Applying for a Mutual Exchange

Before you apply, make sure you can afford to move. As well as removal costs there may be other costs you need to consider, e.g.:

• The cost of redecorating your new home
• You may need to  complete minor repairs that were the previous tenant's responsibility
• Changes in utility bills if you have moved to a larger home
• An increase in Council Tax if you have moved to a newer home
• You may need to buy gardening equipment if your new home has a garden you must maintain

You also need to make sure you are happy with the condition of your home and garden, ensuring you have permission for any alterations you may have carried out or completing any repair work you may need to do.

When you find someone you think may be a good match for an exchange, you should first arrange to visit each other’s homes. For safety, you should not do this alone or, if you do need to go by yourself, you should make sure someone knows where you are.

You need to have the permission of both landlords before you can swap your home, and you will have to sign a new tenancy agreement before you move. When you agree to exchange, you also agree to accept the property as it is. If there are any repairs or decorating to be done, you must be willing to do the work yourself, so it’s very important to check the condition of the home thoroughly. We may refuse an exchange if there is a lot of work needed in either home, until it’s been carried out.

If you apply to exchange with someone who is not one of our tenants, you will have two sets of forms to fill in – one from us and one from the landlord of the person you want to exchange with. Our forms can be completed online.

It is very important that all the forms are sent back to all landlords at the same time, as we only have 28 days to assess an application. If one form is late or missing, we may not have time to complete our processes and would have to refuse the exchange.

When we have received your forms, we will check for anything that would cause us to refuse the exchange (e.g. rent arrears or overcrowding), and if there are no problems, we will visit you and the person you want to exchange with. We will ask for a tenancy reference from the other landlord, and they will ask us to provide a tenancy reference for you.