Martin & Co Winchester Reviews 

Exceptional support for a first-time property investor

Having wanted to venture into property investment for some time, I was introduced to Piers Ollier at Martin & Co Winchester, and the experience has been exceptional from the outset.

As a first-time property investor, I had plenty of questions about where to start, what to buy and how to make the numbers work. Piers took the time to walk me through the entire process, from identifying the right investment opportunities and understanding the regulatory requirements to building a detailed financial model that gave me real clarity and confidence in my decisions.

I’m now the proud owner of my first investment property in Winchester, with a full renovation planned for this year.

Piers’ support has extended well beyond the purchase. He has helped identify and coordinate quotations from a number of contractors for the conversion of a 3 bed sem into a 5 bed student HMO. The project is forecast to deliver a double-digit annual return, alongside the potential for long-term capital growth, creating a strong foundation for future investments.

What has impressed me most is the genuinely end-to-end approach. Rather than simply helping me purchase a property, Piers has taken the time to understand my longer-term ambitions and help me develop a clear, commercially sound investment strategy.

I’ve been so impressed with the experience that I’ve since recommended Piers to friends and family, several of whom have now successfully purchased their own investment properties through him. It’s incredibly reassuring to be able to recommend someone with such confidence, particularly when making significant financial decisions, and to see others benefit from the same level of expertise and support.

Every visit to the Winchester office has been equally positive. The whole team are welcoming, knowledgeable and professional, with a friendly atmosphere and genuinely caring approach.

I couldn’t be happier with the support I’ve received and would wholeheartedly recommend Piers and the team at Martin & Co Winchester to anyone considering property investment, particularly those taking their first steps.

A fantastic experience, and I’m looking forward to building my portfolio with their continued support.

Based on our experience, I would not recommend Martin & Co Winchester.

My son was a tenant of a property managed through this branch, and I was his guarantor. Unfortunately, our experience of the service, particularly following the end of the tenancy, has been extremely disappointing.

One of the most frustrating issues has been trying to obtain assistance with a reference relating to my son's previous tenancy. Despite the agency having dealt with the tenancy, we were told that they could not assist unless we provided the property address. I found it surprising that they apparently could not simply locate the relevant tenancy from the former tenant's name and their own records.

This resulted in unnecessary emails, delays and considerable frustration over something that should, in my view, have been straightforward. My son subsequently had to provide written authorisation allowing me to discuss the matter on his behalf, despite me also having been the guarantor.

What has disappointed me most is the apparent lack of initiative and willingness to help resolve the issue. Good customer service should not end simply because a tenancy has ended.

Based on the service we experienced during and after the tenancy, I would think very carefully before using Martin & Co Winchester. Prospective tenants, landlords and guarantors should consider our experience when deciding whether this is the level of communication and after-tenancy service they would be comfortable receiving.

Terrible experience. Paid for a beautiful home for professionals and turned up to student housing with heavily stained mattress, food remnants, clutter and dirty house. They sent the inventory AFTER I got the keys and were aware of the state of the home (I was moving country and could only view virtually) they sent me a “house tour” that was taken what looks like before they’d ever rented it out. I handed the keys back immediately and didn’t stay a single night after their representative agreed it was disgusting and he wouldn’t live there. They then proceeded to demand I pay the next months rent, aware I don’t even have the keys and it was materially different to what they advertised.

Terrible end of Contract experience. My daughter has just finished a 12 month contract with Martin & Co & without any proof whatsoever, they are charging £110 for a carpet clean & a general clean of the room. There was no Inventory pics of the carpet at the start of the tenancy term to prove the carpet was in a clean state, which it wasn't. When the contract expired, the room was in a much cleaner state than it was on contract start.
Our instruction was to dispute the deposit with the DPS, which is per Martin & Co contract for them to process, which, as of todays date, they have still not forwarded to the DPS. The contract expired in the 17th Aug 26.
The staff at Martin & Co do not follow their own contracts & procedures which in turn causes unnecessary stress & worry to students who are already worried about financial states.
Shocking Management & Staff. Never again

We paid a £242 holding deposit on 22 July and received confirmation from Martin & Co on 23 July. From that point onwards, we have been trying our best to complete the tenancy process. We even offered to pay 6 months’ rent in advance, but the landlord declined. We then went through the additional effort of finding a suitable guarantor who was eligible and willing to support our application financially.
Despite doing everything requested from our side, we have had almost no communication since 5 August. We have repeatedly called and emailed the agency, and each time we were told that someone would get back to us. Unfortunately, nobody did.
Our planned move-in date was 15 August, and I am due to start my new job from 1 September. Despite the move-in date passing, the agent did not contact us to discuss what was happening or even provide an updated date. We were simply left waiting and chasing for answers.
What is particularly upsetting is that when we finally asked for our £242 holding deposit back, we were refused. We have not withdrawn or cancelled our application, and we have been ready to provide everything required from our side. So it is extremely difficult to understand why our deposit is being withheld.
This entire experience has been incredibly stressful. For more than four weeks, we have had the uncertainty of not knowing where we are going to live, while also having to prepare for a new job and arrange our move.
£242 might not be a huge amount to a letting agency or landlord, but it is important money to us, especially at a time when we are starting a new chapter of our lives.
We have kept screenshots and records of our calls, emails and communications and have attached multiple screenshots as evidence.
This was our first experience dealing with a letting agency while house hunting, and unfortunately it has been the worst experience we could have imagined. I have never felt the need to write a review like this before, but the lack of communication and the way this situation has been handled has left us with no other option.
I would definitely not recommend Martin & Co based on our experience. We simply expect basic communication, professionalism and a fair resolution — and unfortunately, we have not received that.

Extremely disappointing experience with Martin & Co. Throughout our tenancy, communication was very poor and serious maintenance issues were repeatedly ignored despite us chasing numerous times.
We also had people enter the property for viewings without proper notice on multiple occasions, which made us feel extremely uncomfortable in our own home. After repeatedly asking for help with the mould throughout the tenancy, we were then shocked to have money taken from our deposit for it.
Overall, we felt completely unsupported as tenants and would not recommend based on our experience.

If you are a professional, student, or relocating from overseas, I would strongly advise exercising caution before renting through this agency.

Throughout my tenancy process, communication was extremely poor and the overall experience was unnecessarily stressful. The letting process was slow, confusing, and involved multiple parties, which made even straightforward issues difficult to resolve. Responses to emails often took a considerable amount of time, and I frequently felt that I had to chase updates myself.

The tenancy process took significantly longer than expected, and despite waiting for weeks, there was still uncertainty about whether the property would be ready by the agreed move-in date. This created a great deal of stress and inconvenience when trying to plan accommodation and moving arrangements.

When maintenance or tenancy-related concerns were raised, resolution times were slow, and I felt that only the minimum level of support was provided. Customer service appeared reactive rather than proactive, leaving tenants to do much of the follow-up themselves.

I was also frustrated by the requirement to use a third-party referencing and guarantor service. In my experience, the options offered were expensive and did not appear to provide good value compared with alternatives available elsewhere.

Overall, the experience felt focused on collecting fees and completing administrative processes rather than supporting tenants. Renting should not be this stressful or time-consuming. Based on my experience, I would not choose to rent through this agency again and would recommend that prospective tenants carefully research other options before proceeding.

Very friendly team.
Great experience, lots of helpful advice, thoroughly recommended.

Thank you guys!

Georgie and Amy have been great! Thank you for all the support.

Poor - signed an AST for a bedroom in a student let - room was fine but none of expected pre checks carried out by agent. On arrival Communal areas - kitchen and bathroom disgusting - dirty, over flowing bins, smell of vomit and cannabis. Contacted Agent who did not respond to any of calls or emails for nearly 10 days ! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU DO FULL PROPERTY CHECK BEFORE SIGNING AN AST - THIS COMPANY HIDES BEHIND ASTs and takes advantage of students

Molly is great! shes always been there to answer questions we may have, shes very approachable and kind, we wouldn't want anyone else !!

East or west Molly is the best.

Molly was a great help during the viewing process, and was flexible with arranging appointments with the landlord. She kept me informed through the process and being able to communicate in WhatsApp simplified the process. Thumbs up!

Molly was very helpful, even tho we ended up cancelling the viewing due to finding another property she was very professional, knowledgeable and loved that we could talk over WhatsApp!

Georgie has been super helpful in helping me move in to a house share with my friend. As this is my first time renting I’m not the most confident with the process but it has been super quick and easy! She has been super friendly and would recommend to anyone!

Georgie was particularly helpful in helping my friends and I find our 3rd year house. She was very good at keeping constant communication with us and happily answered all our queries as quick as she could.

Georgie was very helpful and patient during some people dropping out and helped me find somewhere to live that was exactly what I was looking for.

Martin and co student lets.
Again more noise after 11pm from your Tennant's. They don't give a hoot . They have partners over and make more noise.The doors have closers that bang bang bang all night. They run up and down stairs all night. Every year they change the Tennants and it starts all over again. Last summer the security at Winchester uni found Finlay hatton passed out drunk and he couldn't remember where he lived. Waking me up again. The years prior over tenanted unlicensed HMO had too many people in there. Gong to use a legal route. The law of tort. Now unable to enjoy my proper that I own. This property is a nightmare to live next too. If I sell I have to list this on My T6 form taking 20/30k off the value. I live next door to a business where I have no route to complain. I've done it. I've had chats with dawn gretton, davin demone Holland's at Winchester city council and nothing ever comes of it. It's about time they stipulate no more school of art/ Winchester uni students. It's a residential area not a student village, that's what erasumas and west downs are for.See less

I leased a room from them at first everything was okay but I moved out on the 5th of August and they still have not got my deposit back. I’ve called, wrote emails and nothing! I had it professionally cleaning I only stayed about 8 months so I didn’t do anything to the room because it was only a temp stay due to work. It’s disgusting behaviour and I would NOT recommend them at all!

The five star reviews that I have seen refer to helpful service at the beginning of a tenancy. Just wait until the end of the tenancy and then you will have a very different opinion. They sanction landlords taking money from deposits to pay for cleaning a property that the landlord should be paying for in preparation for new tenants. It doesn’t matter what the state of the property is. The deposit is actually revenue for the landlord. £50 to repaint a door because of a couple of blue tack marks! Outrageous and unethical. I will not even go into the problems we had during the tenancy with one resident causing huge issues in the house with noise, harassment and smoking drugs in the room. Find another estate agent.