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.
Searching for a mutual exchange
To search for a mutual exchange, Hull City Council tenants 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.
If you are not a Hull City Council tenant, your landlord might partner with a different mutual exchange provider. It is usually only free to use the website your landlord partners with. Contact your own landlord for more details of the provider they use. If you wish to use House Exchange, but your landlord does not partner with this service, there will be a charge for you to use it.
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.