If your current council home no longer meets your needs, you may be able to exchange it with another council or housing association tenant. This is known as a mutual exchange.
This page explains how the mutual exchange process works and the steps you'll need to take before you can move.
Check if you're eligible
You may be able to exchange your home if:
- you have a secure or assured tenancy with Oxford City Council, another council or a housing association
- you are exchanging with another secure or assured tenant
- the home you want to move to is suitable for your household
- you have no more than 5 weeks' rent arrears
- your landlord approves the exchange
Find someone to exchange with
Oxford City Council and most registered social landlords operating in Oxfordshire have joined HomeSwapper, a national home exchange scheme.
HomeSwapper helps tenants find exchange partners locally in Oxfordshire and across the UK. It will also email or text you when suitable exchange properties become available.
The service is free for Oxford City Council tenants and housing association tenants. If your landlord does not subscribe to HomeSwapper, you can still register but there will be a charge.
If you don't have access to a computer, you can use a self-service computer available at any Oxfordshire library.
Register for HomeSwapper
Register with HomeSwapper to search for potential exchange partners.
Your registration will be reviewed by your landlord before it is approved. If you are an Oxford City Council tenant, your registration will only be approved if:
- you are the tenant named on the tenancy agreement
- you have no more than 5 weeks' rent arrears
If the information in your application does not match our records, we will contact you.
If you are a housing association tenant, you should contact your landlord about any terms and conditions that may apply.
Before agreeing to an exchange
Before you agree to an exchange, make sure you:
- visit the property and check its condition carefully
- understand the tenancy you will be taking on
- discuss the exchange with the other tenant
You will be accepting the property in its current ‘as seen’ condition. This includes any tenant improvements or alterations already in the property. We will only carry out repairs that are the landlord's responsibility.
For example, if the current tenant has replaced the standard light fittings with their own, you will become responsible for them after the exchange, as if you had installed them yourself.
You will take on the tenancy associated with the property you move into, together with the rights and responsibilities that come with that tenancy. Your case manager will explain any changes before the exchange is completed.
Apply for an exchange
Once you have found a suitable property, both tenants must apply to their own landlord for written permission to exchange.
If you are an Oxford City Council tenant, use our online form to apply.
You will need:
- your name, address and phone number
- the type and size of the property
- the other tenant's name, address and phone number
- the name, address and phone number of the other tenant's housing officer
- the name and address of the other tenant’s landlord
- your preferred moving date
Apply to exchange your council home
You must not move until written permission has been given by all landlords.
What happens after you apply
We will make a decision within 42 days of receiving your application, provided we have all the information we need.
A case manager will contact you and arrange a visit to discuss the exchange process.
We will also carry out checks to:
- confirm all parties are eligible
- check the property is suitable for your household
- inspect the property's condition
- identify any repairs that may be needed before the exchange
- carry out gas and electrical safety checks
- review tenancy conditions and rent accounts
Completing the exchange
Once the checks are complete and the exchange has been approved, a date will be agreed for the exchange.
How the exchange is completed depends on the type of tenancy involved. In most cases, the exchange will be completed by an assignment of tenancy. This means you take over the other tenant's existing tenancy.
However, in some cases, such as where the Localism Act applies (for example, if a flexible or fixed-term tenancy is involved), the exchange is completed by ending both existing tenancies and granting new ones. Any new tenancy will meet the legal requirements for security of tenure and the Council's tenancy policy.
Before the exchange can be completed, you will need to sign legal documents confirming that you:
- accept the tenancy offered as part of the mutual exchange
- understand the rights and responsibilities of the tenancy
- accept the property's current 'as seen' condition
- accept responsibility for any agreed tenant improvements or alterations
Before you sign, your housing officer will explain the type of tenancy you will receive, any changes to your tenancy rights and any differences in your rent, service charges or tenancy conditions.
When we may refuse an exchange
A landlord may refuse an exchange if:
- possession proceedings have started
- one of the properties is substantially too large or too small for the household moving into it
- the property has been built or adapted for someone with a disability, or is part of a group of special needs accommodation (such as sheltered housing), and you do not need those adaptations
We will not approve a mutual exchange if money, gifts or other payments are made between tenants. We may take legal action if this happens.
