Can I Swap a Council Home for a Housing Association Home?

Many tenants assume a home swap only works between two council homes, or between two homes with the same housing association. In fact, council tenants and housing association tenants swap with each other all the time.

Here's how it works, and the few things that change when you cross from one type of landlord to the other.

Yes, You Can Swap Between The Two

A mutual exchange is an agreement between two tenants, approved by both landlords. It doesn't matter whether one landlord is a council and the other a housing association. Each landlord checks the household moving into its home and decides within 42 days in England. If both say yes, you swap.

Not sure whether your landlord is a council or a housing association? Look it up in our list of housing associations and council landlords.

What Changes When You Swap

Your Type Of Tenancy

You usually take over the other tenant's tenancy. In England that means:

• moving from a council home to a housing association home, you'll normally go from a secure tenancy to an assured tenancy
• moving the other way, you'll normally go from assured to secure

Both are long-term tenancies with strong protection, but the rules differ slightly. If you've had your tenancy since before April 2012 and you're swapping into a fixed-term tenancy, you may be entitled to a new lifetime tenancy instead. Read What Happens to My Tenancy After a Mutual Exchange? for the detail.

In Wales and Scotland, council and housing association tenants have the same type of agreement (a secure occupation contract in Wales, a Scottish secure tenancy in Scotland), so less changes.

Right To Buy

This is the biggest thing to check in England. Secure council tenants may have the Right to Buy. Most housing association tenants have the more limited Right to Acquire, or no right to buy at all. Swapping from a council home to a housing association home can mean giving up the Right to Buy, so if you hope to buy one day, ask both landlords before you agree.

Rent And Service Charges

Both charge social rents set by a government formula, but the actual amount depends on the home. Housing association homes, especially flats, more often have service charges for things like communal cleaning, lighting or grounds maintenance. Ask for the full weekly cost, not just the rent.

Your Landlord's Rules

Each landlord has its own tenancy agreement and policies, for example on pets, parking, sheds or decorating. Read the agreement you'll be taking on, and ask about anything that matters to you.

How To Check The Landlord You'd Be Moving To

You're not only choosing a home, you're choosing a landlord. Before you agree, look up the other landlord's profile on our site. You'll see:

• the regulator's grades for how it's run and how it treats tenants
• where published, tenant satisfaction scores, including repairs
• its Housing Ombudsman complaints record
• star ratings and reviews from its tenants on Mutual Home Exchange

A landlord with a strong repairs record can make a bigger difference to daily life than an extra cupboard.

Step By Step

1. Find a swap and view each other's homes.
2. Ask the other landlord what tenancy, rent and service charges you'd have.
3. Check what happens to your Right to Buy, if that matters to you.
4. Both apply to your own landlords.
5. Wait for both decisions, within 42 days in England.
6. Sign the paperwork, then move on the same day.

The full process is in How Does a Mutual Exchange Work? Step by Step.

The Short Answer

Yes, you can swap a council home for a housing association home, or the other way round. Both landlords must agree, and you'll usually take over the other tenant's tenancy, which can affect your rights, especially the Right to Buy in England. Check the tenancy, the full weekly cost and the landlord's record, and you'll know exactly what you're getting.

For a side-by-side comparison, read Council House vs Housing Association: What's the Difference?, then search for homes to swap.