Mutual exchange (house swap)

Mutual exchange (house swap)

If you would like to swap or exchange your home with another tenant then you should follow these easy steps below.

You can swap with any council tenant or housing association tenant in the UK as long as they have the right to a mutual exchange and both tenants want to move. 

Both landlords must agree to the swap before you go ahead.

mutual exchange

1. Register your home 

Visit houseexchange.org.uk to complete the quick online registration form.

You will need to provide:

  • Name and contact details.
  • Current address, property information and landlord.
  • An idea of where you want to live. This can be anywhere in the UK.

Once you’re registered and your account is activated, your advert will appear for other registered users to view.

Some top tips from House Exchange on creating a great advert include:

  • Adding photos and a description to help you standout.
  • Take photos during the daytime so your property looks bright.
  • Keep rooms clean and tidy for photos and viewings.
  • Use the description generator or get creative and write one.
  • Include any desirable property features, such as a balcony or private garden.
  • Provide some local information i.e. transport, shops, schools.
  • Highlight any recent home improvements, maybe you have just decorated, or had a new kitchen fitted?

2. Find a home to swap with

House Exchange has a range of searching tools to help you find a new home.

Visit their website and you can search for properties based on the area you want to live and the number of bedrooms you need.

You can also use the Housing Exchange app to easily look for homes on your smartphone.

If you can’t find a direct swap, the easy to use multi-swap tool can help you to build a chain of properties.

3. Arrange the swap

Once you have found a suitable swap, we recommend that you and the other party visit each other’s homes if possible to make sure that you like the property and definitely want to go ahead.

If Your Homes Newcastle is the landlord for both properties, we will complete our landlord approval steps for each party. If the person who you wish to swap with is not our tenant, the other person’s landlord will complete their landlord approvals and we must wait for them to do so.

A member of our team will need to visit your home to inspect the property. Due to the coronavirus pandemic we will be carrying out our inspections over the phone and you will need to provide photographs or videos of your property. For information on safety measures that our staff and customers should follow, visit our coronavirus advice page.

We will check your home for any repairs which may need to be carried out and talk to you about the legalities of moving and taking up a new tenancy.

If you are not able to move at this point, we will tell you in writing why you can't and what you can do to change this so that you can move in future.

If you are able to move, we will write to you and tell you that you can go ahead with your swap.

Please note: If you agree to go ahead with the move, you are accepting to take the property as seen. It is also up to you and the other household to make sure that everything is removed from the property and to make any agreements about whether carpets, flooring or blinds are being left behind. We can take no responsibility for items left behind, including anything in the garden or loft.

4. The swap

Once it has been agreed that both parties can move, you must arrange this between yourselves for a time and date that suits you both.

Once you have agreed a date, you must let us know, so we can organise paperwork (Assignment of Tenancy) which you will need to sign.

It is very important that you fill out this paperwork, otherwise you technically aren't the new tenant of the home you have moved to.

Need more information?

If you need help with your application or have any questions about the process, please get in touch with our Housing Solutions team by completing our contact form.

Is this page useful?
Is this page useful?