Can I Swap With Someone From a Different Council?

Maybe you want to move closer to family, take a job in another town, or simply start afresh somewhere new. If you're a council or housing association tenant, you might wonder whether a home swap has to stay within your own council area.

It doesn't. In most cases you can swap with a tenant who lives under a different council, or rents from a completely different landlord, anywhere in the country.

Yes, Swaps Can Cross Council Boundaries

A mutual exchange is an agreement between two tenants, approved by both of their landlords. It doesn't matter whether those landlords are the same organisation, two different councils, a council and a housing association, or two housing associations hundreds of miles apart.

Each landlord only decides about its own home and the household moving into it. So when you swap from, say, Manchester to Bristol:

• you apply to your landlord to let the other tenant take over your home
• they apply to their landlord to let you take over theirs
• each landlord checks the incoming household, and both must say yes

You Don't Need A Local Connection

This is one of the biggest advantages of swapping. To join a council's housing waiting list, you usually need a local connection, such as living or working in the area. A mutual exchange is different: you're taking over an existing tenancy, not being allocated a home, so the local connection rules don't normally apply.

That makes swapping one of the few realistic ways for social tenants to move to a new part of the country. For a comparison with the waiting list route, read Mutual Exchange vs Transfer List.

What Changes When You Move To A Different Council

Your Landlord And Your Tenancy

You take over the other tenant's tenancy, so your landlord, and possibly your type of tenancy, will change. A secure council tenancy and an assured housing association tenancy give you similar security, but they aren't identical. Ask both landlords exactly what tenancy you'll have before you agree. Our post What Happens to My Tenancy After a Mutual Exchange? explains this.

Rent And Council Tax

Social rents vary from area to area, and so does council tax. A home that looks the same size can cost noticeably more or less each week. Check the rent with the other tenant's landlord, and look up the council tax band. Our place guides show typical social rents for each area.

Benefits

If you get Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, report your change of address and new rent straight away, so your payments are worked out on your new home. If you're moving to a home with more bedrooms than your household needs, the spare room reduction could apply.

Services

You'll register with a new GP, possibly new schools, and a different council for things like bins, parking permits and support services. If you or someone in your household gets care or support from the council, talk to both councils early, as arrangements don't automatically move with you.

Can I Swap Between England, Wales And Scotland?

It's possible, but less straightforward. Each nation has its own housing law: England uses the Housing Act 1985 and 1988 tenancies, Wales has occupation contracts under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and Scotland has the Scottish secure tenancy. A cross-border swap usually means each tenant being given the new landlord's normal tenancy, rather than a straight swap of tenancies. Ask both landlords early how they'd handle it.

What To Check Before You Agree

1. View the home in person. Most swaps are "as seen", and a long journey back to fix a surprise isn't easy.
2. Check the area: transport, schools, shops and what the neighbourhood is like at different times of day.
3. Look up the landlord. Our list of housing associations and council landlords shows each landlord's regulator grades and, where published, what its tenants think.
4. Confirm the rent, tenancy type and any service charges in writing.
5. Plan the move together. Long-distance swaps need two removal vans or one van making two trips, on the same day.

How Long Does It Take?

Much the same as any swap. Once you've both agreed, each landlord in England must give a decision within 42 days. Coordinating two landlords can add a little time, so send your applications as soon as you've agreed. See How Long Does a Mutual Exchange Take?

The Short Answer

Yes, you can usually swap with someone in a different council area, or with a tenant of a different landlord, and you don't need a local connection to do it. Check the tenancy, rent and area carefully, and you could be living somewhere new within a few months.

Mutual Home Exchange lists homes across the country, so you can search anywhere, not just near where you live now. Start searching, or list your home and let tenants elsewhere find you.