Mutual exchange of council home
Due to the high demand for social housing in North Warwickshire and depending on your circumstances, you may find that you have to wait for some time before you are offered a transfer. As a result, many tenants find that the quickest way to find a new home is to look for a mutual exchange.
Conditions
If you are an Introductory Tenant you do not have the right to carry out a Mutual Exchange.
If you are a Secure Tenant you have the right to carry out a Mutual Exchange with the consent of your Landlord, North Warwickshire Borough Council, NWBC. There are no time constraints to exchange.
How to apply
NWBC use Homeswapper to assist Tenants in finding "Swaps", there is NOT a charge for Tenants of NWBC to use this service, you do NOT have to pay to register. Once you are registered your application will be authorised by NWBC. It is advised that you promote your tenancy / property by giving a full description of the property, the location and the distance to the local shops, schools, etc., if there is a bus service and make use of the facility to upload photographs of your home - its as easy as uploading photographs on Facebook or other social media sites.
To do this you must register on the Homeswapper website. If you need help doing this, you can contact us using the contact details listed above.
You will be asked to upload information about your current home to the website, along with details of the type of home that you are interested in moving to. The website will then help you to find potential matches. You can use Homeswapper to look for a new home in any part of the country, not just in North Warwickshire.
You should always visit the property before agreeing to a mutual exchange. You should also be aware that you will take on the responsibilities of the person you are swapping with, so for example you will have to pay the rent that they currently pay. Once you have found someone to swap with, you will need to ask for our permission before you can complete the exchange. We will usually agree to these requests but we may say no if, for example, your home is too big or too small for the household you are planning to exchange with.
To ask for permission to complete a mutual exchange, please contact us on 01827 715341 and ask to speak to a Tenancy Services Officer. Alternatively, you can email us: housingservices@northwarks.gov.uk
We will send application forms to both parties and consider the request once the forms have been returned. We will confirm our decision in writing.
