Has anyone ever managed to do a successful housing association / council swap ?

[mwienn197]

I have a 2 new build bedroom in Knutsford and would love to exchange for a 3 bedroom in the area or areas outside of it. I just wondered if anyone has done this before and could tell me how it went for them and if you have any advice on how to get this done and recognise time wasters, I’m currently in Facebook groups and the house exchange website and glass bob.

Thank you in advance

I have been in the homeswapper website for nearly 15 years. I have friends who have swapped regularly though

Make sure you have good photographs, clear from clutter. Regularly post onto social media and prepare to wait for a while.

Thank you for your reply this gives me hope x

I had a lot of offers when I wanted to downsize as had a four bed which is relatively rare in my area.

Yes! Mutual exchanges absolutely work — I know several people who've done HA to council and HA to HA swaps successfully.

The process is basically the same as a council swap:

1. Find your match
2. Both of you apply to your respective landlords
3. Both landlords have 42 days to process
4. If approved, agree a moving date and swap

For HA tenants specifically — make sure you have an assured tenancy (not assured shorthold or a starter tenancy). If you've been there over 12 months you're almost certainly assured. Check your tenancy agreement or ring your HA and ask.

On recognising time wasters — this is the biggest issue on Facebook groups:

• If they won't send photos of every room, walk away
• If they're vague about their tenancy type, be cautious
• If they've been "looking for ages" but never actually applied to their landlord for a swap before, they might not be serious
• Ask upfront: "Are you ready to submit applications this month?" That separates the serious from the browsers
• Check their urgency — someone who says "just exploring" is probably months away from committing

On the 2 bed to 3 bed challenge:
This is the hardest direction to swap because everyone wants more bedrooms. A few things that help:

• Your property being a new build is a BIG selling point. Lead with that
• Knutsford is a desirable area — someone in a 3-bed elsewhere might jump at getting into Knutsford
• Consider widening your area — the bigger the radius, the more 3-beds become available
• A 3-way chain might work if you can't find a direct match. Person A wants your 2-bed new build, Person B (in a 3-bed) wants Person A's place, you get Person B's 3-bed

On platforms:
I'd list on as many as possible. Facebook groups are good but posts get buried fast. HomeSwapper is the big one if your HA uses it. I also came across homeswapping.co.uk recently — it's fairly new but they've got match percentages that show how compatible you are with each listing, and a chain builder tool if you end up needing a 3-way swap. They're doing free premium access at the moment. Worth listing on all of them — costs nothing and increases your chances.

Good luck — a 2-bed new build in Knutsford is genuinely desirable. You should get interest.