Swapping your home FAQ

Whether you're interested in swapping your home or currently in the process, our frequently asked questions guide may have the answer you are looking for.

  • Bromford Customers and registered social landlord assured tenants have a legal or contractual right to carry out an exchange.

    Your landlord will be able to confirm if you are able to exchange if you call them. If you are a Bromford customer, you can contact us to find out whether you are eligible
  • Starter and Introductory tenants do not have a legal right to exchange. To find out whether you are on a starter/introductory tenancy with Bromford, contact us.
  • If you have any rent arrears, we will not accept your application.
    For more information on managing your money head to our money advice page.
  • There are several ways that you can find another tenant that you would like to swap with. Here are some examples: Register free with Homeswapper.

    Advertise your property in the local newspaper or by placing notices in shop windows.

    For customers who currently have an Affordable Rent (this will be clearly stated at the top of your tenancy agreement), please be aware that as part of the exchange process all of our rents are re-based. This means the rent charge for a customer moving into your home may increase or decrease – sometimes substantially. Rents are rebased from a valuation of the property and is set accordingly in-line with this valuation.

    For current Bromford customers, this means if you have been in your home for some time, a valuation will not have taken place for the duration of your tenancy and could mean your rent may increase/decrease dependant on market value. This may affect your exchange partners’ decision to move. We will make you aware if a rebase is required at the earliest opportunity during your application and usually expect to obtain the newest rebase figure within one week of commencing your application in order to ensure you and your exchange partner still wish to proceed with an exchange.

  • If you have registered with Homeswapper, we will have two weeks to approve or decline your application. You will receive an email to advise whether your account has been approved or denied.

    If you do not sign into your account for three months, your account will expire and close. You will need to re-register.
  • You must get permission from your landlord before you can exchange your property. The person that you want to swap with must also get permission from their landlord. If you swap without permission you could be evicted and lose your home.
  • We have 42 days once both forms are received to make a decision on whether we consent to the exchange.

    If we give consent we will arrange for the necessary safety checks to be carried out.

    Typically, this could take 2-3 weeks but in some circumstances it can take longer.
  • No. If you do not get permission to exchange and you move, you and the person you swap with will be illegally occupying the property and can be evicted. Both of you could loose your homes, you must not move without permission.
  • Once both sets of forms are received, an email will be sent to the applicants explaining the procedure. We will then contact you to arrange a property inspection.

    If any repairs are identified that are classed as ‘customer damage’, you will be responsible for repairing these.

    If you do not complete the repairs, the exchange will not go ahead. Any repairs that are identified as Bromford’s responsibility will be booked in and may be done before or after the exchange.

    We will contact the people you are swapping with to go through a telephone interview.

    If the person you're swapping with is not a Bromford customer, they will need to obtain a reference from their landlord and provide this to us.
    Once the reference has been obtained we will then make an appointment for our neighbourhood coach to complete a home visit.

    Once we have an update for you, we will contact you to let you know what the next step is. You will not need to contact us to find out an update on your swap.
  • If you moved into the property through a previous mutual exchange, you would have accepted the property as it was seen on the day you signed for the property.

    Every person who exchanges views the property before they sign. Once you sign you are accepting full responsibility for any repairs that are the customer’s responsibility. We now take photos of the property before you sign for it.
  • Bromford will contact you to arrange a date to exchange. You must not move before the paperwork has been signed on the day of the exchange.
  • You cannot move until the date agreed by us and the other landlords involved. If you do, you will be illegally occupying your home and both of you could lose your homes.
  • We will give you a time to be at Bromford’s property to meet the people you are exchanging with and the neighbourhood coach to sign the paperwork. We will also arrange for gas and electric engineers to attend the property to do safety checks.

  • Depending on your tenancy type we will use grounds from either Schedule 3 of the Housing Act 1985 or Schedule 14 of the Localism Act 2011. Below are the grounds we use.

     

    *Schedule 3 of the Housing Act 1985 grounds apply to:

    • Secure tenants
    • Assured tenants where the tenancy agreements states we will only refuse permission on Schedule 3 grounds.

    **Schedule 14 of the Localism Act grounds apply when a secure or assured (non shorthold) tenant whose tenancy started before 1st April 2012 exchanges with a social rent fixed term tenant.

     

    Schedule 3 Housing Act 1985

    *

    Schedule 14 Localism Act 2011

    **

    Grounds

    -

    Ground 1

    When any rent from a tenant under one of the existing tenancies has not been paid.

    -

    Ground 2

    When an obligation under one of the existing tenancies has been broken or not performed.

    Ground 1

    Ground 3

    A court order for possession or a suspended possession order has been made for either party.

    Ground 2

    Ground 4 and 5

    A notice seeking possession is in force against the tenant or the proposed assignee under Grounds 1-6 of Schedule 2 of the 1985 Act (and similar or/and equivalent grounds under Schedule 2 of the Housing Act 1988) or possession proceedings have begun against either party on one or more of those grounds.

    Ground 3

    Ground 7

    The property is substantially larger than is reasonably needed by the proposed exchange partner.

    Ground 4

    Ground 8

    The property is not reasonably suitable to the needs of the proposed exchange partner and their household.

    Ground 5

    Ground 9

    The property is part of or close to a building that is held for non-housing purposes, or it is situated in a cemetery and was let in connection with employment with the Landlord or with a Local Authority, a new town corporation, housing action trust, an urban development corporation, or the governors of a grant-aided school.

    Ground 6

    Ground 10

    The Landlord is a charity and the proposed exchange partner’s occupation of the property would conflict with the objects of the charity.

    Ground 7

    Ground 11

    The property has been substantially adapted for occupation by a physically disabled person, and if the exchange went ahead a physically disabled person would not be living there.

    Ground 8

    Ground 12

    The Landlord lets properties to people in difficult circumstances (other than merely financial circumstances) and the proposed exchange partner does not meet this criteria.

    Ground 9

    Ground 13

    The property is let to people with special needs and there is a social service or special facility nearby to the properties to assist people with those special needs, and if the exchange were to go ahead no person with those special needs would be living there.

    Ground 10

    Ground 14

    The dwelling is the subject of a management agreement where the manager is a housing association of which at least half the members are tenants subject to the agreement, and at least half of the tenants of the dwellings are members of the association, and also that the proposed exchange partner is not such a member nor is willing to become one.

    Ground 2a Additional ground (Housing Act 2004)

    Ground 6

    Any of the following are in force, or an application is pending, against our tenant, the proposed exchange partner of a member of either of their households:

    ·       an injunction order under section 153 of the Housing Act 1996

    ·       an anti-social behaviour order

    ·       a demotion order

    ·       a possession order under Ground 2 for secure tenancies or Ground 14 for assured tenancies
  • If your mutual exchange is refused, you have the right to appeal this decision. You will need to put in writing the reasons for your appeal and include any supporting information that you feel may help with your appeal. This needs to be sent to the lettings team leader.

    You may however want to speak to you neighbourhood coach in the first instance. To find out the address you will need to send this to, please see our contact us section.
  • No. You are responsible for all costs associated with moving house. You should carefully consider the costs before trying to find an exchange partner.
  • No. It is illegal to offer or receive money to carry out a mutual exchange. You and the other person could be evicted.
  • Yes. You can withdraw at any time before you have signed the tenancy agreement for the mutual exchange
  • Yes, you can ask for permission to exchange again.

  • The Mutual Exchange property inspection will take up to two hours.

  • Yes, arrange a viewing with your exchange partner and have a good look around. Remember this is potentially your future home.