Council house swap?

[ThatDenimExpert]

We have one bedroom. We need two bedrooms for when the baby gets older and needs their own space. There isn’t really enough room for toys and baby things. how old do they need to be to get a second bedroom. What are the rules around it. If we are offered a two bedroom and don’t like it what can we do? Thinking of a house swap but don’t know how any of this works.

I imagine most Local Authorities will have their own rules. When I swapped (Glasgow area), the rules that I can recall were:

• you need to be suitable for the house you are moving to aka a single person can't swap to a 3-bedroom house
• You agree to the swap 'as is'. For instance, I was swapping for a house with no bath, only a shower. I couldn't ask the council to install a bath. If I was disabled, I couldn't ask them to make it suitable for my needs etc
• I had to sign a brand new lease. it wasn't relevant to me but if you were a Scottish tenant who had one of the old leases that still allowed for right-to-buy, you'd lose that and go on to the new lease where you no longer have that right.
• All parties involved in the swaps had to be fully up-to-date with their rent.

House Exchange - House Exchange
I used this website to fins the person I swapped with, though there is also groups on Facebook. Though from what I see, they tend to be full of nosey parkers who just want to see photos of peoples houses!

Congrats on the baby! The bedroom rules are:

When does your child need their own room?
Under the bedroom standard, a child under 1 doesn't count as needing their own bedroom — they're expected to share with parents. Once they turn 1, they're technically entitled to their own room. So you should already qualify for a 2-bed, or will very soon.

That said, your council might have their own interpretation. Some say under 5s can share with parents. It's worth checking directly with your housing team what band/priority they'd give you.

If you're offered a 2-bed and don't like it:
This depends on your council's allocations policy:

• Most councils let you refuse one or two offers without penalty
• Some councils will drop your priority or suspend you from bidding if you refuse "reasonable" offers
• Always ask your housing officer BEFORE refusing — say "can I see the property first before deciding?"
• If the property is genuinely unsuitable (damp, unsafe, wrong area for childcare/work), put your reasons in writing

The house swap option:
A mutual exchange is often much faster than waiting for an offer. The council waiting list for 2-beds can be years depending on your area. With a swap:

• YOU choose the property (not allocated one you might hate)
• Typically takes 6-12 weeks once you find a match
• Your landlord has 42 days to respond
• You can search by area, bedrooms, property type

The people who'd want your 1-bed are typically older tenants being hit by bedroom tax on a spare room, or separated people downsizing. There are more of them than you'd think.

A few helpful links:

The bedroom rules in detail: https://homeswapping.co.uk/bedroom-calculator — free tool that tells you exactly what you're entitled to based on your household

How the swap process works: https://homeswapping.co.uk/articles/what-is-a-mutual-exchange

If you want to try listing, homeswapping.co.uk/ has recently opened up a swap directory alongside their advice guides. All features are free at the moment. Worth listing there alongside Facebook groups

Good luck with everything — the baby stage in a small flat is really tough but you do have options.