Mutual Exchange

If you’re considering changing your social rented home, a ‘mutual exchange’ might be the solution. This process allows you to swap your current residence with another tenant, providing flexibility and the opportunity to find a home that better suits your needs.

 

Mutual exchanges are a legal way for council or housing association tenants to swap homes, offering a practical alternative to traditional housing transfers. By participating in a mutual exchange, you can explore different areas, property types, and sizes, potentially finding a home that aligns more closely with your current circumstances.

 

It’s important to follow the proper procedures, including obtaining written permission from your landlord and completing the necessary legal paperwork, to ensure a smooth and lawful transition. Engaging in a mutual exchange not only provides personal benefits but also contributes to the efficient use of social housing resources, helping to meet the diverse needs of the community.

Image of couple unpacking boxes after a move

Eligibility

If you hold a secure, assured or fixed-term tenancy and have passed your probationary period, you may be eligible to exchange homes with anyone who rents:

 

  • Another SIG Housing Trust home (not within our supported accommodation portfolio)
  • Another Housing Association Home
  • A local council home

 

Please be aware you will not be able to swap with someone else if:
  • You live within one of our supported accommodation schemes
  • You have a starter tenancy with us
  • Either resident has been issued with a Notice and the grounds of the notice as still active
  • Either resident has a Possession Order or there are Possession proceedings that have been started
  • Either resident has a Suspended Possession Order
  • Either resident has a person residing with them or a visitor that is subject of an antisocial behaviour injunction, ASBO or an injunction order under S1 in the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014
  • The home will cause either overcrowding or under occupation for the incoming tenant
  • The home has any adaptations for a disabled person

How to Find a Home

You can register for free with www.homeswapper.co.uk

This website allows you to search for homes that you may like to move into and gives you the ability to advertise your home to other people. Before you register, please ensure that you have permission from us to advertise your address.

Application Process

If you have spoken to a person that you want to sway with and the you each see the other’s home, you need to apply through Homeswapper.

 

Please provide all the relevant information requested when doing this application, as by not it could delay the process.

 

We will decide within 42 days, whether we will allow the swap to take place.   Please do not move until you have been given written approval from us and any gas or electrical checks have been completed.  We will then agree a suitable move date.

Things to Consider Before You Swap Homes

  • Make sure that you thoroughly examine the property’s condition and how it is decorated, as properties are taken as seen
  • Make sure that the property is right for you
  • Check that you haven’t got any rent arrears, if you have they will have to be paid before the can exchange
  • If the person you are swapping with is with another landlord, they will have to contact their landlord as well to complete the application
  • You will take over the tenancy agreement of the person you are swapping with, therefore this could mean that you may not have like for like rights in regards to the terms and conditions of your tenancy.  This needs to be carefully considered.

 

If you require more information, please Contact Us