Guide to Mutual Exchange 

A mutual exchange is when two (or more) people agree to swap their homes permanently. The swap can be with another tenant of your landlord, or someone from another council; or housing association/Registered Provider.  The Council is not involved in this process.

You can move home by swapping your home with that of another tenant anywhere in the country. Due to the demand for social housing, It’s often the quickest and best way to get a bigger property or one in an area you want.

You can use websites such as Homeswapper to help you to find a potential exchange locally or in other areas of the country.
When you register on these sites you can say what sort of property you are looking for. You can then log in at any time and search for possible matches, or receive notifications when the system identifies possible matches.

What to do if you find a swap

If you do find someone you'd like to swap with, the next step is to contact your landlord. Most landlords have a form you will need to complete to ‘apply’ for the exchange, giving the details of the person whom you are exchanging with. If you have found a ‘multi-swap’ with 3 or more households it is a good idea to put all the details down so that the landlords understand clearly who is looking to move into which home.

Remember you cannot do a mutual exchange without your landlord's permission. If you exchange without permission, you will have no security of tenure and you may be evicted or forced to return to your original home. If you give or receive money or goods to persuade someone to exchange with you, you could be liable to eviction and/or receive a fine.

What happens next?

Once you have submitted your application to swap, your landlord will need to inspect your property to ensure that it is safe and that they are happy with the condition of the property.