Mutual exchange

Is your home too big or too small for your needs? Then why not mutually exchange it with another council tenant using House Exchange (opens new window)?

This service is free to use for all our tenants. Please be aware if you choose to use an alternative service provider you may incur costs. 

Before you start

• Are you a secure tenant? 
• Do you have rent arrears? If so, Send an enquiry, complaint or compliment for advice on how to proceed.

1. Apply

Register at House Exchange (opens new window)

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:

• Add photos and a description to help you stand out
• 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, for example: 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

The House Exchange (opens new window) has a range of searching tools to help you find a new home. 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 House Exchange app (opens new window) 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 we are the landlord for both properties, we will complete our landlord approval steps for each party. If the person 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.

Consent for an exchange can be withheld for a number of reasons (as per schedule 3 of the Housing Act 1985 and Schedule 14 of the Localism Act 2011 (opens new window)) including if one of the tenants looking to exchange has rent arrears, or if the exchange would mean a household moving into a home that is either too big or too small for their needs.

Once approved, a member of our team will come out to see you. 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.

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 take no responsibility for items left behind, including anything in the garden or loft.

4. Do the swap

What do you need to do?

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.

Contact your Neighbourhood Housing Team who will arrange a date to sign the deed of assignment. You cannot move until this is signed.

What else?

It is very important that you sign the Deed of Assignment, otherwise you technically aren't the new tenant of the home you have moved to.

Need help?

Contact your Housing Services.