Council House Exchanges
If you are a council house tenant or housing association tenant wanting to move home, you may be able to Home Swap your home with another council or housing association tenant – this is called mutual exchange. A mutual exchange gives council tenants the opportunity to live in the property and area that meets their needs. The process involves two or more tenants exchanging their homes, i.e. swapping tenancies thereby, becoming responsible for each other’s rent and tenancy obligations.
Many councils and housing asscoiations have opted out of providing information to their tenants wishing to do a mutual exchange. Tenants are now expected to find their own mutual exchange and make the necessary arrangements which are then agreed by the landlord or denied.
All tenants wishing to carry out a Council Home Swap must apply to their landlord’s for permission to exchange. The Landlord has a maximum of 42 days from receipt of the application by which to provide the tenant with a written decision. If the written decision has not been provided within the 42-day period the Landlord cannot prevent the mutual exchange from going ahead. For tenants of registered social landlords swapping your tenancy with another tenant is often the only way of moving around an area. With there being a housing crisis in many areas of the country the councils and housing associations are unable to provide transfer properties for the majority of their tenants wishing to move. Mutual exchanges for many maybe the only option afforded to them in the pursuit of their ideal property and area.
When changes occur in your life affecting your domestic wellbeing, your home may not always be adaptable enough to accommodate these changes. For social housing tenants the only response to these changes maybe to look for and arrange a mutual exchange. All secured tenants of local councils are allowed to mutually exchange under Section 92 of the Housing Act 1985 further enhanced by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, which allowed secure council tenants to also exchange with assured tenants of registered housing associations.
When tenants are mutually exchanging the landlords in question try as far as is possible to make sure that non of the tenants are taken advantage of by (any) other. This consists of the landlord inspecting their property to make sure that it is in a good state of repair before agreeing to allow the mutual exchange. Other factors such as: rent arrears; social conduct; under/over occupancy and tenant history are also taken into account by the landlord when agreeing the mutual exchange.
If you are a social housing tenant wanting to move for whatever reason, then the quickest way to do this may be through a mutual exchange. Social housing tenants consist of all secure local council tenants, secure housing association tenants and charitable housing trust tenants. However, many of these landlords no longer compile lists of tenants wishing to exchange.
The process of a Mutual Exchanges is where both or all parties wishing to move have agreed that they are willing to move into each other council, housing association or charitable housing trust properties. The tenants swapping tenancies thereby, becoming responsible for each other’s rent and tenancy obligations do this. Mutual exchanges give social housing tenants the opportunity to live in the property and area that meets their needs.