A mutual exchange is when you swap your home permanently with another tenant. You cannot swap your home for one which is empty.
Who can apply for a mutual exchange?
Anyone with a secure tenancy can apply to exchange his or her home. Introductory tenants do not have the right to exchange their home.
You can exchange your home with another secure council tenant and most housing association tenants with assured tenancies. Make sure you know the type of tenancy you will be taking on, as there are differences between a council tenancy and a housing association tenancy.
How to apply
Tyne and Wear Homes gives you the chance to advertise your home and view homes available from applicants registered across the UK.
You will need to register an application with our mutual exchange provider House Exchange, once your application has been validated, you can then contact your potential exchange partners via the website.
Once you find an exchange partner, you must contact your Landlord to seek permission for the mutual exchange to proceed. In some cases, we may set certain conditions before giving permission for the exchange. These may include:
- Clearing your rent account if you are in arrears
- Repairing any damage you may have caused to your home
- Not allowing exchanges where the home will be too large or too small for the proposed tenant
- Not allowing exchanges where the home has been adapted and the proposed tenant does not require an adapted home
Do not carry out any exchange until you have received permission from your Landlord and all the relevant paperwork has been signed.