A mutual exchange is where 2 or more social housing tenants swap homes. This is with consent from their landlords.
If you are a secure council tenant, you have the right to apply for a mutual exchange with another tenant. This can be a housing association or another council tenant. You can apply to swap homes with tenants from other parts of the country as well as those in Hull.
Sometimes, 3 or more tenants can be involved in an exchange so that everyone gets a home they need. For example -
- tenant A moves into tenant B’s home
- tenant B moves into tenant C’s home
- tenant C moves into tenant A’s home
Searching for a mutual exchange
To search for a mutual exchange, all Hull City Council and other social housing tenants in Hull can register with House Exchange free of charge. This is a national website. It allows you to search for people who would also like to exchange their home, who are verified social housing tenants.
When you register, make sure you set your search criteria to match what and where you are looking for, so tenants in homes you are looking for match to your property.
Registering onto House Exchange helps you to find someone that you might be able to swap homes with. It does not guarantee that you are eligible to swap. These checks will be carried out by your landlord when you find a swap and apply to progress it.
If you are a tenant of a housing association in Hull, they may partner with another mutual exchange platform. This may provide you with additional opportunity to find a swap. Check with your own landlord for further details.
You can also advertise yourself to find a swap. For example, in your local shops. Or you may already know someone you would like to swap homes with.
Safety precautions
Be careful about the amount of information you share about your home and your personal circumstances when searching for a mutual exchange. This is especially if you are doing this outside of the House Exchange website.
We do not advise using social media platforms for this purpose. Those registered on the House Exchange website are verified by their landlords as being social housing tenants.
You should never offer or accept any payment for a mutual exchange.
These safety precautions may be useful as a guide.