Did you know, if you live in social housing you can apply to swap homes with someone else? A home swap or ‘Mutual Exchange’ is when two social housing tenants agree to swap their homes with each other.
Perhaps you want to downsize and someone else needs more bedrooms. Or you may want to move to a different area for a new job or to be closer to family.
We've partnered with House Exchange to help people with their home swaps. House Exchange is free to join and can help you swap your home with people across the country.
To show how a home swap works, we caught up with Lynda and Golriz who went through the process with help from Brenda, our Neighbourhood Officer…
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Golriz lived in Leeds but was looking to swap homes with a social housing tenant in London to be nearer her son.
“A few years ago I opened a fortune cookie that said ‘you will move to a wonderful new home within the year’. Around the same time, I found a home swap match but unfortunately that fell through so I decided to stay in Leeds. This year, I changed my mind as I’m getting older and wanted to be closer to my son in London. So, about 4 or 5 months ago I started looking for a home swap. It must’ve been my lucky day as I found Lynda’s flat in London on House Exchange. I emailed Lynda straight away, arranged a viewing of her flat, booked my train ticket and travelled to London for the viewing.
“Once we’d agreed to swap, everything happened quickly. There were a few checks to go through and when we got the go ahead we worked out a moving date between us.
“I’m very happy with how things went and I’m pleased to be nearer my son….it looks like my fortune cookie turned out to be true after all (just a bit delayed!).
“Brenda has been really helpful during the home swap process, I couldn’t have done it without her! She was always on hand to answer questions about the home swap and has been kind and respectful throughout.”
Lynda lived in London and was looking to swap homes with a social housing tenant in Leeds so she could be closer to her family.
“I’m originally from Leeds, I left when I was 17 and have lived in London for the past 40 years. I’m about to retire and wanted to be closer to the rest of my family. I’d been on House Exchange for a few years and had tried to swap with a few people but it always fell through. I'd also been on the Leeds Housing Waiting List for 5 years and had tried looking for private rented homes as I really wanted to move back to Leeds.
“I was so happy when Golriz reached out – it was like a miracle! When she asked me if I was available for a viewing, I knew she was serious. Golriz’s flat was in the perfect place for me and in a lovely area. It’s been a quick process. There were forms for each of us to sign and both housing associations had to approve the swap. There were also various checks on the condition of our homes, such as electrical checks and the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to confirm the energy rating of our homes. Once the checks were complete, we agreed a moving date.
“When you’re going through the house swap process there’s a bit of anticipation about whether it will happen or not and a bit of nervousness about your new home and neighbours. But overall, it’s been a brilliant experience and I feel like I’ve got a friend out of the process with Golriz too – she messaged me the other week to wish me a happy birthday!
“It’s also been good to get to know Brenda through the home swap process as she’s my new Neighbourhood Officer.“
Brenda, Neighbourhood Officer at Leeds Federated supported Golriz and Linda with their home swap.
“I helped Golriz with some of the paperwork and made sure all the checks took place. As part of the process, we check the home is safe and that the new tenant is happy with the condition before the swap takes place.
“We make sure the gas safety check, electrical check and surveyor checks are all complete. I always go along to the surveyor check so I can make sure the home is in a good condition for the incoming tenant. The surveyor will also pick up any issues that may need resolving before the swap – this could either be something small such as a non-standard light fitting or something more serious that could be a safety risk. We encourage customers to agree with each other about any items they might be leaving, such as carpets or possibly furniture, as they need to sign a consent form to accept these as their own once the swap is complete.
“Golriz and Lynda have been looking for a suitable home swap for a while so it’s lovely to see it go through. It’s a perfect match as they’re both moving to be closer to their families.“
How to swap your home
If you’re interested in swapping your home, the first step is to register on the House Exchange website and add a listing for your home – this is free. We approve your listing and then once you’ve found someone to swap with, you can get in touch with us to help you through the rest of the process.
More information about the home swap or mutual exchange process is available on the House Exchange website.