I was given the following explanation by a member of staff regarding the garden and the deposit: “The garden would be on the inventory on how it was kept when you moved in so no need to worry. Though, it is the tenant’s duty to maintain the garden so it does not overgrow.” I asked for one of two things, clearly and repeatedly: either a habitable garden, or written confirmation that garden maintenance was not my responsibility given that it was effectively a forest. Both were refused. Instead, I was given weaselly sentences like the one above, which were never clarified despite being challenged. I still cannot understand what that statement is meant to mean in practice other than: they will not put the garden into a reasonable condition, but if it is not returned in “perfect” condition, they reserve the right to penalise the tenant at the end of the tenancy. Requests for a straight answer were deflected until formal complaints were raised.

Avoid avoid avoid avoid. Been with Martin and Co as they are my property management company, for 2 years now. Very very very unhappy with them - been dealing with noise nuisance from neighbours since September yet no resolution has been provided. Been telling all my friends and family to avoid using Martin and Co. All I have been told is “we cannot do much more than send a letter to the tenants informing them of their noise levels” Honestly, keep your sanity and avoid Martin and Co. Find a different business to use. Simran and management do not find resolutions to your problem, alongside Centrick. Genuinely cannot wait to move out and not use Martin and Co ever again.

Martin & Co feel like condensed capitalism in estate-agent form. Endless process, zero substance, and a remarkable ability to drain time while achieving nothing unless forced. It appears that random cosmetic works are prioritised while basic habitability issues drag on for months. As a tenant, it feels like contractors are sent out for arbitrary jobs while fundamental problems only move after repeated complaints and escalation. Basic clarity is avoided, simple questions are deflected, and everything is framed in a way that protects the agent rather than resolves the issue. The level of basic human decency shown to tenants is extremely low. If this is how tenants are treated, I’m sure landlords will be deeply cared about once tenants start avoiding the branch altogether. Any response to this review will almost certainly be the same filtered, meaningless boilerplate used in replies to complaints. That has been my experience throughout. If you have a serious issue, don’t waste time going back and forth. Go directly to the Ombudsman. That is the only thing that prompted any meaningful engagement.

February 2026 (7 months after Martin & Co's initial reply): No action has been taken to repair the damage and the company appears to have lost interest. I live adjacent to Fairyfield House, managed by Martin & Co. Unfortunately, my fence was damaged due to vehicles frequently entering the car park to perform U-turns—a risk the management is aware of. Despite this, no preventative measures have been taken, and I have not received support or repairs for the damage. The property management has been communicative but ultimately declined responsibility. I hope Martin & Co will take steps to better manage this issue and protect neighbouring properties in the future. (Update: Following further correspondence, it was clarified that management of the parking area falls to a different company, not Martin & Co. directly. However, this division of responsibility was never made clear at the outset. Initial replies came from a Martin & Co. email address, and a colleague from the same office continued corresponding for some time. Only later was I redirected elsewhere. I’ve since posted a separate review regarding that company. But I stand by my initial concerns about poor communication, lack of clarity and the absence of resolution for several months.)

If I could give them 0 stars I could. We had agreed a letting with them and 2 weeks before they told us if we could move our moving date further 1 month. We said no as we had to evacuate our previous place at the next day of our moving and that place had a new let agreed for that date,which meant for our family to be homeless for a month which we couldn't agree as we have 2 little kids. Wa asked them for a temporary accommodation as it was their fault and they declined. After that, they started to show us different houses from that we had agreed and much more further from the other location.and kid's school. Some of them they were more expensive and even more dirty. They didn't help us at all at any point and they create a very difficult situation which was enormously stressful. We don't recommend them at all, as they are deal breakers and they might cause you loads of trouble and stress as they did to us.

We’ve been renting through them since August, and it’s been one problem after another. The property was handed over with an overgrown garden, inaccessible utility meters, and leftover furniture that took over two months to remove. It took …

The landlord has accepted another offer, and you should have proactively informed the other applicants who were still waiting, so they could make timely arrangements instead of waiting aimlessly for your notification. …

I’m writing this as another tenant living at the same property, and I can confirm everything in the other review is accurate. Our experience with Martin & Co Birmingham has been consistently disappointing from the day we moved in. The house was handed over in what they must consider is a poor state given their desperation to have contractors come for almost entirely unnecessary cosmetic repairs, presumably so that they can get a commission — the garden was overgrown, the meters were not accessible, and old furniture was left for months despite repeated reminders - these issues they don’t care about apart from to speak out of both sides of their mouth: ““The garden would be on the inventory on how it was kept when you moved in so no to worry. Though, it is the tenants duty to maintain the garden so it does not overgrow.” - if that isn’t setting up the tenants deposit to be stolen, I don’t know what else it is. Communication has been one of the biggest issues. Getting even basic matters resolved has required constant chasing, and we’ve repeatedly been given conflicting explanations. The delay with getting a simple back-door key summed up the general lack of organisation and accountability. We’ve tried raising these concerns directly, but the responses have either been dismissive or just vague assurances that ‘the matter is being looked into’, with no real progress. It feels as though tenants are expected to tolerate anything while the agency avoids responsibility. When our stove broke we wrote an email with the following that was completely ignored : “So, is someone coming to fix it? A simple yes or no will do. Please don’t reply with your usual nonsense. Either you confirm that a qualified engineer will attend to repair the stove, or you confirm that you refuse to uphold your obligation under Clause 10.3.1 of the tenancy agreement. If it’s the latter, then you’re confirming in writing that you do not intend to maintain the property in a safe and functional state — and therefore cannot expect rent to be paid for one that isn’t.” I’m leaving this review because these problems are not isolated — they’ve affected our whole household. Hopefully it helps other renters, buyers and landlords make an informed decision before signing with this branch.

We are in our tenancy with Martin and Co. There service is really bad and the property manager is so rude especially Maria Khan who has been so uncoopertive with us the whole time. Even in emergency situations. I woould not recommend them at all.