Martin & Co Birmingham City Reviews 

ABSOLUTELY SHAMBOLIC AGENCY.

Renting a 3-bedroom furnished apartment.

Prior to move in and after deposit payment this agency stole the brand new bed which was photographed and shown as part of the tenancy.

They replaced it with a broken old bed (like its from a skip) with no mattress.

Paying rent from 29/09 and to 19/10 I still have no useable bed!

They demanded to hold sensitive ID from third party guarantors even after they verified all ID via the official Government portal.

They demanded in person check in at a date and time to suit them, despite all evidence, fees and ID being provided by tenants in advance and them being abroad and then having to cut their travel short and pay for emergency flights at 4 x usual prices, just to satisfy the letting managers ego.

Multiple staff have then constantly and deliberately lied (more than 8 times so far) about numerous reported issues about access and condition of the property.

Complaints are in progress prior to escalation to the ombudsman.

Trading standards have also been involved over the lies, and theft of the bed and mattress.

There is no responsibility for the disgraceful treatment, just lies and 'victim blaming', no apology NO SORRY for the distress or problems caused. If they dont take responsibility, they will never improve and continue blaming everyone else.

These people are disorganised, unprofessional and unreasonable, but sadly and evidentially also unethical.

Sim Kaur has been a pleasure to work with, from the first phone call interaction to getting us viewings within a short amount of time. Polite and lovely to work with building a connection for the foreseeable future. Will definitely be using her again thankyou so much! You deserve more!

Extremely disappointing experience — would not recommend.

My flatmate and I have lived in this apartment since December 2025, and unfortunately, our experience with the property management has been nothing short of unacceptable.

We were repeatedly blamed for causing the mould in the apartment, despite the fact that we were the ones left having to live with it. It took FIVE MONTHS for someone to finally come out and deal with the issue. For five months, we were left living in conditions that we considered completely uninhabitable, with very little communication or urgency from the people responsible for managing the property.

What made matters worse was the complete lack of communication. We had to chase them multiple times just to get updates and answers. We should never have had to repeatedly contact our property managers simply to get basic information about an issue that directly affected our living conditions.

We also paid our rent on time throughout the entire tenancy, yet when it came to discussing some form of reimbursement for what we had been put through, we were given nothing but delays and empty promises.

Beth Cunningham, our property manager, was extremely unhelpful and often appeared to have little understanding of what was actually going on and was on annual leave most of the time. Her manager, Mariah Khan, was even worse. We were repeatedly promised a small reimbursement, only for it to be delayed over and over again. If you make a commitment to tenants, you should actually follow through with it rather than continuously pushing it back.

The entire situation has been incredibly frustrating and has completely ruined our experience of moving out. The way the mould issue was handled, the lack of communication, the constant chasing, and the repeated delays over reimbursement were simply unacceptable.

Moving home is stressful enough without having to fight to get basic issues acknowledged and resolved. After this experience, I would strongly think twice before renting through this management team. The level of communication, accountability and customer service we received was extremely poor.

What should have been the end of our tenancy turned into months of unnecessary stress and frustration. Very disappointing from start to finish.

I had a viewing today with Tina and she was absolutely lovely. Was very informative with any questions that I had, and very professional. Would highly recommend her as your estate agent!

I deal with Holly at martin and co Birmingham, nothing but good things to say, responsive and very informative!

If I could give less than 1 star I would.

THE WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!

In the beginning of my tenancy they promised a deep cleaning of the flat and guess what I even found a huge bin full of garbage.
After 2 months the rats were all over my terrace - they did NOTHING
And now I am begging for my legal right to receive my deposit back. They gave me a written permission to dispose some items from the old tenant and now they are saying I need to pay for them....

THE WORST COMPANY EVER

Wish I could give 0 stars. They tried to move me into an unsafe building which had homeless people urinating and feces in the corridor and stairs. Vulgar graffiti on the walls. And disguised it as a luxury apartment. When I enquired about the safety of the building they just said "You're not getting your money back". They don't care about you they just want to make fast money using the fear of loss method.

This letting agent is not to be trusted.
1. All their flats are full of mould, too small and arrogant staff members. As if that was not enough despite having paid every month they dared to take my deposit they are thieves I would recommend if you are already in their flat do not pay their final rent they are money hungry and exploit tenants and too arrogant

Our experience with Martin & Co since the start of the tenancy has been wholly unacceptable and deeply concerning. Once the tenancy commenced, customer service effectively ceased, and we were left to deal with persistent administrative failures, safety issues, and unprofessional behaviour.

Communication has been consistently poor. Emails are ignored, phone calls are not returned, and we have had to repeatedly chase the agency simply to receive basic responses. The administrative handling of this tenancy has been disorganised, error-ridden, and entirely lacking accountability.

At check-in, no essential information was provided, including:
• How the boiler operates
• How to manage gas and electricity supply
• Rubbish collection arrangements

As a result, we were without gas and electricity for two days. We have ongoing, unresolved issues with OVO Energy, caused by meter and card failures. The meter repeatedly removes credit, replacement cards do not work, and we currently have £45 of unusable credit. This has required hours of phone calls and daily disruption, with no meaningful support from the managing agent.

Safety and compliance concerns are severe:
• No explanation was given regarding the fire extinguisher, which is expired
• No key was provided for the letterbox
• The garden is filled with rubbish
• Two sheds on the property are structurally unsound, infested with rats, and present a clear health and safety risk

These issues are serious enough that a report to the local council will be made.

We have also experienced antisocial and abusive behaviour from the butcher operating in the premises below the property, which has escalated to the point that we were forced to file a police report.

In addition:
• We were left without a washing machine for 11 days
• A replacement washing machine was delivered incorrectly (7kg instead of 12kg)
• The appliance could not be installed as the plumbing is inadequate and requires a builder—yet again delaying resolution

The property we were shown is not the property we moved into. Light fittings have been removed, paint is peeling from the walls, and the overall condition is materially worse than what was presented prior to signing the tenancy.

Most concerning of all is the conduct of Jo Kingston, who informed me that only one tenant is “allowed” to contact the agency and that I should effectively remain silent. This is an extraordinary and unacceptable position for a managing agent to take. Repeatedly raising legitimate issues regarding safety, habitability, and contractual obligations has been wrongly characterised as “harassment.”

Letting agents exist to manage properties and support tenants—not to silence them once rent is being paid.

Issues are handled slowly, if at all. There is a clear lack of professionalism, urgency, and duty of care. This tenancy has been unnecessarily stressful due entirely to poor management and failure to meet basic standards.

Once legislation changes in May 2026, we will be seeking to leave this property. Any competent letting agent who reads this and wishes to offer a professional alternative is welcome to respond with contact details.

We strongly advise prospective tenants to avoid renting through Martin & Co. This has been one of the worst letting-agency experiences we have ever encountered.

Catarina was excellent throughout the process. Clear communication, very well organised, and consistently reliable. Everything was handled smoothly and professionally, making the whole experience straightforward and stress-free. Highly recommended.

Excellent service

Shady company, agree a sale & then go behind your back to other interested parties & tell them bid higher after a few weeks so your deal falls through. Don’t buy any house this company lists

They showed up on time and gave good advice about the property. Unfortunately some of the properties needed some work to be done and some were lacking in space.
It was overall a good experience viewing the different properties with the team

They responded very quickly and efficiently to all our requests. They are friendly, professional, and made the whole process smooth and easy.

Sher managed to get me an offer on my property within 2 days of marketing when it was on the market for 5 weeks with another agent. I am very pleased with Martin & Co

Sher was fantastic and very accommodating with me and my friend in organising a viewing at a convenient time for us. She answer any questions we had and followed up with us accordingly, great experience all round.

Mohammed was really helpful and accommodating with all my needs which helped a lot

I have used Martin & co quite a few times in recent years. In August i needed a new tenant for my let and once again they had it all sorted with in 2 weeks. A special mention for the manager Oscar who always provides great service.

Oscar Hubball at Martin City Centre Branch is a super agent . In this difficult market he is the person you want on your side . Oscar take the credit when earned you a Super Number 1 Agent