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Council and housing association tenants may be able to swap their home with another council or housing association tenant.
A tenancy exchange (also called a mutual exchange) allows you to swap your home with another council or housing association tenant anywhere in the UK.
Tenants arrange tenancy exchanges themselves, often with the help of tenancy exchange websites.
You must get permission to exchange your tenancy from your landlord and follow the proper process. You could be evicted if you try to exchange your tenancy without permission.
The tenant you are swapping with must also get permission from their landlord.
A tenancy exchange is different to a tenancy transfer, where your landlord transfers you to a new tenancy in another council or housing association property.
To exchange tenancies in Wales, you must be:
You can’t exchange tenancies if you:
Use a tenancy exchange website to help find another tenant to swap homes with, for example:
Some sites charge a fee for registration. Ask your landlord if they have an arrangement that allows you to use a home swap website for free.
When you register online to use a tenancy exchange service you are asked details about your current home, the kind of home you’re looking for and where you want to live. Include photographs if you can.
Once you have registered, you can get details of properties, make contact with other tenants and arrange to view their homes.
When you find a suitable property and you and the other tenant are happy to swap, you must ask your landlord for permission to exchange. The person you want to swap with must do the same with their landlord.
Your landlord has six weeks to decide whether or not to give you permission to exchange your tenancy. If you get no decision within six weeks, get advice.
Before you agree to a tenancy exchange:
Some tenancy exchanges must be transferred using a deed of assignment. This is a legal document that must be signed by an independent witness.
Get advice from a Shelter Cymru adviser before you swap your home if you are not sure of your rights.
Landlords can refuse permission for a tenancy exchange if there are reasonable grounds to do this.
Reasonable grounds for refusing a tenancy exchange may include:
Get advice if your landlord doesn’t give you permission to exchange. An adviser may be able to negotiate with your landlord so the tenancy exchange can go ahead or can submit an appeal against the decision. It might be helpful to ask your landlord for a copy of their mutual exchange policy.
If you have a housing problem, call our expert housing advice helpline
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This page was last updated on: Rhagfyr 2, 2020
Shelter Cymru acknowledges the support of Shelter in allowing us to adapt their content. The information contained on this site is updated and maintained by Shelter Cymru and only gives general guidance on the law in Wales. It should not be regarded or relied upon as a complete or authoritative statement of the law.