A Mutual Exchange allows Council or Housing Association tenants to swap their home for another tenants home.  All Landlords must agree before an exchange can go ahead.

We have recently partnered with HomeSwapper who operate a web based national home swapping scheme.  It is easy to register with HomeSwapper by clicking on the above link and the service is free of charge to tenants of Ashford Borough Council. 

Once you are registered you will receive details of potential matches via email or by mobile phone.  A paper list of potential swaps will also be kept at the Civic Centre offices. 

Once you have found a home that you would like to exchange you must still obtain permission to swap your home and you can do this by filling out a Mutual Exchange Application form 60Kb PDF or you can obtain a form by emailing the Housing Services Team or by phoning them on 01233 330688.

Your Potential Exchange

When you find a property you are interested in you will need to arrange a viewing, its worthwhile making a note before hand of things you want to know about, the list below may help.

General Area - Suggested Check List

• Schools - where are they? Some schools are full and may not accept new children.
• Doctors Surgery – where is it? will they accept you onto their list?
• Transport - are there buses or trains available?
• Post Office, is there a local post office or shop?
• Parking, what is it like at weekends and evenings when everyone is home? - Is there enough space? Do they rent a garage? Would you be able to take it over?

The Property - Suggested Check List

• Are all the door locks working properly? How many sets of keys do they have?
• If there is a door entry system do they have the security tags for the entry system. (We charge for these if they are missing)
• Is there a TV aerial or Satellite Dish, are they leaving it?
• Is the cooker point gas or electric? If it is electric, is gas available and how much would it cost to have installed? (We will not provide this.)
• Are all the fittings, i.e. kitchen units, toilet, bath and basins as supplied or have they changed any? (We may not be responsible for tenants alterations and if a repair is required, we would only supply standard items.)
• Have they suffered from flooding or water damage?
• What are they leaving behind? e.g. carpets, curtains, blinds, sheds, greenhouse, etc
• What is the condition of the property? The Council are not responsible for decoration, if you have to redecorate how much will this cost?
• Are there any outstanding repairs, i.e. cracked windows, broken window catches, missing doors, cracked wash basin or bath, or any unauthorised alterations?

The Next Stage

If you wish to go ahead now that you have seen each others homes, the next stage is to complete a mutual exchange form for each family. When you complete the form tell us about any problems in the property that concern you, we can check these when we inspect the property.

Important

The Council are not responsible for the decoration within our property. The Council may not be responsible for repairs or reinstatement work caused by tenants alterations or removal of tenants alterations.

If there have been alterations to the property that you consider undesirable or may represent a Health and Safety risk you must get it resolved before you agree to the exchange.

Be clear about any items you are intending to take with you or intend to leave behind. For example, tenant improvements, sheds, garden features, planting. Where you decide to take items with you, you must ensure that all reinstatement work is undertaken and that you have not created a Health and Safety Risk.

Sorting these things out before the move is much easier than a disagreement afterwards.

You only have to ask us which items we will deal with and which you or the tenant to resolve.

When we have received the forms we will carry out an inspection of each property.