A company headed by Homes Under The Hammer star Martin Roberts has reportedly gone bankrupt with £3 million in debt.
Asset Academy has reportedly laid off all of its staff, leaving a number of potential clients at risk who claim they paid in cash and received nothing in return, according to the Mirror.
Television host Martin, 59, and his wife Kirsty owned shares in the company that offered training sessions for aspiring real estate investors, with Martin referred to as an “advanced speaker,” according to the publication.
Organization bosses promise on their website to help students of the academy during a three-day intensive learning course “invest in real estate the right way” and “thrive in today’s market”.
They offer online courses, Zoom meetings and social media support groups, although they say they are no longer taking on new students.
Weathering a storm? A company headed by Homes Under The Hammer star Martin Roberts, 59, has reportedly gone bankrupt with £3million in debt (pictured in May last year)
Martin is known to many people who have appeared on real estate shows and helped people buy a home at auction before renovating it.
In a YouTube video for Asset Academy he says: ‘The great thing about investing in real estate is that anyone can do it, with the right education and the right guidance.
“You don’t have to be a prima ballerina, you don’t have to be a God-given talent.
“Anyone from all walks of life, I believe, with the right training and the right support, can become a successful real estate investor.”
Unimpressed customers left negative reviews on the TrustPilot website before the company went bankrupt.
One person wrote: ‘After I booked and paid for a course they canceled and moved it to a date I couldn’t do so I asked for the money back guarantee and chased them for five weeks with no response.
“Save your money and go for someone better.”
Another person wrote, “I signed up to attend [online] training on February 22, 2023, payment of the booking fee. It’s now over a month later and I still haven’t received any details.’
Not impressed: Asset Academy has reportedly laid off all of its staff, leaving some potential clients at risk who claim they paid in cash and got nothing in return (pictured February 2017)
A spokesperson for Martin told the Mirror that Martin was involved with Asset Academy as a brand ambassador, auction trainer and minority shareholder, and that he received no dividend.
They added: ‘He was not involved in the financial operation of the company. He quit his association a few months ago. Martin himself currently owes a considerable amount.’
MailOnline has reached out to a representative for Martin and Asset Academy bosses for comment.
It comes after Martin shared how he hoped to revive some of the heritage of a community in the valleys of Wales by injecting £500,000 of his own money into a special project.
Planning to renovate the local pub, the TV presenter and real estate expert has the keys to the Hendrewen Hotel in Blaencwm at the top of the Rhondda Fawr Valley.
Owners of the much-loved village pub decided to close the business during lockdown and Martin took it up last year as he felt the community had ‘lost their hearts’.
However, the developer admits the job is his “most worrying” yet and says he decided not to tell his wife Kirsty about his plans so she couldn’t talk him out of it.
He told WalesOnline: ‘I often act a bit on instinct and may not always tell my wife because sometimes I think there’s a danger I’ll talk things out of my head because they seem stupid on the face of it. when it’s too late!
‘I’ve never run a pub, I’ve never run a restaurant and I’ve never run a hotel, so what could go wrong?!’
New beginnings: Martin Roberts, 59, hopes to revive some of the heritage of a community in the valleys of Wales by injecting £500,000 of his own money into a special project (pictured last May)
The first I’m A Celebrity… Get me out of here! campmate puts a significant amount of his own money into the hotel, saying he wants to turn the establishment into a “really funky and fun bar, restaurant and gastropub.”
He insists that he will keep references to the area’s history and industrial heritage in the hotel building.
Martin is also looking for additional accommodation in the area, which will provide rooms accessible to people with disabilities and wheelchairs, and three-wheeled mountain bikes.
Along with the new accommodation, he plans to expand a restaurant and village store for tourists visiting the area.