Finding a home to swap
You have the right to change tenancies subject to a few simple rules.
Swaps
If you'd like to move to another house or flat, or even to a different area, you may be able to swap your home with another tenant. You have a right to exchange tenancies and it can have many benefits:
- It is a cheaper way to move home
- You may be able to move to another part of the country through our agreements with other social landlords
- You can avoid the need to wait for months on a housing transfer list
- You can choose the house you want yourself.
What do I need to do?
The first thing you must do is search for a property on the HomeSwapper website, the largest community of social housing tenants looking to swap homes in the country.
Once you have found your new property you can then apply for a mutual exchange using Swaptracker; a new online platform allowing you and us to manage your mutual exchange process digitally.
Swaptracker is an add-on to HomeSwapper, so once you have found your new property you just need to follow the instructions on the HomeSwapper site.
During the mutual exchange there are a few checks we need to make:
- That your rent account is up to date
- That your property is in a good condition, and for this we will arrange a home inspection visit
- We will also check to make sure that there is no outstanding action being taken against your tenancy.
If agreed, each tenant takes over the existing tenancy - this means you take on responsibility for any defects, repairs or renovations in your new home.
Reasons a mutual exchange will not be allowed
We will refuse permission if:
- You have rent arrears
- The exchange could lead to overcrowding or under-occupation
- The property is designed for people with specific needs
- The other landlord has not given consent
- One of the applicants has a court order against them for breach of tenancy conditions.
Homefinder
We are also registered with Homefinder, one of the quickest and easiest routes to finding a mutual exchange in Leicester and Leicestershire. So,if you live in the area and are looking to swap your home, this is the place to start.
Transferring to another home
If your circumstances have changed and you need to move home, you'll need to contact your local authority to register for re-housing. All emh homes properties are advertised through the local authority and we don’t hold any internal waiting lists.