Martin & Co Reading Caversham Lettings & Estate Agents Caversham, Reading

Reviews

1. Lydia Auguste ★☆☆☆☆

   If I could give 0 stars I would - I implore everyone to avoid martin&co like the plague. They are the worst estate agents I’ve ever come across. They act nice at first and then as soon as they’ve got your money and signature, they don’t care. Lynn and Sean are the rudest, most inconsiderate and uncaring people. They always have an unprofessional snarky attitude and talk down to you, no matter how understanding you try to be. And their properties are even worse - they tell you the flat is all fine and good to go, then the second you move in it falls apart because it’s all cheaply done and they cut corners for everything, (as confirmed by their own handyman!). The first day I moved in the power cut off and wouldn’t work due to shoddy wiring. All the food in my fridge and freezer was ruined. When I rang them I was told it wasn’t an emergency. They have no sense of urgency when it comes to repairs; another time two of the windows nearly came off because they’d used hinges that weren’t strong enough for the window size. And the windows are the top hung projecting style, so I had to use whatever I could find to tie and secure them to my furniture because otherwise they would have fallen and smashed to the ground outside, as my flat was several floors up. They also never respond to emails. I had to constantly chase for months and months to get even the tiniest jobs done, and the big jobs like fixing a mould issue took over a year for them to actually get someone on it and still it was never properly fixed. No matter how calm and reasonable you are to them, they are always rude and aggressive in return. Phone calls were always the worst. Even if you grey rock them, they will continue to get heated and worked up to the point where they hang up on you. Then when you have to speak to them again, they will actually try to gaslight you and say you were the one with the anger and temper problem, (luckily I always have witnesses for my phone calls and so I knew that wasn’t true!). Lynn and Sean are clearly two very narcissistic people. They will also steal your deposit, coming up with any excuse for not paying it. I wish I had read the reviews before signing with them as everyone says they experienced the same thing - I guess it’s a scam they pull with all their tenants. They regularly inspect the property and say everything is fine and looks good, but then when it’s time to refund the deposit they suddenly invent a bunch of reasons and charges because they think they can get away with it. My last inspection was literally a week before I moved out, with the purpose of making sure everything was all ok. The only feedback I was given was about some dust on the ceilings pipes. I had the flat professionally cleaned, making sure to specify the pipes were dusted, which they did. I provided the invoice as proof and yet they still tried to insist on a professional cleaning fee? The company I used had a guarantee and said they would redo anything that wasn’t satisfactory, but martin&co never got back to me on details and just kept insisting on the cleaning fee, amongst other non-sensical charges - they will honestly try to rob you blind. So in summary: beware and stear clear! And if you have no other choice but to sign with them, then at least make sure to document everything, record your conversations, and take pictures of everything and anything, so you can at least beat them at their own game.

   almost 10 months ago
2. AK ★☆☆☆☆

   Rubbish like any british letting agency. The process is always the same: 1) Advertise an overpriced "ruin" known as room or flat nowadays though edited pictures to make it look better than it is. 2)During the viewing dont forget to lie and conceal important information from the tenant. Remember they dont give a damn about you, they just want your money. 3) After the contract is secured make sure to ask for a couple of months rent in advance as a deposit. Yes people renting nowadays dont want a roof on their head. Deep down they want to vandalize your property. You got us!!! 4) Should any issues arise make sure to take a couple of weeks to reply. In the event that someone insists about a repair in the rented "ruin" make sure to use your super powers! SECTION 21 EVICTION notice. Why? Because you dared to ask for some decency in your "ruin". NOPE. You dont matter my friend. But your pocket does. 5)Make sure to deliver the final blow! Keep the whole deposit by blaming the tenant for everything that is wrong inside the "ruin". After all it your reward for your "hard work". 6) Last step. While the tenant is trying to move out make sure to harass them and stress them as much as possible. Once they are out of the "ruin" re- advertise the "ruin" BUT dont forget to list at least 200£ more expensive. After all the more its "value" increases so do the chances for it to collapse. BRAVO!

   almost 10 months ago
3. Rebecca Wilson ★☆☆☆☆

   I’ve had an extremely disappointing experience with Martin & Co. in Caversham. I found their services to be unreliable and inefficient, falling far short of what was promised and paid for. Communication has been poor, with delays and a lack of transparency in addressing issues. Tasks that were supposed to be handled professionally were either ignored or executed ineffectively, leaving me to resolve problems myself. Overall, I feel the service lacked honesty and reliability, which is unacceptable for a professional property management agency. I cannot recommend their services based on my experience.

   1 year ago

1. James Culley ★★☆☆☆

   We weren't pleased about our rental situation with Martin & Co and feel like they could make improvements to their service. Whilst their team were friendly when we managed to get through to them, it felt like most of their service was reactive - and that a lot of issues were not sorted in a timely manner, if not neglected. When we tried calling them, we very often were unable to get through, and we were often told their office was closed despite what they had advertised about their opening times. When we tried to get our deposit back it felt like we had to keep enquiring about this with little communication, and we were informed they were considering deductions, although we had previously sent them evidence about the issues months previously. It didn't always feel like they managed information properly or that correspondence was dealt with.

   1 year ago
2. Katie Ray ★★★★★

   Sean dealt with my tenancy from attending to the viewing to handing over the keys. I found him, and the whole company to be reliable and supportive; always happy to answer questions and quick to deal with the minor boiler issue I had. Highly recommended

   almost 3 years ago
3. Rebeca Bird ★★★★★

   I rented a property via Martin & Co a few years ago and have since moved to a different location. However, I recently got in touch asking for a landlord / agency reference to rent a new property and Martin & Co ensured that this was completed in a timely manner. There was some back and forth as I had to gather information from the new agency but the Martin and Co team were nothing less than professional and patient as I came back to them with the relevant information. I want to also acknowledge Molly for her excellent customer service and ensuring that the reference was completed in time. She was always friendly and polite on the phone when we spoke. Very positive experience with Martin & Co!

   almost 3 years ago

1. Brandon East ★★★★★

   The team at Martin & Co have been very friendly and helpful. They have done an excellent job of assisting myself and my brother in the process of renting a new apartment. Special shout out to Ellie and Shawn for all of their help and guidance during this process.

   almost 4 years ago
2. Lisa de Maid ★★★★★

   From the first time we met Sean when he showed us our rental property, I was very impressed with his professional approach. Every phone call to the office has been friendly and helpful and we have found the whole rental process was made much easier by their friendliness and professionalism. Sean very kindly met us at the property with the keys when we had driven such a long way on the day we moved in and spent a lot of time running through all the necessary information about the flat we were renting. We would thoroughly recommend Martin & Co. and would definitely use them again.

   almost 4 years ago
3. Abi Newson ★★★★★

   I have been very impressed by everyone at Martin & Co Reading Caversham whilst renting a flat through them. They have been extremely helpful throughout my tenancy. They are quick to respond and take action when needed. In particular, Charlotte my property manager is a star and very thankful for all her help and support. Also, Lynn has been brilliant, always super friendly and helpful when I see her at my flat. Highly recommend this lettings & estate agents.

   more 6 years ago

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