Terms Of Business

Tenant Referencing Criteria & Terms

Valid from: 9 August 2026

When you decide to proceed with a property through Ay'Up Homes, we will ask you to pay a holding deposit equivalent to one week's rent. This is standard practice across the lettings industry and is governed by the Tenant Fees Act 2019, which sets out the maximum amount we can charge and the specific circumstances in which it may be retained. Once your tenancy is granted, it is governed by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. This page sets out our current referencing criteria and holding deposit terms, valid from 9 August 2026.

Practical Steps

• Complete your references – You'll receive a referencing link via text and email. Please complete this as soon as possible after paying your holding fee.
• Confirm your preferred move-in date – Let us know your ideal date.
• Provide identification – A passport or ID card, and your Right to Rent share code.
• Pay the holding fee – To reserve a property, a holding fee equivalent to one week's rent is required. Once paid, the property is removed from the market. If your application is successful, the holding fee is deducted from the balance due on move-in day.

Referencing Criteria

Below is a summary of the key points from our referencing partner Goodlord's requirements. Full referencing guidelines are available on request — please contact us for further detail.

• ID & Right to Rent: Authentic government-issued ID, and a valid Right to Rent share code if you are not a British citizen.
• Credit Check: We must be able to locate you at your declared address. You must have no active adverse credit or CCJs over £1,000.
• Income: Verifiable income must be at least 2.5x the annual rent.*
• Residential History: If currently renting, we will check that rent was paid on time and the property was well looked after.

Guarantors

If you don't meet the income or credit criteria, a guarantor may be required.

A personal guarantor must be a UK resident with an income of 3.0x the annual rent and a completely clean credit history.

If you can't provide a personal guarantor — or if you have a credit issue a personal guarantor can't cover, such as an IVA, bankruptcy, or a CCJ over £1,000 (even if satisfied) — we can refer you to RentGuarantor, a professional guarantor service that may still be able to support your application, subject to their own checks.*

Reposit – An Alternative to a Traditional Deposit

During referencing, you have the option to choose Reposit instead of a traditional deposit. Details of how Reposit works, including current fees, are provided during the referencing process.*

Optional Extras

Once referencing is approved, our referencing partner Goodlord may contact you directly with optional offers for services such as energy switching and contents insurance. These are entirely optional, have no bearing on your application or tenancy, and you are free to ignore them or use your own providers.*

Holding Fee – Terms

In accordance with the Tenant Fees Act 2019, your holding deposit may be retained if you:

• Provide false or misleading information that affects your application.
• Fail a Right to Rent check.
• Decide not to proceed with a tenancy you have agreed to take.
• Fail to take all reasonable steps to sign your tenancy agreement within 15 days of paying your holding deposit. This 15-day window is designed to encourage completing referencing and paperwork promptly, so your move-in date isn't delayed.

If referencing fails due to withheld or false information, the landlord may retain the holding fee to cover reasonable costs, in line with the above.

*Important Referencing Note: If your income is from a zero-hour contract, temporary contract, or agency work, we require a continuous history of at least 3 months for it to be counted as verifiable income. If you have been self-employed for less than 6 months, you will require a guarantor.

Commission Disclosure

Ay'Up Homes receives a commission from RentGuarantor, Reposit, and Goodlord (in relation to any energy switching and contents insurance offers) where you choose to use these services. In each case, this does not affect the price you pay.