Can I mutual exchange? Back

   Secure, assured or fixed term tenants have the right to a mutual exchange

If you are unsure, you should always check with your Landlord to find out what type of tenancy you have and if you have the right to mutual exchange.

It important to remember when looking for a swap, that the home you would like, meets your needs and suits your requirements. For example, a Landlord may not agree to the home swap if it means that you would be overcrowded in your new home or that you have more than one spare bedroom. You may also need a clear rent account when you are ready to swap your home.

In order to avoid disappointment, always check first before you start looking to move.

  Grounds of refusal 

Your Local Authority or Housing Association can withhold or refuse consent to a mutual exchange based on the following grounds:

Ground 1: There is a Possession Order on the property.

Ground 2: A Notice of Seeking Possession has been served.

Ground 2a: The tenant or any member of his household has behaved in an anti-social way and action including possession proceedings, injunctions, anti-social behaviour orders or a demotion order against them are in place or are being sought.

Ground 3: The property is bigger than is needed by the family wishing to move into it.

Ground 4: The property is not big enough for the family wishing to move into it.

Ground 5: The property is tied accommodation.

Ground 6: The landlord is a charity and the proposed new tenants moving into the property would conflict with the objects of the charity.

Ground 7: The property has special features that make it suitable for occupation by a physically disabled person who needs it and if the exchange took place there would no longer be such a  person living in the property.

Ground 8: The landlord is a Housing Association or Housing Trust that lets properties to particularly vulnerable people and if the exchange took place there would no longer be such a person living in the property.

Ground 9: The property is supported housing for people with special needs and if the exchange took place there would no longer be such a person living in the property.

Ground 10: The property is the subject of a management agreement where the manager is a Housing Association and there are specific arrangements in place that the proposed new tenant is not willing to participate in.