Swipe right for a new home

Do you live in social housing? Is your home too big, or too small? Perhaps you need to move somewhere else in the country? There’s an app for that.  

If you are a social housing tenant you might be able to swap your home with a fellow tenant anywhere else in the country, from your mobile phone. 

A system called mutual exchange allows tenants to move home, swapping homes with any council or housing association tenant in the UK as long as they have the right to mutual exchange and want to swap homes with you.   

The best way to swap is to register on the country-wide swapping website Homeswapper. 

The service is free for Homes in Sedgemoor customers. 

There is also a dedicated Homeswapper app, available at the Google or Apple Play stores. This allows you to browse and contact potential swappers directly. 

You can also find the service at www.homeswapper.co.uk 

The app allows you to see who is serious about swapping. You get push notifications and can like and share homes with others – and see who has liked yours. You can check what a new area might have in the way of local amenities, chat with other swappers and upload and view photos of properties.  

You will not be able to do an exchange if you have a starter or introductory tenancy. 

Once you have identified a person to swap with you can apply via the Swaptracker service, an online system which allows communication between you and landlords such as Homes in Sedgemoor throughout the process, guiding you through each step to ensure everything is in place before you move.