What is mutual exchange?
Mutual exchange is two or more social housing tenants swapping homes with each other.
If you already rent a bpha home but have found that it no longer meets your needs, you can apply to switch with another social housing tenant (with bpha or elsewhere), anywhere in the country, who is in the same position as you.
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Your questions answered
There are two types of mutual exchange:
- Assignment: you swap tenancies, taking on the rights and responsibilities and tenancy agreement of the other tenant. This is used when your tenancies are similar
- Surrender and regrant: you give up your current tenancy and re-sign. This is used when the tenancies have different security.
You can find more information on the types of exchange here and ask us any questions you have about this.
Am I eligible?
- You’ll need to be an eligible bpha tenant to apply for a mutual exchange – that could mean having an assured or fixed term tenancy and successfully completing any probation period
- The person you’re exchanging will also be an eligible social housing tenant, either at bpha or another registered, non-profit social housing provider, or a local authority tenant
- Private housing tenants cannot mutual exchange
- If you’re unsure about what type of tenancy you have, you can find this on your tenancy agreement, online with your my.bpha account, or by contacting us.
How do I find someone to swap with?
Homeswapper is an online service that you register with. It helps you ‘advertise’ your home, search for possible swaps, contact tenants and arrange viewings. The service is free for bpha customers.
What’s next?
Register with Homeswapper and once you’ve found a suitable swap, you can apply through that website. Once we have your application, we will make a decision within 42 days. Refusal is rare and there has to be specific reason, such as ongoing or imminent legal action. You can find other reasons an application may be turned down on our frequently asked questions page
Once your application is approved, a surveyor will visit to identify any repairs, replacements and alterations needed prior to the exchange going ahead. They will confirm any work that needs doing and arrange that. If no major works are required and minor works completed, the exchange will go ahead.
It’s a big decision and there is a lot of information to take in. We recommend going through our frequently asked questions. The Homeswapper website also has some guides and more information on the mutual exchange process.