Moving home
If you live in social housing and you’re thinking about moving, you might want to consider:
- A mutual exchange, which allows you to swap homes with another resident.
- An internal transfer, if your home no longer meets your needs. We have a limited number of internal transfers available.
What is a mutual exchange?
A mutual exchange is also known as a home swap, where you can swap homes with other social housing residents and assign your tenancy to one another. You can swap homes with any other council or housing association resident that lives anywhere in the UK.
Before you commit to an exchange, it’s important to understand how moving could affect you. We want to make sure you have all the information about how it will affect your tenancy type, rent and service charges, so you can make the right decision for you and your household.
Your tenancy type
If you currently have an assured shorthold tenancy with Local Space and your exchange is approved and you move, your tenancy rights and protections may change depending on the type of tenancy held by the person you’re exchanging with and the landlord who owns the property you’re moving to.
You should be aware that:
- If you exchange with someone who has a different type of tenancy (for example, an assured or secure tenancy), your rights may not be the same after the move.
- If you move to a home where you’re offered another assured shorthold tenancy, your new tenancy will start from scratch under the new landlord’s terms.
- If you move to another social landlord, you will be asked to sign a new tenancy agreement as your current tenancy will not transfer.
Rent
Your rent may change when you move. Rent levels are set by each landlord and vary depending on:
- Property size.
- Location.
- Tenancy type.
- Local rent-setting policies.
Some landlords review rents annually, which may affect future costs. Before agreeing to the exchange, make sure you check what the new weekly or monthly rent will be and confirm it’s affordable for you.
Service charges
You do not currently pay a service charge with Local Space. However, if you move to a property owned by another landlord, you may be required to pay charges for things such as:
- Communal lighting or cleaning.
- Grounds maintenance.
- Building or estate management.
- Shared facilities or lifts.
Service charges vary between landlords, so always ask for full details before accepting an exchange.
How does it work?
You’ll need your landlord’s permission, so if you’re interested in a mutual exchange, please contact us. Following permission, we recommend using HomeSwapper to take you through the mutual exchange process. You can register on HomeSwapper for free.
Once you’ve found a suitable swapper, please get back in touch with us. We’ll need to check that you qualify for your new home and that it’s suitable and affordable for you and your family. For the mutual exchange to be approved, you would also need to have a clear rent account.
What happens before an exchange is approved
If you find a match through HomeSwapper, both landlords will be notified. Before any exchange can go ahead, we will:
- Inspect the property to make sure it’s suitable for the incoming household.
- Complete affordability checks to ensure the rent and any service charges are manageable for the new resident.
These checks help protect both households and ensure everyone understands their responsibilities before moving.
What is an internal transfer?
An internal transfer is when you move from your current home to another property that is owned or managed by us. You may want to apply for an internal transfer if your home no longer meets your needs, for example, if your home is too big or too small for the people living there.
We operate an internal transfer list, but the number of homes available for transfers is very limited. Because of this, we prioritise transfers for people with the greatest and most urgent need. For example, a move may be required if:
- We need to carry out major structural works to the home.
- You are experiencing severe antisocial behaviour, intimidation or harassment.
- You need to move due to domestic abuse or serious safeguarding concerns.
Why are internal transfers limited?
Most of our homes are subject to local authority nomination agreements. This means that the council has the right to nominate who moves into those homes, often up to 100% of lettings. This means:
- If we approve an internal transfer, we are restricted to a very small number of properties that you could move to.
- We must seek permission from the local authority before any transfer can take place.
- Even where a transfer is agreed, this can significantly limit choice and timescales.
Because of these constraints, we are not always able to offer an internal transfer, even where there is a genuine housing need. If you’re interested in finding out more about internal transfers, please contact us.