The easiest and most flexible way to find your new home, is through the national House Exchange scheme. You can advertise your home and find other tenants to swap with for free.
Currently over 100,000 people are looking to swap their properties around the UK, so your ideal home could be only a few clicks away. It is easy to use, simply enter your details at www.houseexchange.org.uk and the site will match you up with other would-be-swappers.
Visit the House Exchange website now to sign up.
Once you’re registered, you can start messaging the properties you’re interested in and arranging viewings. It is a great first step in your House Exchange journey.
If you are having difficulty accessing the internet but wish to register with House Exchange please call into one of our Hubs or alternatively contact Connect on 0300 111 1133 and one of our advisors will assist you with this.
Before signing up to House Exchange, you must have:
- A satisfactory rent account
- No current anti-social behaviour action against you
- Your property must be in an acceptable condition
Why it’s important? If you’re serious about swapping, add a photo. It shows you’re keen and it helps screen out people who won’t be interested. Try to show your home at its best.
Take a good picture and ask yourself “What does this show someone who has never seen this room before?”. Hold the camera in the corner of the room to try and get as much as you can in the picture.
If you’re worried for any reason about your home being identified, upload photos of the inside or garden, and make sure you use the description box (tenant comments) to add information about the outside of your home.
Mutual Exchange or Tenancy Exchange
This is a way for social housing residents to find a move by swapping homes with another social housing resident. People move for many reasons, maybe your current home is too large or too small or perhaps you want a change of scene. You can swap homes with any council tenant or housing association tenant in the UK providing you both have the right to mutual exchange, and that both parties wish to swap.
You need to:
- Find someone to swap homes with
- Get written permission from Jigsaw Homes
- Complete the legal paperwork
Do not swap homes without permission or the right documents. This could put you both at risk of eviction.
Swap locally or to another part of the country
The principle can work between any locations or even all in the same street! You are not restricted to your current landlord as all social housing landlords are required to allow a mutual exchange as long as you meet the necessary criteria. The key is to ensure that everyone has looked around the properties involved and is happy to move.
Swaps can involve more than one property
You can either home swap with one tenant, known as a direct exchange or you could try and find a multi-way swap. There are no limits to how many people can be involved in a home swap chain, however the more you have in the chain, the more complicated it can get, as there is always the chance that someone in the chain could change their mind.
Are you eligible?
An exchange can take place between any assured or secure tenant of a local authority or Registered Provider.
Jigsaw Homes may refuse permission for an exchange on legal grounds, including if:
- you are being evicted
- you work for your landlord and your home comes with your job
- your home is adapted for a person with special needs and nobody in the new tenant’s household has those needs
- the home you want to move to is larger than you need
- the home you want to move to is too small and your household would be overcrowded
Following an application, we will write to you within 6 weeks explaining the reasons for any refusal.
Rent, Service Charges and Right to Buy
When you exchange, you take on the rights and conditions of the new tenancy. This also includes any ‘Right to Buy’ discounts that may have built up, which will be affected should the exchange go ahead.
You will also take on the rent and service charges expected at the new property.
