House Exchange

Exchanging your Home

‘House exchange’ is a free service for Saffron tenants who are thinking of exchanging their home. You can use the website to find properties or advertise your own. You can also look for an exchange by advertising on public notice boards, in newsagents or in local newspapers.

We can consider applications from tenants who wish to mutually exchange their accommodation with:

• another tenant of Saffron housing
• a tenant of a local authority
• a tenant of another housing association

You can register for an exchange on http://www.houseexchange.org.uk/

When you have found a person to exchange with , you need to complete a mutual exchange application form here and return it to us or contact us on 0150853200 or info@saffronhousing.co.uk to request a form

What do I do if I have found someone to exchange with?

When you have found someone to exchange with, you should complete the mutual exchange application form and return it to us. Contact us on 01508 532000 to request a form or e-mail lettings@saffronhousing.co.uk. We will then arrange for an inspector to visit your home to check that it is in a reasonable condition. We will also check your tenancy details and rent account.

When considering exchange applications, we are required to make a decision on whether to approve or refuse the exchange within 42 days of receiving all the application forms.

We will not normally refuse an application for an exchange unless:

• one or both of the tenants is under Notice of Seeking Possession, or legal proceedings have begun
• Either property is specifically designed to help a disabled person or has other special features and the new tenant does not need this assistance
• Either property is too large or too small for either household. Usually, this means you can move to a property with no more than one spare bedroom
• The incoming tenant would conflict with our charitable objectives, e.g. income too high

There are some other additional reasons why an exchange of accommodation may not be possible. If you would like more advice about a specific swap please contact us.

You can only exchange your home after you have received our written permission and completed a ‘Deed of Assignment’ in order to legally exchange your tenancy. If you move without our permission and a completed deed of assignment, you will be breaching your tenancy agreement and we can take possession proceedings against you and/or the person who moves into your home.

What do I do once I have permission?

If you have found an exchange and received our permission, you must ensure that when you move:

• you do not remove any fixtures or fittings without ensuring that a suitable replacement is fitted
• there is no damage to the property of any kind
• you leave the property clean and tidy with all rubbish removed from gardens or outbuildings

Please note — You will be accepting the property you are moving into in its current condition.

For example, we will not accept responsibility for any damage caused in the process of moving, or for removing any rubbish left by the outgoing tenant. You should also be careful to note any poor DIY work. It will be your responsibility to correct this work, not Saffron’s. We will treat all DIY work as though you have done it yourself.

We will of course carry out any essential repairs to your new home. But we will not carry out non-essential repairs needed because of damage by previous tenants or you, such as broken kitchen cupboard doors at the time of inspection.

Please find the application form below for you to print off.