What is a mutual exchange and how do I register? (swapping your home)

A mutual exchange is where two or more tenants “swap” their home. Customers can apply to exchange with a tenant of a registered housing association, local authority, or a charitable housing trust.

A mutual exchange is a good way for you to find a more suitable home. It can open up many more opportunities and can give you the chance to move to a new area of the country.

Can anyone swap their home?

If you have assured tenancy, you are eligible to apply to swap your home. Your tenancy agreement will confirm what type of tenancy you hold with us so make sure you check this first.

If you have another tenancy type, such as an assured shorthold, a licence agreement or you are living in temporary accommodation, you are not eligible for mutual exchange and cannot swap your home.

Interested? Here’s what you need to do next…

You can advertise your wish to mutual exchange almost anywhere, but we recommend you use a site called HomeSwapper.

As your landlord, we do have to validate HomeSwapper applications and make all the necessary tenancy checks before accepting or rejecting any requests. We usually complete this in five working days. Keep checking your Homeswapper account to see if it has been verified as this is where you will be notified.

There are several other websites available you can use, but you need to be aware they might not be free.

Here are some tips for swapping your home on HomeSwapper

• It helps to be flexible about the area and type of home you want to move to.
• Including what you think is good about your home and neighbourhood helps to 'sell' your home.
• Uploading photographs can help to show people what your home is like, as people are more likely to be interested if they can see what it looks like.