Mutual exchange: before you apply

Before you apply

A mutual exchange is where you swap your home with another resident, they might live in a CKH home or in a home belonging to another housing association. You should not apply for a mutual exchange until you know who you want to exchange with.

Before you can apply for a mutual exchange, you must:

• Have been in your tenancy longer than 12 months
• Be up to date with your rent payments
• Be able to pay 4 weeks rent in advance before you move
• Be able to show your home is in good condition
• Have found someone to exchange with who also meets this criteria.

You must also make sure that you only apply to move to a home with the appropriate number of bedrooms. For example, we will not allow a single person to move to a three bedroom home. You can find a full list of bedroom eligibility criteria in our frequently asked questions about applying for a mutual exchange.

You will not be able to apply for a mutual exchange if you do not meet this criteria.

 

Search for a mutual exchange home

As a CKH resident, you can use a free service to help you find a home. Homeswapper allows you to search for a home that meets your needs and talk to other residents also looking to move.

When you apply for a mutual exchange, you are confirming that you will accept the home in its current condition. You should aim to view the home you want to move to before you apply to make sure you are happy with its condition. We will not accept reports of repairs that relate to the condition of the home when you accepted it.   

Making an application

You can only apply for a mutual exchange online. If you haven’t registered your MyCKH account yet, it only takes a couple of minutes to get started. You just need your payment reference number, date of birth and an email address.

We recommend you read our FAQs on the application process before starting your application. Getting your application right first time will help you to move as soon as possible. Any missing or incorrect information might delay your move or lead to us rejecting your application.

As part of your application you will need to provide:

• Details about who lives in your home
• Details about the household you want to exchange with
• Contact information for the landlord (if the property is not a CKH home)
• Videos showing the condition of your home.

Once you have completed your application, we’ll contact you via email within 5 working days to let you know if your application has been approved. We’ll also let you know what to do next. 

During this process, we will only contact you when there is a reason to do so. We do not provide updates on individual exchanges – we expect you to keep in touch with the people you are exchanging with.