Mutual Exchange can be a great way to move, but it’s important to think carefully about it and there a number of things to consider before making the decision to swap homes.
Let’s go through some key questions you might want to ask yourself, when considering a mutual exchange.
Read our top tips for making sure that your journey to mutual exchange is a smooth and straight-forward one one.
If you’re looking to do a mutual exchange, you have to be a housing association or council tenant who holds a current secure, assured or fixed term tenancy. You must also have the right to exchange written into your tenancy agreement. Please check your tenancy agreement before moving forward.
If you have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy or are on an Intermediate Rent tenancy, you will not be eligible to apply for mutual exchange. Please check your tenancy agreement to confirm whether you have the right to a mutual exchange.
Look at what type of tenancy you will have when you exchange. Not all tenancies are the same and some have fewer rights.
Is the amount of rent due, including any services charges, affordable? It’s likely that your rent, and other charges, will change a little when moving from one house to another, so please check and take this into account.
It’s important to check that the condition of the property you are hoping to exchange to is satisfactory to you and your family. Make sure you check or find out that the home you’re looking to move into is in a good state before moving forward with the exchange.
Always check repairs you might be responsible for and if the outgoing occupier has carried out any improvements that need to be checked. See our Repairs & responsibilities section for more advice and information.
Make sure that you are aware of and understand any conditions of the tenancy you’ll be taking on.
It’s a good idea to look into the reason why the other tenant wants to move. This is important to find out and it is worth visiting the property at different times to learn more about the local area.
If you’re looking to eventually buy the property, it’s a good idea to check that you’re able to. Many housing association’s homes cannot be bought by tenants.
Whether or not you can buy your property depends on the type of tenancy you have and when you initially obtained it.
If this is important to you, please seek advice from us for the property you are moving into. Please do not assume you have the right to purchase a property from us.
It’s important to make sure that you can afford the removal expenses. If you are claiming Income Support or Universal Credit, you could qualify for a budgeting loan to help.
Read our top tips for making sure that your journey to mutual exchange is a smooth and straight-forward one one.
So, you’ve decided that you want to do a mutual exchange. What next?
We’ve partnered with homeswapper.me to make the process of swapping your social housing home as easy as possible.
If you’re a current bpha tenant your entitled to a free homeswapper account. Simply register at homeswapper.me, and follow their simple steps to to start your mutual exchange journey.
To sign-up, search or apply, get started on the HomeSwapper website.
HomeSwapper is the UKs largest community of social housing tenants looking for a house swap. It’s a one-stop platform allowing you to advertise, search and apply for a mutual exchange, all in one place.
By setting up an online account, you can:
It’s simple to sign-up and if you’re a bpha customer, it’s all free.
If you have further questions about mutual exchange, or need any additional support, get in touch with our customer service team we’d be happy to help.
If you have questions or support needs regarding HomeSwapper, more help can be found at homeswapper.me/help-centre/
If you would like further information about our approach to mutual exchanges, our mutual exchange policy can be found here.