A council house swap — properly called a mutual exchange — is when two social housing tenants swap homes. If you rent from a council or housing association, you have a legal right to swap with another tenant anywhere in the UK, whether they live on your street or in another city. You don't wait on a transfer list and you don't bid — you find a match and apply.
MutualExchange.uk is free to list and free to swap. Create a listing, search real homes, and message other tenants at no cost — the honest way to find a council house exchange.
Free council house exchange — no annual fee
Unlike swap sites that charge tenants £50+ a year, listing and swapping here is completely free. During early access, every Premium feature is free too.
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How a council house swap works
List your home for free and say what you're looking for — area, size and type.
Search and match with another council or housing association tenant who wants your area while you want theirs.
Apply to your landlords for mutual exchange permission. They have 42 days to respond and can only refuse on specific legal grounds.
Swap and move — once both landlords consent, you exchange tenancies and move into each other's homes.
Council house swap guides
Browse home swaps by area
Swap with your housing association or council
Council house swap: common questions
Find another social tenant who wants your home while you want theirs, then both apply to your landlords for permission. If there are no legal grounds to refuse, you swap tenancies and move. List your home free and search for a match to get started.
The mutual exchange process itself is free — your landlord cannot charge you to process a swap. On MutualExchange.uk it is also free to list and free to find a match. You only pay optional practical moving costs.
Yes. Cross-tenure swaps between council and housing association tenants are allowed, as long as both landlords consent and both tenancies are eligible.
Your landlord has 42 days to respond and can only refuse on specific legal grounds. Both homes must be broadly suitable for the incoming household. See our council house swap rules guide for the full detail.
A typical council house swap takes around 6 to 12 weeks from agreeing the swap to moving day, including the 42-day landlord decision period.
Start your council house swap today
Free to list, free to swap. Join tenants across the UK finding their next home by mutual exchange.