100% sales valuation accuracy
100% sales fee satisfaction
0% lettings valuation accuracy
99% lettings fee satisfaction
Apr 14,2012
Apr 14,2012
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I don't know where to start. Clearly we doubt the phrase 'customer service' is on their list of don'ts when they train their staff if they even train them at all, other than to tell them that the bottom line is profit maximisation for as little effort as possible. It was not clear to us that the things which would normally be included in a 10% management fee are charged as extras and other things which were supposed to be done were not done until they were reminded of them (eg gas certificate, periodic inspections, inventory). A detailed inventory had been prepared and provided by us but they refused to use this as they 'outsourced' the checking in/out process to an outside company! This was charged to us for £80 and £60 respectively and despite several phone calls and emails requesting copies of the report none was ever received. The first tenant they found stopped paying their rent. What a disaster, they said that they could not do anything. When it was clear that the tenant was being paid rent allowance directly we had to tell them that they could apply to have this paid directly. These tenants were also in breach of their agreement by having a dog (more of this later). When the time came for them to finally move out (still owing rent) Martin & co did nothing to help us remove them and even suggested that we let them stay on even though there was no chance of getting the rent. Of course once they did move out Martin & co made sure that they took all their charges from the deposit owed and had cleaning done at inflated cost. There was nowhere near enough deposit to cover the rent owed but they took their money leaving us £500 short!
We were renting a house at the time and our letting agent was appalled when we told them about Martin & co's working methods. Unfortunately as we were in the middle of moving house ourselves and they found another tenant we let them manage the property again and were it not for the fact that we live so far away from the property we would not have gone ahead with them but felt we had no choice. Also, at this stage we were unaware of the state the house had got into, due to their incompetence, as we did not get a chance to visit it and do our own inspection and maintenance as we would have liked.
For the next year maintenance jobs kept coming up to be repaired at inflated prices with the same problems repeated. This rang alarm bells but they fobbed us off saying jobs had been done. When we finally got to see the house when the second tenant left we were appalled. The previous tenant had cracked the bathroom sink (how doesn't bear thinking about) their dog had completely ruined the laminate in the conservatory and chewed the stair carpet, some curtains were filthy and marked. The garden shed was full of rubbish left by the first tenant which we had paid to be removed the year before! At this stage the elusive inventory from the year before was produced with details about these items! Other items were missing, proving that the original inventory had not been checked if it existed at all. Yet, periodic inspection reports had stated that the house was in good order, clean and being looked after. Clearly nothing was ever checked by Martin & co staff and certainly not the maintenance work eg we had just paid for a leaking central heating pipe to be repaired and the plumber had ripped open the boxing around it and just left it, they offered to get someone else to repair this at further cost of course. All the maintenance people we got in (including the plumber who had always done our repairs before) were appalled at the high cost and poor workmanship. Our conclusion is that Martin & co use incompetent contractors or that the contractors know they won't be checked and take advantage. This experience has put us off ever using letting agents again, I know there are good ones out there but we won't take the risk again. My advice is to avoid this one like the plague and check reviews and get other landlord testimonials if you can before signing a contract.
We were renting a house at the time and our letting agent was appalled when we told them about Martin & co's working methods. Unfortunately as we were in the middle of moving house ourselves and they found another tenant we let them manage the property again and were it not for the fact that we live so far away from the property we would not have gone ahead with them but felt we had no choice. Also, at this stage we were unaware of the state the house had got into, due to their incompetence, as we did not get a chance to visit it and do our own inspection and maintenance as we would have liked.
For the next year maintenance jobs kept coming up to be repaired at inflated prices with the same problems repeated. This rang alarm bells but they fobbed us off saying jobs had been done. When we finally got to see the house when the second tenant left we were appalled. The previous tenant had cracked the bathroom sink (how doesn't bear thinking about) their dog had completely ruined the laminate in the conservatory and chewed the stair carpet, some curtains were filthy and marked. The garden shed was full of rubbish left by the first tenant which we had paid to be removed the year before! At this stage the elusive inventory from the year before was produced with details about these items! Other items were missing, proving that the original inventory had not been checked if it existed at all. Yet, periodic inspection reports had stated that the house was in good order, clean and being looked after. Clearly nothing was ever checked by Martin & co staff and certainly not the maintenance work eg we had just paid for a leaking central heating pipe to be repaired and the plumber had ripped open the boxing around it and just left it, they offered to get someone else to repair this at further cost of course. All the maintenance people we got in (including the plumber who had always done our repairs before) were appalled at the high cost and poor workmanship. Our conclusion is that Martin & co use incompetent contractors or that the contractors know they won't be checked and take advantage. This experience has put us off ever using letting agents again, I know there are good ones out there but we won't take the risk again. My advice is to avoid this one like the plague and check reviews and get other landlord testimonials if you can before signing a contract.
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Latest Reviews
29th Apr 2021
reviewed by 'Debbie and David'
12th Feb 2021
reviewed by 'Rashad'
6th Dec 2017
reviewed by 'TenantSP'
14th Jan 2014
reviewed by 'Customer'
10th Jan 2014
reviewed by 'Steve'
Opening Hours
Address
Martin & Co
64 Micklegate
York
Yorkshire
YO1 6LF
01904 648888
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 100% | 100% | £0 | £0 |
| Lettings | 0% | 99% | £600 | £600 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Areas covered
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
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Apr 29,2021
Apr 29,2021
0
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From Angela putting our house on the market we only had to wait a week before we had two potential buyers and offers in the bag! The sales process was very easy with Martin and Co and they were extremely patient and professional from start ...
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Feb 12,2021
Feb 12,2021
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There are not enough words to describe how much they made the process of finding a home easy and enjoyable .
I strongly recommend ....
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Feb 15, 2021
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Thank you so much, we really appreciate your kind words - our team work very hard and it is great for them to get recognition like this! Thank you again. ...
Dec 06,2017
Dec 06,2017
0
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The agents of Martin and Co were very nice face to face but I am very disappointed with their general behaviour. When they have to charge money they are very fast but to give the bond back or fix damages or contact the landlord to ...
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Comment on agent fees
I don't know the average fees for other agencies so I don;t have an opinion
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Jan 14,2014
Jan 14,2014
0
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I have dealt with Martin & Co for some time now. They are competitively priced, extremely quick in reacting to my needs, and those of my tenants, and their knowledge of the industry is second to none. For me, the most important thing is that I ...
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Jan 10,2014
Jan 10,2014
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I used the newly formed Sales division to sell my 2 bedroom apartment in York. They performed a very quick valuation, and found a buyer within a week! The manager (Jayne Morgan) was brilliant throughout, keeping me informed on a regular basis, chasing both sets of ...
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Jan 09,2014
Jan 09,2014
0
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First time I have rented a property from Martin & Co. Staff are very friendly and helpful, and all property management issues have been dealt with to a professional standard in a reasonable timeframe....
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Dec 10,2013
Dec 10,2013
0
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Martin and Co York, have provided me with an excellent level of service, Lesley always keeps me up to date with my properties and Michelle handles all my financial statements every month with precise detail of rents and expenditures, which allows me to keep my ...
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Dec 10,2013
Dec 10,2013
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I have used Martin & Co to find my properties for over 7 Years and would always recommend them to anybody! Both me and my friends have nothing but positive reviews for Martin & Co! Keep up the good work....
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Dec 09,2013
Dec 09,2013
0
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We have dealt with the York office for over 3 years and we have found them both helpful and efficient in managing our property. The staff are friendly and proactive.
We would recommend them with reservation....
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Dec 05,2013
Dec 05,2013
0
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I have used Martin & Co for 2 of my properties, they provide an excellent service and their charges are very reasonable. I have had a few issues with one of my tenant's, and Martin & Co reacted quickly and efficiently to get these resolved. I would have ...
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Dec 02,2013
Dec 02,2013
0
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I was Martin&Co Yorks first landlord. I don't think I need to say much more being With still 10 years later. I can ring and speak direct to The manager if I need, any issues never get past Michael and Lesley though. I have my ...
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Nov 29,2013
Nov 29,2013
0
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Having been a taken a Property with Martin & Co (York) a few years ago I had no hesitation in going to them again when i was looking for another Property to rent. The staff were incredibly helpful and listened to exactly what I wanted and ...
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Nov 19,2013
Nov 19,2013
0
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Martin & Co have consistently delivered a high quality service for me over more than a five year period. Together we have built up a great partnership and this is truly the way forward for fast trouble free letting. I know that each staff member is ...
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Apr 14,2012
Apr 14,2012
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I don't know where to start. Clearly we doubt the phrase 'customer service' is on their list of don'ts when they train their staff if they even train them at all, other than to tell them that the bottom line is profit maximisation for as ...
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