A visit will need to be arranged for your Housing Officer to inspect the boundary, you can contact us by phone or email for an inspection.

When reporting your boundary issue, try to provide as much as possible. This can include:

• Some photographs
• A sketched plan of the disputed boundary line
• Details of when the boundary changed (if known)

If you are terminating your tenancy, you will need to provide us with at least 4 full weeks' notice. The easiest way to do this is by email or over the phone.

It's important that your rent account is clear of any arrears before you vacate the property. If you have credit left on your account when your notice period ends, you can reclaim it by filling in a Rent Refund Form. You can request a form over the phone or by email.

You must also leave the property and garden clear of any furniture and rubbish. If you leave any items behind, you could incur additional charges for their removal.

We cannot remove furniture or bulky rubbish for you. However, if you are struggling to dispose of any unwanted items, you can contact Manchester City Council by clicking here. 

A copy of your tenancy agreement is held in your personal ‘tenant portal’. This contains your tenancy start date.

Log into the portal by selecting the 'Login' button on the top right hand corner of the screen.

If you need to know your tenancy start date because you are making a claim for Universal Credit and any other benefits, please let us know.

If you wish to make any improvements to your home, you must complete a Home Improvements Form before starting any work.

Failing to do this is a breach of your tenancy and you will be recharged for any work carried out without permission. You may also be charged if the work is of poor quality.

The Tenant Improvement form can be found here

When filling in the form, include as much detail as possible about the changes you'd like to make and how you intend to make them. This can include:

• What materials you will use
• The details of your contractor/s - if you plan to use any
• An estimate of how long the work will take

You will need to have been a tenant for at least 12 months to be eligible for purchasing your property.

To find out more about the criteria for purchasing your home, and the application process, click below.

No. You cannot add another person to your tenancy.

If another person is moving into your household - whether this is a partner, family member or lodger - you should let us know.

If you are joint tenants and someone has passed away, please let us know. You’ll also need to provide a copy of their death certificate.

If one person on a joint tenancy wishes to be removed from the tenancy agreement, this can be done with the agreement of both parties.

If you are a remaining joint tenant and someone has gone away and cannot be contacted, then please let us know. You will need to see your own solicitor to get a court order to remove them from the tenancy – we cannot do this for you.

Click here to get in touch.

If you know one of our tenants has passed away, please contact us on 0161 448 4200 to inform us of their death.

In the event of a tenant's death, their tenancy can be taken over by their relative, spouse or civil partner. This process is called 'Succession.'

Succession must be applied for and the applicant must meet certain criteria to be successful. Whilst there are general rules regarding Succession, a personalised agreement will have been made between Southway and the original tenant. The details of this can be found on their Tenancy Agreement.

Click here to get in touch.

Your tenancy agreement sets out the rules on pet ownership.

You should seek our permission before you acquire a pet. Generally, small domestic pets are allowed in houses, but there are restrictions on flats.

If your pet causes a nuisance, you may be asked to remove it.

Click here to get in touch.

Yes. You can take a lodger into your property.

If you decide to take in a lodger, you must inform us of the following:

• Their name
• Their date of birth
• The date they will move into the property

You will also need to tell us if and when they move out.

Please note that taking in a lodger could affect your benefit entitlement.

If you are receiving benefits and wish to take in a lodger, contact the relevant benefits office to find out how a lodger could affect your entitlement.

All your tenancy related matters should be covered in our Tenancy Handbook and Tenancy Pages - click below to view.

You can also manage your tenancy online by creating an account. To do this, click 'Login' at the top right of this page.

Applying for Universal Credit may seem daunting, but it is quite a straightforward process. For a break down of how to apply, click here.

Please be advised that it will take a minimum of 5 weeks for Universal Credit to be paid to you.

If you need help with making a claim, you can speak to our Universal Credit Officer, Nadine, by calling 0161 448 4263.

All tenants are encouraged to take ownership of their Universal Credit entitlement and organise paying their rent themselves.

In some circumstances, however, the housing element of Universal Credit can be paid directly to us through an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA). An APA can be put in place if you have a significant difficulty in paying your rent, such as:

• Problems with addiction
• A history of rent arrears
• Learning difficulties
• Mental/physical illness
• Severe or multiple debts

If you believe you require an APA, please advise this during your appointment with the Jobcentre. Alternatively, you can contact us to discuss your needs.

We are aware that the waiting period for Universal Credit has left many claimants struggling with their finances.

If you have claimed Universal Credit and are awaiting your first payment, please tell us, so that we can have a better understanding of your circumstances. You can contact us by calling 0161 448 4200 or by clicking here.

At Southway, we have a dedicated Universal Credit Officer, Nadine Currie, who can offer support if you are struggling with claiming Universal Credit.

To contact Nadine, please email connect@southwayhousing.co.uk or call 0161 448 4263.

 If you are having issues with:

Dog fouling

Removing bulky rubbish

Fly tipping (in residential areas)*

Requesting a new bin

Then you will need to contact Manchester City Council. Click on one of the subjects above to be redirected to their website.

Alternatively, you can call their Environmental Team on 0161 954 9000.

*If you see fly tipping on any of our green spaces, please contact us on 0161 448 4200.

Unfortunately, clearance of fallen leaves is not a service that Southway provide. You would need to pay a local gardening firm to request this work. 

We receive a lot of requests to chop back trees, as they are blocking light from people's homes. The majority of trees in our neighbourhoods are protected by a preservation order. This means that we will only chop back parts of trees that are diseased or causing a particular hazard.

If you feel that this applies to a tree near your property, please click here below and provide more information.

Southway do not get involved with parking disputes. If a neighbour is blocking your driveway with their vehicle we would suggest that you speak to them directly about this.

If you have tried this and problems still persist you will need to report this to the police. 

If a tenant wishes to update their fence, this is something they are expected to do themselves.

There are a few exceptional circumstances where we may provide additional fence panels. Click below for more information around this topic.

If you have further queries around your personal green space at your property, please click below.

If your query is more general about environmental services etc. please click here.

We employ Manchester City Council's Pest Control Service to treat the following pests:

• Mice
• Rats*
• Wasps**
• Bed bugs
• Cockroaches
• Squirrels***

To report a pest in your property, please contact Manchester City Council by calling 0161 234 4928 or by emailing pest.control@manchester.gov.uk.

*Please be advised that we can only attend to rats that are inside the property. If you see rats outside of your home, please call Manchester City Council's Environment Team on 0161 954 9000.

**Please note that we will only attend to wasps if they are blocking the entrance to your property. We will not attend if your entrance is unaffected or you have an alternative entrance to your property.

***Please be advised that we will only attend to squirrels if they are in the loft space of your property.

We do not provide pest control services for the following:

• Ants (in your property or garden)
• Beetles
• Silverfish
• Slugs
• Bedbugs
• Fleas
• Bees*

*Bees are a protected species, so we cannot take action that would disturb their nest. If a bees nest is causing you problems, consider contacting your local Bee Keepers' Association.

If you are having problems with noisy neighbours, we would initially advise you to speak to the neighbour concerned, to try to establish a rapport.

If issues persist, you should the keep a diary of when the noise is occurring and contact us when you have evidence over time about the issue. 

To report noisy neighbours, contact us by clicking below.

Doorstep Criminals often fall into two distinct categories:

• Bogus Callers: These are people who will try to get into your home or obtain information by pretending to be someone they're not. They may say they are council staff, charity collectors, meter readers or police officers. In reality, they are criminals, trying to steal money and valuables.

• Rogue Traders: these are people who usually cold-call, offering to sell services, make repairs or carry out work to your property. They charge inflated prices for poor or unnecessary work.

If someone makes a call to your property and you suspect them to be a doorstep criminal, ask them to provide some identification. If they cannot, or refuse - or if you still find them suspicious - do not let them into your property and report them to the Police.

Please report them to us too by calling 0161 448 4200, so we can alert other residents in your area.

If you have experienced or witnessed violence or harassment, it is vital that you:

Inform the Police: if you're not in immediate danger, call 101 to report the perpetrator(s). If there is a crime in progress or a threat to your safety, call 999.

Report it to us: keep a diary of any incidents that occur and any Crime Reference Numbers the Police give you. When you report the incident(s) to us, we will need as much detail as possible.

To contact us about violence or harassment, click here.

An incident committed against one person or group by another because of their race, sexuality, disability, religion, age or gender is deemed a hate crime. Examples of hate crimes include:

• Verbal abuse
• Vandalism
• Damage to property
• Harassment
• Physical violence 

If you have been affected by a hate crime, please report it to us. Southway is a third party agency and we report any hate crime to the Police.

To report any incidences of violence, harassment or hate crime, click here. Alternatively, you can contact us by phone or email.

If you suspect children or teenagers in your area are causing excessive noise or getting into mischief, try speaking to them or their parents, to try to settle things amicably. If the incidents continue after this, keep a log of what happens and report it to us. 

If you're concerned that children or teenagers are causing criminal damage, acting violently, harassing you or others, or involved in criminal activity, we would advise you to report them to the Police. You should also report any incidents to us, which you can do by clicking here. Alternatively, you can get in touch by phone or email.

Strays

If you find a stray dog and can’t contact the owner, you must report it to Manchester City Council. You can do this by clicking here.

Alternatively, you can call the Dog Warden on 0161 945 9000.

Neighbours' Dogs

If a neighbourhood dog is causing a nuisance by barking excessively or fouling where it shouldn't be, try speaking to the owner first to resolve the issue. If the problems persist, report them to us.

For more information on ASB & Crime, plus how we can help, click below.

To apply for social housing, you must register on Manchester Move

Once you've registered, you will need to complete an online application and submit any supporting evidence you are asked for.

You will be allocated a housing association - which may be Southway - who will process your evidence.

We cannot complete your application for you. However, if you have problems with accessing or using a computer, you can make an appointment with our reception staff. They will assist you with completing the online form. To make an appointment, call 0161 448 4200.

Your allocated housing association will aim to validate your evidence within 28 working days.

They will notify you when your application becomes live.

If you have any queries about your application, contact your allocated housing association or Manchester Move.

Socially rented properties are in high demand and the rehousing process is not a swift one.

While anyone can register on Manchester Move, your chances of getting a property depend greatly on the urgency of your need to move. If you do not have an urgent need to be rehoused, the process can take months or years.

Before applying for social housing, it is worth exploring all housing options available to you. Shared Ownership properties, such as those being developed by Gecko Homes, are just one example of an alternative route to affordable housing. 

To get a better understanding of your housing options, consider contacting The Citizen's Advice Bureau or Manchester City Council.

We have all the information needed on rehousing and applications below; 

Repair appointments are dependent on three factors: the availability of our operatives, the size of the job, and urgency of the repair.

We will aim to offer you an appointment within the following timescales:

• 24 hours if it’s an emergency repair.
• one working day if it's a small electrical repair, such as renewing a smoke alarm.
• three working days to renew a shower.
• five working days to repair something like a broken toilet part.
• three weeks to repair things like roof slates, a blocked gutter or an external gate.
• six weeks for larger jobs that involve plastering, bricklaying or joinery.

You will be advised on more detailed timescales at the time of booking your repair.

A repair would be considered an emergency if it poses a serious threat to the safety of the household or security of the property. This will usually be because of the nature of the repair itself: for example, a large ground floor window that has been smashed will always be an emergency, as it would compromise the property's security.

However, some repairs that are normally treated as standard, may be upgraded to emergencies. This will be in cases where a household member's health would be negatively affected by waiting for the repair, due to their age (whether they're very young, or elderly), or because they have an chronic illness or disability.

If you believe that a repair needs to be attended urgently, based on these factors, please advise us of your circumstances when booking your repair. 

For more information on what repairs qualify as emergencies, click below.

If you can smell gas in your property, or suspect a leak, call 0800 111 999 immediately.

Find out about your responsibilities and anything you may have to pay for by clicking the link below; 

An 'adaptation' involves changing an existing property, so that it is more suited to the current tenant's needs. This can include things like adding handrails outside the property, installing a wet room or adding a ramp to the entrance of the property.

Adaptations to our properties are completed by our operatives. However, Manchester City Council must authorise the proposed adaptation before work can commence.

To discuss an adaptation to your property with the Council's Adaptation Team, call 161 234 5001. For more information, click here.

If you want to know more about DIY and Repairs please see below; 

If you have looked through our website topics Your Home and our Support & Services, you can contact us below

Around one third of our properies benefit from solar panels, thanks to funding from a government scheme in 2014-15.

Properties with east-facing unshaded rooves received these panels, as it was found that they would gain enough benefit from them.

Who maintains my panels?

If you have solar panels, they are now maintained by the company Solar Maintenance Services (SMS). SMS will get in touch with you by letter if any panel maintenance is required.

If you have any questions, or issues with your panels, you can contact their Customer Services Team directly:

Customer Services Team
Solar Maintenance Services Ltd

T: 01228 26 70 26
E: customerservices@solarmaintenanceservices.co.uk