Swap your council home (mutual exchange)

If you have a secure or flexible tenancy, you may be able to move home through a mutual exchange.

A mutual exchange is when you swap homes with another council or housing association tenant.

You must get written permission from all landlords involved before you can move.

Find a mutual exchange

You can look for a mutual exchange through HomeSwapper.

You may also find exchange opportunities through local networks or social media groups.

Once you have found someone to exchange with and have viewed each other's homes, complete a mutual exchange application.

To request an application form, you can contact us.

Once we have received application forms from everyone involved in the exchange, we will make a decision within 42 days.

If another landlord is involved, they must also give written permission before the exchange can go ahead.

We will check that:

We will also arrange property inspections, including gas and electrical safety checks.

A Housing Officer or Building Surveyor will inspect your home to check its size, condition and any alterations that have been made.

You may need to:

If repair work is required, we will carry out a further inspection before approving the exchange.

We will tell the incoming tenant which alterations:

We recommend visiting the property more than once before deciding whether to proceed with the exchange.

We may not approve a mutual exchange if:

the property has adaptations for a disabled person and nobody in the incoming household needs them
the new home is larger than your household needs
the new home is too small for your household
possession proceedings have started because of a breach of tenancy conditions
you have rent arrears
you have an introductory tenancy

If you have questions about mutual exchanges, you can contact your housing officer.