You can swap your council home with a tenant from another council or housing association. This is called a mutual exchange. It is different to applying for a transfer to another council home in Hounslow.
A mutual exchange can be arranged anywhere in the country using the HomeSwapper service. This is available to all tenants in secure or assured tenancies. However, a mutual exchange cannot take place if you are in the first year of your tenancy agreement (your probationary period).
The Homewsapper service:
- has over 200,000 homes listed and thousands added each week
- helps you search for swaps based on what you're looking for
- matches properties and sends you notifications
- helps you get in touch with other tenants and arrange viewings
- describes key features of properties in several languages
- is easy-to-use, with a free app and lots of help and support available
You use the service to find a match, then make an application to us.
If you want to exchange with the tenant of another landlord, you need our permission and permission from the other landlord in writing.
When you swap your home:
- you take on the tenancy at the new property, which may be a different type of tenancy to yours
- you take on the rent at the new property, which may be calculated differently to yours (see GOV.UK's affordable housing factsheet to find out more about different types of rent)
After you apply
We'll assess your application. We may not be able to go forward with your application if you have:
- not paid your rent
- been involved in anti-social behaviour
- been served with a notice of seeking possession
- have a court order against you because of a breach of your tenancy
We'll arrange a visit to check the size, type and condition of your property. We'll check for any:
- damage
- alterations we haven't approved
- missing fixtures and fittings like doors (including fire doors), banisters or balustrades
This may result in you needing to do work to make the condition of the property satisfactory for an exchange. The exchange will not be allowed to complete until we have inspected the property again and found its condition to be satisfactory.
We will also get in touch with any other landlord involved in the exchange to make sure:
- they agree with the exchange
- their tenant is eligible to exchange
- all parties are moving to suitable properties
Please be aware that it can take time to receive information from the other landlord involved.
If your application is approved, we'll arrange an appointment to sign the relevant paperwork to enable the exchange to proceed.
Enquiries:
You can contact the your housing and tenancy officer for guidance and support on exchanging your home.
