Swap your home without waiting years
A mutual exchange is when you swap your home with another social housing tenant, whether they live in a Southway home or one from another social housing provider. It's a simple and flexible way to find a home that suits you better, without waiting on the housing register.
People choose mutual exchange for lots of reasons.
You might want to:
- Move closer to family, work or school
- Move to a bigger or smaller home
- Live in a different area
- Find a home that better fits your needs
Keep reading to find out more about mutual exchanges and what to do next if you think it's something you're interested in.
You may be able to find rehousing quicker by mutual exchanging (swapping) your home.
You can do this through HomeSwapper which matches you with people who have the type of home you want, and who are also looking for a home like yours.
For more information on HomeSwapper and the rules around exchanging your home, visit Manchester Move.
To be eligible, you must:
- Have lived in your property for at least 12 months
- Keep your home in good condition
- Have a clear rent account
- Have not been involved in any anti-social behaviour
If you meet these conditions, you may be eligible to swap your home with:
- Another tenant of a Manchester Move landlord
- A tenant of any council or registered social landlord
- Someone living outside of Manchester.
When you’ve found a potential match, contact them to see if they’re interested in a home swap and arrange a suitable time to view each other’s homes.
If you agree to go ahead, both you and the person you’re exchanging with must ask your landlords for permission.
If either of you have a joint tenancy, the other household members must agree to the exchange.
Visit Manchester Move to learn more about HomeSwapper and the rules around home exchanges.
We understand your housing needs can change over time. You may want to upsize or downsize to suit the life stage you’re at.
We call this rightsizing. Larger homes, especially three beds and above, are in high demand, with lots of families waiting to move into larger homes.
If you’re living in one of these larger homes and think you could downsize, our rightsizing offer could be for you. If you’re willing to downsize, you may be eligible for our internal Home Transfer list, which prioritises tenants who are rightsizing.
Mutual exchange properties are taken "as seen," so it’s important to thoroughly inspect the property before agreeing to the swap. If you’re unhappy with the condition of the property, you can withdraw from the exchange before signing the paperwork.