More details about exchanging your home and how to apply

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• More details about exchanging your home and how to apply

As a secure tenant you are able to swap homes with another Kingston Council secure tenant or another local authority secure tenant or an assured tenant of a Housing Association, charitable trust or Housing for Wales. This is often referred to as a ‘mutual exchange’

The exchange must be to equivalent housing or housing that is more suitable to your needs. This can often be the quickest way to move to a larger or smaller home, especially if you are willing to consider moving to other boroughs.  

Both parties must have permission from their landlord before carrying out the exchange.

Permission to allow an exchange can be refused but only on one of the grounds set out in the Housing Act 1985 (as amended).

Before asking for permission you must consider the following:

• You must not have any outstanding debts to the Council. If you do, you will need to make arrangements to repay the money owed.
• Any outstanding repairs that are the Council’s responsibility must be reported to the Customer Contact Centre.
• Any repairs that are your responsibility such as broken windows, damage to doors, skirting boards and architrave, damage to wall coverings or tiling and repairs to fencing must be completed before you apply for an exchange.  
• Your garden must be cleared of rubbish and in a neat and tidy condition.
• Finally before you request an exchange you must find a suitable exchange partner.

HomeSwapper is the UK’s largest active database of social housing tenants looking to exchange homes at www.homeswapper.co.uk - see related link below. Registering on HomeSwapper is free of charge to Kingston Council tenants. You can include photos of your home, to make it more attractive. If you need help, pleased contact the Customer Contact Centre on 020 8547 4656.

Once you have found a suitable exchange partner you should download the mutual exchange application form - see link below. Also there is the Mutual Exchange service standards document which sets out what you can expect from us, what you need to do and what happens if things go wrong.

Both parties involved in the exchange must complete an application form. (It is also possible to involve more than two parties in the exchange if necessary. Speak to the Customer Contact Centre for more details).

Once we receive your application we will carry out a home visit to confirm details of your application and inspect your property. You will receive our decision within 42 days from the date we received your application.

We can only refuse to allow the exchange for the following reasons:

• You or either party to the application has a Court Possession Order against them, requiring them to give up possession of the property.
• Possession proceedings have been started against either, or any, of the tenants under Schedule 2 Grounds 16 of the Housing Act 1985 or a Notice of Seeking Possession on one or more of those grounds has been served.
• The accommodation is much larger than required by the exchange partner.
• The accommodation is not suitable to the needs of the exchange partner and their family.
• Accommodation has been let to the tenant as part of their employment related to non-housing purposes.
• The exchange would conflict with purposes of a charity landlord.
• Accommodation is adapted for disabled persons and no one within the exchange partner’s family requires these adaptations.
• The exchange would conflict with the purposes of a specialist housing association or trust.
• Accommodation is sheltered housing and if the exchange took place there would be nobody with special needs in the property.
• A party to the exchange refuses to become a member of the housing association which is managing the accommodation.

Conditions may be attached to consent given. These conditions must relate to a term of the tenancy agreement which has been broken. For example, if the tenant has rent arrears they must clear them before the exchange can take place.