Martin & Co Dundee Lettings & Estate Agents

I would like to share my experience with Martin and Co regarding their property management services. Unfortunately, I found their communication to be inadequate in handling various issues that arose during my tenancy. My partner and I reported several concerns related to the property, including mould and non-functional heating. Despite consistent follow-ups via email, the issues were not addressed in a timely manner. For instance, the black mould problem persisted for an extended period, and it appeared that attempts were made to conceal it with superficial solutions from before we even moved in (as stated by the handyman dealing with it at the time), such as painting over it. As is commonly understood, without addressing the root cause, mould tends to reappear, which was precisely what happened in our case, and messed with our physical health. Moreover, we experienced a prolonged period without heating during the winter months, which significantly impacted our comfort, and health given that the property did not retain heat well. It wasn’t until we expressed our intention to escalate the matter that any action was taken. In situations where disputes arise between tenants and landlords regarding property conditions, tenants in Scotland have the right to seek mediation or arbitration services. While we sought a resolution, it became evident that the third-party mediation provider GIVEN TO US (rather than suggested) by Martin and Co likely wasn’t entirely neutral, leading us to look into other avenues. This is something tenants should be aware of when dealing with property disputes. It’s important to note that landlords and letting agents in Scotland are legally obligated to maintain a certain standard of habitability. Unfortunately, based on my experience, it seemed that the landlord and letting agency did not prioritize maintaining the property to the expected standards. Eventually, we made the decision to move out of the property after searching for 6 months. While we are now in a better situation, I would advise potential tenants to carefully consider their options and ensure they are aware of their rights under Scottish housing law when dealing with property management companies like Martin and Co. — Edit to add (14/02/2025)— We are STILL fighting our deposit and are horrified to find out they took images after they did up the place and used that as our pre-tenancy images “evidence”. Take pre-tenancy images of everything, guys. — Edit to add (20/03/2025)— We won our SDS case after it was found the agents had misled them—submitting pre-tenancy photos that were from after we moved out as “evidence” from our move-in. We were never given an inventory to sign, either. Getting one will protect you from things like this! If something feels off, it probably is. Be wary of these property agents.

The most lacklustre letting agency I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. If you couldn’t tell from the other genuine reviews (NONE of which are even above 3 stars), Martin & Co. is a poor excuse for a letting agency. During my time with them, it became clear that they do not care about you as a tenant. There are a couple individual people who do put in effort, such as their repairman, but the rest of them are utterly useless. Our flat would send emails and texts to the agency or Belal Khan, asking for something to get done, and usually not get a reply. Even our notice to leave the tenancy wasn’t confirmed by them until WE followed up to remind them. If things did get fixed by them, it usually wasn’t done well and would break again just a month later. The main incident was to linked to our building’s secure entry. It had been broken for months (reported to Martin & Co., but no one fixed it) and drug-users had been known to come into the stairwell and mistreat the space. One day, this led to my flatmate’s bike being set on fire, filling the entire building with smoke. None of the fire alarms in the building went off (all broken and never checked by Martin & Co.), so we only discovered the fire through our flat’s hallway smelling smokey. We lived on the top floor, so the smoke had to travel all the way up before we even realised there was a fire - we opened our flat door to a wall of smoke. Only after this incident was the secure entry “fixed”. I put it in quotation marks as it broke again a month later. This is the Martin & Co. standard. Additionally, two out of four of our deposits were not protected in a scheme. This is illegal! We have had to apply to a tribunal about this. When preparing to move out of this flat, I went and viewed another flat from Martin & Co., primarily out of curiosity for if their other flats were similar in quality to ours. The man from the company who showed me the flat was very unprofessional, talking to my partner and me about football and “what Dundee used to be” the whole time (unprompted). The flat itself was scruffy - outside the front door there was a hole in the ceiling, presumably from damp, and there was mould growing in the bath. The man said that this would be cleaned if we moved in, but most of the issues with this flat were beyond just cleaning. It was definitely more of a maintenance issue. Furthermore, after moving out, we checked the photos they used to advertise the flat. They are ALL pre-tenancy! They do not show the damp in the kitchen and leaking radiators caused by Martin & Co’s negligence, nor the damaged walls from previous tenants. There are other issues that I’m sure my old flatmates will bring up in their own reviews. Each of us experienced Martin & Co.’s incompetency in different ways. Luckily we are a positive and humorous group, so we could make jokes out of a lot of Martin & Co.’s wrongdoings, but ultimately, most of their actions cross the line from funny/stupid to downright dangerous. More specifically, from how silly it was that Belal was puffing on his grape vape when we met with him to our lives being put at risk because of a fire that easily could have been avoided. I would advise people to think very carefully before potentially choosing Martin & Co. as a letting agency. Ask yourself if you are willing to do everything on your own and deal with people who only care about money and saving face. Personally, I will never willingly choose Martin & Co. again. (Posting on both Google AND TrustPilot to spread the word)

As my tenancy is now coming to an end after 6 years of staying with Martin & Co., I figured the review is due, as the treatment has been nothing short of excellence. From the very start, the way I have been handled and guided as a person from outside UK and its rental system, through what can be called onboarding, the support I got along the way all the way to the move out process support - I cannot thank them enough. Every issue I've had in the flat - fixed in a timely manner. Every questions asked - I got answered in detail. Changes regarding the tenancy - always reviewed to find what felt like a best option for me. Every time I've locked the keys in (twice, it's on me) - they've been more than patient with me and helped right away. Honestly, Martin & Co. helped me find a home far away from home. When my move out date slipped due to the changes in my transportation timetable, they've accommodated me to make sure that I do not stay, essentially, without a place to sleep for additional couple of days. It might not be the best place do to so and I will do separately, but I wanted to thank all of the agents that worked with me - Ian, David, Ian, Harry, Belal - thank you for the patience and care you've taken. Couldn't recommend them enough.

**Since posting, Ian has been repeatedly messaging me to get this review taken down. https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/dundee-lawyer-ian-davidson-found-guilty-of-fraud-and-branded-liar-by-sheriff and also (separate case) https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/lawyer-struck-off-after-stealing-from-his-family/ --------------------------------------------------- Unfortunately my experiences with Martin and Co Dundee left a lot to be desired. As the manager of my rental property they had to be repeatedly chased up to make payment on bills and occasionally chased up to make payments to myself. My first three months were meant to have had the management fee waived, but I was charged them and had to proactively chase them up to get the fees returned. When selling the property, Ian, was often unable to maintain professional conduct. He wrote emails like they were a text conversation, meaning I would often have to wade through multiple emails. He also struggled dealing with the other owners in my building, not able to maintain professional distance from building issues. He told me on a call, “I wouldn’t sell your property to my gran”. He chased up payment multiple times before my money had arrived, and also after I had paid him. He’s not a bad person, just frustrating and a bit useless.

During my two years with Martin and Co Dundee, I experienced extremely poor communication and service. Initially, I had no issues, but when I eventually needed to contact them, my emails were often ignored. Significant problems arose when I reported water damage in the flat and a broken bathroom extractor fan—both of which went unresolved despite multiple attempts to reach out. Even my tenancy notice was ignored until I followed up. Their lack of responsiveness and unprofessionalism made it difficult to get anything addressed or fixed. The issues continued when I moved out and requested my deposit back. Despite having two months to respond, Martin and Co held my deposit for the entire duration without any communication. The deposit was eventually returned automatically, but only because they failed to respond. Overall, my experience with Martin and Co Dundee was frustrating and highlighted their poor service and communication.