in and check out documentation was accurate. I'm sorry if you felt that we did not deal with you enthusiastically. Our fees are competitive and you were notified of our charges in writing.