You can arrange a viewing by making an enquiry through any of our property listings. Our homes are advertised on our own website and through Zoopla. Once you have submitted your enquiry, a member of our team will be in touch to discuss your requirements and, if the property looks like a good fit, to book you in.

When you apply for a ThamesWey home, you will need to provide some standard documentation so that we can carry out the necessary checks. This includes proof of identity such as a valid passport or driving licence, proof of income from all sources, and details of your current and previous addresses. Where applicable, we will also request a reference from your current or most recent landlord as part of the referencing process.

We are required by law to carry out a Right to Rent check for all prospective tenants, so you will need to provide documents confirming your right to live in the UK. This applies to all applicants regardless of nationality. As part of our standard application checks, we also carry out a UK Sanctions List screening. All checks are completed in line with our referencing criteria, which you can read in full in the Referencing Criteria section of these FAQs.

Referencing usually takes between 3 and 7 working days, though this can vary depending on how quickly information is received from your employer or other sources. We will keep you updated throughout and let you know as soon as a decision has been reached.

Tenant referencing is a standard process that checks your financial and personal circumstances to confirm you are able to meet the obligations of the tenancy. It covers checks on your employment, income and affordability, your credit history, your previous addresses, and your Right to Rent status.

Our referencing agents will consider all forms of income when assessing your application. This includes employment income, self-employment income, pension income and benefit payments. If you receive Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or any other benefit that contributes to your household income, this will be taken into account as part of your affordability assessment in exactly the same way as any other income. Please make sure you declare all sources of income when you apply so that your full financial position can be assessed fairly.

As a general guide, your total household income will need to be at least 30 times the monthly rent. For example, for a property at £1,000 per month, you would need a minimum household income of £30,000 per year to meet our affordability threshold. If you are unsure whether your income is likely to meet the criteria before you apply, please get in touch with our lettings team who will be happy to advise.

If you do not meet the referencing criteria – for example due to insufficient income, credit issues, an unsatisfactory tenancy history, a failed Right to Rent check, or a failed UK Sanctions List screening – we will not be able to approve your application to proceed with the tenancy. Please be aware that where an application does not proceed due to the provision of false or misleading information, a failed Right to Rent check, or your withdrawal from the process, your holding deposit may not be returned. If you are unsure about your position, please get in touch with our lettings team before applying.

No. As a direct landlord we do not accept guarantors under any circumstances.

Yes. If your circumstances change – for example you gain employment, your income increases or your credit position improves – you are very welcome to reapply for a property with us in the future. We would encourage you to contact our lettings team before doing so to discuss whether your updated circumstances are likely to meet our criteria.

A tenancy agreement is a legal contract between you and ThamesWey that sets out the terms of your tenancy. It will confirm the rental amount, your payment obligations, and the rights and responsibilities of both you and us as your landlord. All ThamesWey tenancies are periodic assured tenancies, which means your tenancy has no fixed end date and continues on a rolling basis for as long as you wish to stay.

There is no fixed term. All ThamesWey tenancies run on a periodic basis from the day you move in. You can end your tenancy at any time by giving two months written notice, expiring on your rent due date.

Yes. You can end your tenancy at any time by giving us at least two months’ written notice. There is no minimum period you need to have lived in the property before doing so. Your notice should be given in writing, confirm the date you intend to vacate, and end on or after your rent payment date. Please refer to the Moving Out section of these FAQs for full details.

When you apply for a ThamesWey home, we will ask you to pay a holding deposit of £100 to reserve the property while we carry out your referencing and verification checks. Once we receive your holding deposit, we will take the property off the market and get your application moving straight away.

In most cases, yes. If your application is successful, your holding deposit will be put towards your first month’s rent, so it forms part of your first payment rather than being an extra cost on top of it.

If we decide not to proceed with your application for any reason on our part, your holding deposit will be returned to you in full within 7 days.

There are some circumstances where we may not be able to return it. If you decide to withdraw your application, if you provide false or misleading information during the referencing process, if you fail your Right to Rent check, or if you do not respond to our reasonable requests for information or documents within the agreed timescale, we may retain part or all of the holding deposit. If we do retain it, we will always write to you within 7 days to explain why.

We will hold your deposit for up to 15 days from the date we receive it while we complete your checks and prepare your tenancy agreement. If we need a little longer and you are happy to agree an extension, we will confirm this with you in writing.

If you feel a decision to retain your holding deposit was not made fairly, please contact us and we will look into it. If you remain unhappy after we have reviewed the matter, you can raise a formal complaint through our complaints procedure. You also have the right to report the matter to your local Trading Standards office or to apply to the First Tier Tribunal if you believe the deposit has been retained unlawfully.

If you feel that a decision to retain your holding deposit was not made fairly, please get in touch with us and we will review the matter. You are also welcome to raise a formal complaint through our complaints procedure if you remain unhappy after we have looked into it.

Your rent covers your home only. Unless your tenancy agreement specifically states otherwise, costs such as gas, electricity, water, broadband and council tax are not included and will be your responsibility to arrange and pay separately.

The security deposit is equivalent to one months’ rent. It is protected in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme — we use the Deposit Protection Service (DPS) — and will be held there for the duration of your tenancy. At the end of your tenancy, the deposit will be returned to you provided the property is in the same condition as when you moved in, allowing for reasonable wear and tear.

Your rent is due monthly on the same date each month, corresponding to the date you moved in. The exact due date will be confirmed in your tenancy agreement.

You can pay your rent by bank transfer, standing order, or through the tenant portal. Full payment details are available in the Credit Control section of these FAQs and on the How To Pay page on our website. Please always use your tenant reference number as the payment reference so your payment can be allocated correctly.

Please report any maintenance issues to us by email or through your tenant portal as soon as you can. We will get back to you promptly and arrange for the work to be carried out.

If you have an emergency outside of office hours, please call our out of hours call handling service on 01483 951900 and select option 1. When the office is closed the number diverts automatically to our out of hours emergency service. Our normal office hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, though these may vary on UK bank holidays and during the festive period.

Emergencies include gas leaks and electrical faults, a total loss of water supply where the mains provider is not at fault, a total loss of electrical power where your electricity provider is not at fault, a forced entry or a property that is not secure, a toilet blockage where there is no alternative toilet available, and loss of heating where vulnerable people are living in the property such as young children or elderly residents.

We categorise repairs into three types depending on the nature and urgency of the issue.

Emergency repairs, such as loss of heating, total loss of power or an uncontainable leak, we will aim to attend within 24 hours. Where we cannot fully resolve the issue on the first visit we will make it safe and return to complete the work as soon as possible.

Urgent repairs such as a blocked drain, broken sanitary fittings or a minor leak will be attended to within 3 days of being reported, provided access can be arranged.

Routine repairs covering general maintenance such as carpentry, plastering, guttering or window repairs will be completed within 10 working days of being reported. We will always keep you informed of progress and aim to get things sorted as quickly as we can.

Tenants are responsible for minor day to day upkeep such as changing light bulbs and keeping any garden or outdoor space tidy. We take responsibility for all structural repairs and maintaining the property in a safe and good condition throughout your tenancy. If you are ever unsure whether something is your responsibility or ours, please just get in touch and we will be happy to help.

You can end your tenancy at any time by giving us at least two months’ written notice. There is no minimum period you need to have lived in the property before doing so. Your notice should be given in writing, confirm the date you intend to vacate, and end on or after your rent payment date.

Yes, provided the property is returned in the same condition as when you moved in. Reasonable wear and tear is entirely normal and expected over the course of a tenancy and we would never make a deduction for this. Deductions would only be considered where there is damage beyond what would reasonably be expected, unpaid rent, or cleaning that has been left outstanding. We will carry out a checkout inspection and aim to return your deposit within 10 days of agreeing any deductions with you. If we cannot reach agreement on any amounts to be withheld, the matter will be referred to our deposit protection scheme’s independent dispute resolution service. Their decision on what is fair and reasonable, including what constitutes acceptable wear and tear, is binding on both parties.

Yes. When your new landlord or their referencing agency contacts us, we will respond promptly and provide an accurate reference based on your tenancy with us.

You have the right to request permission to keep a pet or other animal at your ThamesWey home. We will consider every request on its own merits and will not unreasonably withhold consent.

Requests must be made in writing to our lettings team and should include a description of the pet you wish to keep, including the breed, size and age where known. You must not bring a pet to the property until you have received our written consent.

We will respond to your request in writing within 28 days of receiving it. If we need any further information from you about the pet, we will let you know during that period and will aim to give you our decision within 7 days of hearing back from you, keeping within the overall 28-day timeframe wherever possible.

We may refuse a request where there are genuine and reasonable grounds for doing so. This might include situations where the property is not suitable for the type of pet you have in mind — for example where there is no direct outdoor access, or where keeping a pet could cause a nuisance to neighbours in a shared building — or where there are concerns about the animal’s welfare, or where our lease arrangements for the property do not allow pets.

Where we give consent, we may ask you to take out appropriate pet damage insurance while you are renting with us. We will confirm any conditions in writing at the time we give our decision. Please remember that our written consent must be in place before the pet arrives at the property.

Assistance animals are not classed as pets and are covered by separate legal protections under the Equality Act 2010. If you require an assistance animal because of a disability, or if you have a disability-related need for an animal that you feel should be considered separately from a standard pet request, please get in touch with our lettings team to discuss your circumstances.

If you are unhappy with our decision, you are welcome to raise this through our formal complaints procedure.

Smoking is not permitted inside any ThamesWey home, on balconies, in any communal areas such as hallways, stairwells and entrances, or in any shared outdoor spaces within our developments. This applies to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, e-cigarettes and vaping devices.

If you are a smoker or vaper, we ask that you do so away from the building and away from shared entrances and communal spaces, in consideration of your neighbours.

Any damage to the property caused by smoking or vaping, including staining, burns or lingering odours, will not be considered fair wear and tear and may result in deductions from your security deposit at the end of your tenancy.

An inventory is a detailed document that records the contents and condition of your home at the start of your tenancy. It covers furniture, fixtures, appliances, flooring, walls, windows, outdoor areas, keys and meter readings. It forms an important record for both you and us throughout the tenancy.

An independent inventory clerk prepares the inventory and schedule of condition before you move in. Using an independent clerk means the process is impartial and the record is objective.

You will be given a copy of the inventory at the start of your tenancy. We ask that you read through it carefully and let us know within 7 days if you notice anything that does not accurately reflect the condition of the property. Any agreed amendments will be noted on the record.

The inventory is the agreed baseline for the condition of your home. At the end of your tenancy it is used alongside the check-out report to establish whether any changes have occurred beyond reasonable wear and tear, and to determine whether any deductions from your deposit are appropriate. Having an accurate inventory protects both you and us.

When your tenancy ends, an independent inventory clerk will carry out a check-out inspection of the property using the original inventory as a reference point.

The clerk will compare the condition of the property at check-out against the check-in inventory. This covers the cleanliness of the property, any damage beyond reasonable wear and tear, missing items or items left behind, the condition of any garden or outdoor areas, closing meter readings, and the return of all keys, fobs and access devices.

You are welcome to attend the check-out inspection and we would encourage you to do so. Being present gives you the opportunity to discuss any findings directly with the clerk and to raise any points before the report is finalised.

If the check-out report identifies damage or cleaning issues that go beyond reasonable wear and tear, the cost of putting things right may be deducted from your security deposit. You will be notified in writing of any proposed deductions and given the opportunity to dispute them through the deposit protection scheme’s independent dispute resolution service if you disagree.

To give yourself the best chance of receiving your full deposit back, it is worth taking some time to prepare the property before the inspection. This includes making sure the property is thoroughly cleaned throughout, returning all furniture to the position shown in the check-in inventory, removing all personal belongings and rubbish, and returning all keys, fobs and access devices. Please also make sure your rent account is clear before your tenancy ends.

Please make sure you remove all of your belongings before handing the property back. If items are left behind, we will contact you to arrange collection. Where items cannot be collected and we incur reasonable costs in disposing of them, those costs may be recoverable.

For all housing related enquiries and maintenance reporting please email

housing@thamesweygroup.co.uk

You can pay your rent by bank transfer, standing order, or through the tenant portal. Please always quote your tenant reference number as the payment reference so your payment can be allocated to your account promptly.

Our bank details for payment are as follows:

Bank: NatWest, Woking
Account Name: ThamesWey Housing Ltd
Sort Code: 60-24-20
Account Number: 89918673
Payment reference: your tenant reference number (e.g. T00000XX)

Your rent statement is available through the tenant portal. If you need a link to register or access the portal, please contact our Credit Control team at credit.control@thamesweygroup.co.uk and we will be happy to help.

For all rent payments, account queries and credit control enquiries, please contact our Credit Control team directly.

Email: credit.control@thamesweygroup.co.uk
Telephone: 01483 951900, option 3

We have several options to manage your rent payments so that keeping your account up-to-date is as trouble free as possible. Below are some options which may help you decide which is the best one for you:

By BACS, Standing Order, On the Portal VIA WorldPay/Go Pay

Nat West Bank
Account Name: ThamesWey Housing Ltd
Sort Code: 60-24-20
Account No: 89918673

Ref: T000….

Make a diary note to organise your Bank Transfer (directly through your bank or your online banking service/app) to arrive on or before the date your payment is due to ThamesWey each month.

On the Tenant Portal, request the link from credit.control@thamesweygroup.co.uk

All rent is payable regularly in advance and it is important to make payment on time. This forms part of your tenancy agreement. If you are having financial difficulty, please get in touch to see how best we can help. You can get in touch by calling us on 01483 951 900 or emailing us at credit.control@thamesweygroup.co.uk.

There are various free independent money advice services which have budget planners that can help find the shortfall between your incomings and outgoings – for example the Money Helper or The Citizens Advice Service

If your circumstances have recently changed, e.g. you have been made unemployed and are actively looking for work, you might be entitled to Universal Credit

If you are on a low income and not currently claiming universal credit, you might be entitled to housing benefit, however, the amount you receive may vary depending on your circumstance – Housing Benefit

To find if you are entitled to claiming benefits, click on the link to the benefits calculator here: Benefits Calculator

All tenants are issued with access details for the ThamesWey tenant portal when they sign their tenancy agreement. Through the portal you can report non-emergency maintenance issues, make rental payments and view your payment history.

If you need any help or are having difficulty accessing your account, please get in touch with us at housing@thamesweygroup.co.uk