Mutual Exchange

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What is a mutual exchange?

A mutual exchange happens when tenants of Registered Social Landlords such as Spirita swap properties – provided they have their landlord’s consent.

Registered Social Landlords include Housing Associations, Local Councils, New Towns, and Charitable Housing Trusts.

What is HomeSwapper and what does it do for tenants?

HomeSwapper is a web based mutual exchange system that helps tenants to find a mutual exchange from a wide choice of properties advertised by tenants looking to exchange.
It’s the mutual exchange equivalent of an estate agency website and includes a map showing the property location and photos where these are available.
HomeSwapper is a national service that can help tenants to move to different parts of the country and local authority areas.
More than 130 landlords are members of HomeSwapper providing the service free of charge to their tenants, with thousands more tenants joining as individuals.
HomeSwapper will be free for Spirita tenants – Tenants of non-member landlords are charged £6.95 for 3 months, £12.95 for 6 months or £23.95 for 12 months.

How does HomeSwapper work?

HomeSwapper provides powerful and effective matching for swaps. HomeSwapper has easy to use search and matching functions to help tenants looking for the right exchange.
Tenants register with the scheme entering details of their own property and the type, size and location of the property they are looking for.
Every night, the HomeSwapper system searches through the database of registered tenants to find suitable swaps with tenants alerted of new matches by email or text message.
Tenants receive notification of potential swaps through email and text messages.
Details of registered tenants are only available to other people who have registered with the system.
Spirita has to approve tenants being registered on the system and can refuse if there are breaches of tenancy.

Support for vulnerable applicants

Spirita staff will register tenants with HomeSwapper who have difficulty accessing the internet and notify them of potential swaps for at least the first 6 months they are registered on the system.

Existing SPIRITA mutual exchange lists

Spirita will no longer maintain a mutual exchange board in its regional offices. All tenants will be supported to use the HomeSwapper mutual exchange scheme or other online mutual exchange schemes.

Register with HomeSwapper

or telephone your regional housing office on 0845 8506061 to arrange an appointment with housing staff to register with the scheme.

Alternative mutual exchange systems

Spirita tenants may also register with other mutual exchange schemes in their local area. The Derbyshire Home-Options Choice Based Lettings Scheme also has an online mutual exchange scheme. This scheme operates in the Derbyshire Dales, High Peak and Amber Valley areas.

Once you have found a tenant you want to swap with it is vital that you seek approval from Spirita.

You should do this by completing the mutual exchange form below and sending/emailing it to your local Spirita housing office at the address below:

Spirita
Raleigh House
68-84 Alfreton Road
Nottingham
NG7 3NN
Email

Spirita
Masons Building
Unit 16 Masons Place
Nottingham Road
Derby
DE21 6YZ
Email

Rules for mutual exchanges

Please note that Spirita can refuse or give conditional consent to an exchange under Schedule 3 Section 92 Housing Act 1985 – common examples of refusal/conditional consent include:

You have rent arrears.
You have a Starter Tenancy.
You are under a notice of seeking possession.
You have a Court Order against you for breach of tenancy.
You would be significantly under occupying/overcrowding the proposed property.
You have damaged your property and need to undertake repairs.
Your property is designed for people with special needs and or has been adapted to meet the needs of people with a disability, and the tenant you are exchanging with does not meet the criteria for the property.
The tenant you are exchanging with does not meet the criteria for the property.

What happens next?

Once a mutual exchange form has been received, Spirita has 42 days (6 weeks) to refuse, give conditional consent or full consent to a proposed exchange.
Your Neighbourhood Services Officer will arrange to inspect your property to confirm that it is in a good condition.
He/She will then prepare and submit a report on your tenancy to the landlord of your exchange partner.
Your exchange partner’s landlord will also submit a report on their tenancy to Spirita.
If both reports are satisfactory and there are no grounds to refuse or make conditional consent, a date for the exchange and signing of the Assignment of Tenancy with both landlords can be arranged.
If consent is made conditional, the applicant will have to clear any rent arrears or make good the breach of tenancy upon which consent has been made conditional.

Important: A tenant cannot move until an exchange has been approved by both landlords and both exchange partners have signed an Assignment of Tenancy with both landlords.

If you require any further information, please contact your local offi