House Exchange
If you're thinking of moving by swapping your home then here's some useful frequently asked questions to help you on your way

Register your property on the House Exchange website. This is available to all housing association tenants and Renfrewshire Council Tenants.

You can also download House Exchange app - link to this is on the page!

Check out our top five tips:

1. Make sure you’re looking at homes that are the right size for your household
2. Check you can easily afford the rent for the homes you’re looking at
3. If you have a pet, make sure you’ll be able to get permission to keep your pet in the home
4. If you have a car, check if there’s parking available and if you’ll need a permit
5. Find out what kind of tenancy your exchange partner has - if the exchange is approved then you’ll get their tenancy agreement, which means your terms and conditions might change

It’s really important that you’re happy with the area you’re hoping to move to and with the condition of the property.

Please remember that it’s illegal to take money or offer an incentive of any kind to make someone swap homes with you. If you’d like to speak to us about this or think someone might be trying to get you to swap with them illegally, please contact us straight away.

If you have been matched to a property via the House Exchange website / app, we will be notified. From there, our Housing Team will contact you and answer any queries and help with any advice.

The next stage is to complete our online mutual exchange application form. Both you and the person you are exchanging with will be asked to do this.

Once the ball is rolling on your exchange, a Housing Officer/Housing Assistant will come out to see you in your current home.

They will need to:

• Check out your current home and let you know if there are any repairs you’ll need to do before the exchange
• Complete a reference for you for the other landlord
• Check that we’re happy with your exchange partner's reference

Once we’ve received your application, we’ll notify you within 28 days with the outcome of your application.

When viewing the proposed exchange property please consider the following points and confirm with the outgoing tenant what they are leaving including sheds, garage, as part of their tenancy.

• What kind of heating is there?
• Has the garden been maintained?
• The decorative condition of the property - has there been any alterations by the tenant which will become your responsibility.
• Is there allocated parking?
• Is there a garage or shed with the property?
• What do they cook with gas/electric?
• Will your cooker, fridge freezer, washing machine etc. fit in these spaces?
• Are there enough electrical sockets?
• Will your furniture fit into the rooms?
• Are there any washing machine or dishwasher points?
• Is the outgoing tenant leaving behind carpets?
• What type of tenancy do they have?
• How much is the rent?

Permission for an exchange will usually be granted however it may not be given if any of the tenants who wish to exchange:

• Are subject to an order of the court for the possession of their tenancy
• Face legal action for possession of their tenancy, or have been served with a notice of proceedings of possession and it is still in force
• Has a property adapted for a person with special needs and nobody in the new tenant’s household has special needs.
• Would have a home that is much larger than their household needs
• Would have a home that is too small for their household needs
• Is living in a property that was let to the tenant as part of their job

This list is not exhaustive and is intended to give applicants an indication of the main reasons for refusal. We will consider each application carefully and give full consideration to the applicants’ circumstances.

Tenants who have housing related debts to Williamsburgh will be required to repay all money owed before the exchange can take place.

If you are unhappy with a decision we make, you have the right to appeal that decision.

You can appeal against the decision made but not the policy itself.

If you have either given or accepted any money in order to exchange, Williamsburgh may take legal action to gain possession of the property.

When undertaking a mutual exchange you take the property you are moving to in its present condition. If there is any damage in the property to which you are moving which is the tenant’s responsibility, you should be aware that this will become your responsibility if not remedied.