Award-Winning Letting Agency Opens in Staines

The UK’s largest letting agency , Martin & Co has opens the doors of its latest office on 10th July, in Staines. Situated at 137 High Street, the award-winning agency offers a dedicated letting service for landlords and tenants, and is set to take property lettings to the next level in the Staines area, according to the new franchise owners Eric and Susan Milburn – a husband and wife team with a passion for excellence!

Eric and Susan – successful businesspeople, property developers and landlords themselves, really understand the needs of today’s landlord, and approached Martin & Co as they had been impressed with their successful letting formula and wanted to hit the ground running with their new lettings venture.

“Clearly, lettings are rapidly taking over from home ownership in the UK and the Martin & Co franchise is precisely the right vehicle for us to deliver the level of service we would expect to receive ourselves. Indeed, the exceptional training, systems and support the company provides gives us a flying head start”, said Eric. “It also fits well with our long-term aim to involve our two daughters in the business in the future”, said Susan.


Contact:
For further information about Martin & Co nationally please contact Marketing Manager Jayne Codling 01202 405543 or email jayne.codling@martinco.com

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Award-Winning Letting Agency Opens in Balham

The UK’s largest letting agency , Martin & Co has just opened the doors of its latest branch, in Balham. Situated in Balham Hill, the award-winning agency offers a dedicated letting service for landlords and tenants, and is set to take property lettings to the next level in the Balham area, according to the new franchise owner, Naveed Salim.

Naveed, with a degree in economics and a strong background in a progressive retail environment where customer service was king, approached Martin & Co as he had been impressed with their system-driven approach to lettings .

“The Martin & Co franchise is precisely the right vehicle for me to deliver the level of service I would expect to receive myself. Indeed, the exceptional training, systems and support the company provides gives me a flying head start”, he said, “it also fits well with my long-term aim to develop a respected business that will be an asset for my family in the future – so I’m in it for the long run!” says Naveed


Contact:
For further information about Martin & Co nationally please contact Marketing Manager Jayne Codling 01202 405543 or email jayne.codling@martinco.com

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Redundancy Allowed me to seize the Martin & Co Opportunity

Martin &Co Wimbledon franchise owner, Ian Waldron, shares his views on why redundancy can be just the beginning, not the end

“I had always like the idea of owning my own business but the prospect seemed daunting, however when I was made redundant it gave me the opportunity to reflect on my situation. Franchising presented the perfect opportunity to own my own business whilst minimising the risks of starting independently.”

“I have always had a genuine interest in property and with my financial background in the city I knew that the trend was moving away from sales and towards lettings . However I had limited knowledge of the lettings industry but with the comprehensive training courses that Martin & Co provides combined with the continued support on offer I felt confident that lettings was the right industry for me.”

“The first time I saw a Martin & Co board in my area I was immediately interested. The distinctive branding that they provide is unlike anything I would have been able to do on my own. With Martin & Co our clients benefit from our office’s local knowledge and expertise backed by the power of a national brand, without choosing the franchise route it would have taken years to build up the brand awareness I already have.”

“Due to the success of Martin & Co as a brand and the fact that their business model has been tried and tested over a number of years, it meant the process of obtaining funding was fairly straight forward. Yes banks are going to ask probing questions but the business plan that Martin & Co provide all new franchises with settled any doubts the banks I went to originally had.”

“It is difficult for me to offer advice to anyone who has been made redundant as each individual case is different, and buying a franchise does require an investment. However redundancy can often offer the opportunity for reflection and change in an individual’s lifestyle which in other circumstances may have never been possible. As long as the franchisee is willing to put in the hard work required and is eager to learn lots of new skills then buying a franchise can be a great option. I love being my own boss and know that my job and my future is secure. People tend to mention redundancy in negative terms but it doesn’t have to be doom and gloom, I have gone from being made redundant to owning a growing business in an industry that I have a real passion for.”

Contact:
For further information about Martin & Co nationally please contact Marketing Manager Jayne Codling 01202 405543 or email jayne.codling@martinco.com

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Martin & Co confirmed as Best Large Letting Chain

Letting agency Martin & Co has just been awarded the UK’s “Best Large Letting Chain” at the Estate and Letting Agency Awards (ESTAs) in London on 8th April.

The prestigious award was presented to Ian Wilson Managing Director of Martin & Co by media personality and journalist Phil Spencer of Channel 4’s “Location, Location, Location”, who said “these awards are particularly special, and a true reflection on excellence in customer service as they are the only awards in the industry which are voted for by the landlords themselves. They are not easily won, and require a letting agency to achieve a consistently high level of service to their clients over a 12 month period.” Over 30,000 questionnaires were sent out to customers across the UK

Phil added, “It's fantastic to see agents getting the credit they deserve after all the negative press they receive. Throughout the property industry there is a constant need to improve customer service and these awards go along way to help agents focus on keeping clients happy. He adds "After all the most powerful marketing tool for Agents is word of mouth so customer satisfaction is key."

On receiving the award, Ian Wilson said “It is a privilege to win such an award, and it is a tribute to the hard work, dedication, and passion of our staff, But more than that, it is a reflection of a blend of the proven system of which we are very proud, with our unswerving aim only to recruit, and help our franchisees recruit, the very best in the business – those who really care! In an industry where numerous sales-base estate agents have recently forayed into lettings, the award has clearly demonstrated that people prefer to work with a dedicated lettings specialist. I am especially pleased that it was our customers themselves who voted for us, and I’d like to thank all those who took the trouble to show their appreciation by taking part in the independent survey.”

The sponsors of the 2009 event included Globrix, PSC, RICS, Estate Agent Today and The London Paper and the Awards were organised by Awards for Business Ltd ( http://www.estateagentoftheyear.com/previous-winners.html ).

(No strangers to awards success, Martin & Co also won Franchisor of the Year last November.)

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Letting Agent Franchise Owners Toast Rapid Success

Over 250 people attended Martin & Co’s national conference and awards ceremony last weekend to share in a celebration of a business that is clearly bucking the trend. Martin and Co is the UK’s largest dedicated letting agency , with over 160 franchised offices , and was celebrating an annual increase in revenue of over 40%.

Managing Director, Ian Wilson commented that every year is a record year, but that this year’s growth is extraordinary. He said, “Despite modest gains in the letting industry overall, the integrity, professionalism and straight-talking, good advice of our franchisees is taking the business to new heights of success all round – both in terms of revenue and customer service.

“One of my greatest pleasures was to see our founder and Chairman, Richard Martin presenting awards to several of our new franchisees who, in their first year of trading have achieved incredible success. It seems only a few weeks ago that they were enquiring about the possibility of buying a Martin and Co franchise, and I am delighted that our training, ethos and methodology have once again worked in their favour.”

The event follows close on the heels of two recent major awards for the company itself – “Franchisor of the Year” and “Best Large Letting Chain”, which can only help position Martin and Co as one of the most reliable and successful franchise operations in the UK.

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First Foreign Olympic Monies into UK

The Weymouth office of the UK’s largest dedicated letting agency , Martin & Co is among the first businesses to directly benefit from foreign revenues as a direct result of the Olympics – some three years before the event itself!

The Canadian Sailing Team has just rented a four bedroom house, complete with swimming pool, through Martin & Co in order to accommodate its team members as they train in waters close to the actual sailing course.

Martin and Co’s local franchise owner David James said, “We were pleasantly surprised to receive the enquiry from Canada, and it certainly proves that our international connections are paying dividends. And of course the landlord was delighted as this tenancy runs right up to 2012 and is backed by a charitable foundation.”

“With Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy confirmed as the official venue for the Olympic Sailing events in 2012 we are looking forward to working with others involved in the Olympics.”

“We are delighted to be the first Martin & Co office to be working with an Olympic team, but with a UK network the company is in a great position to work with other sportsmen and women who will be visiting the UK in the run up to the Olympics in 2012”, added David.

Contact:
For further information about Martin & Co nationally please contact Marketing Manager Jayne Codling 01202 405543 or email jayne.codling@martinco.com

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