Cardiff Home Swapping Guide –Everything You Need to Know

Home swap or mutual exchange is the best way to find unique lodgings in new cities. If you like it, you can also make it a regular arrangement –allowing yourself to experience new cultures, really get to know the locals, and perhaps learn a new language. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to connect with people who are willing to swap houses in a new city where nobody knows you. This is why, Housing Help provides swappers with a platform where you can list your adverts for free and learn everything you need to know about swapping homes in the UK.

The smallest capital city of Europe –Cardiff is a place where you can experience a warm, inviting, and affordable life. The city doesn’t only host the world’s biggest record house but it is also famously known as the “City of Arcades”. This is because Cardiff has the highest concentration of Victorian, Edwardian, and contemporary indoor shopping arcades in Britain. It goes without saying that Cardiff is a great place to visit and to live.

The good thing is that there are more than 237,000 social housing units in Whales. This makes Cardiff, as the capital city of Whales, a perfect place to seek social housing providers and council exchange homes. If you are new to Cardiff and have no idea how to start looking for a home swap partner, here is everything you need to know.

Council Homes and Social Housing in Cardiff

Council Homes are owned by the local authority and are intended for those who have the highest needs. The Council has a duty to house people under the housing laws. To rent a council house in Cardiff, you have to meet certain conditions and fall into their eligible categories. On the other hand, social housing associations are not-for-profit companies that provide accommodations to people with low income and special needs.

Both of these have their own allocation criteria which need to be met if you want to rent a council home or apply for social housing in Cardiff. The reason why knowing this is so important is because it will help you understand if you can swap houses in Cardiff or not

Can I Swap Houses in Cardiff?

Home swap or mutual exchange allows you to swap your house with other social housing and council home tenants. You can swap homes in Cardiff if you follow a few rules and get permission from your landlord

Best Websites of Council Exchange in Cardiff

If you are already a council home tenant in Cardiff, then you can look for other people living in council homes and social houses to exchange homes with. Below is a list few popular and well-known websites that will help you find local swappers and council members in Cardiff.

Note: most of these websites will allow you to browse listings for free. However, once you find a suitable council home, you will have to become a member and pay a fee to arrange an exchange.

1. Cardiff Council

Cardiff Council allows housing association tenants from outside of Cardiff to find exchange homes in the city if:

They can get a permission letter from their landlord

Their rent account is cleared

Their home is ready for inspection

You can apply for exchange via SLUvisiting@cardiff.gov.uk%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B with an application processing time of 6-8 weeks.

2. Home Swaps

A great website to find council homes and mutual exchange partners in Cardiff –Home Swaps has more than 13,000 swaps listed which are growing every day. Become a member right now to advertise your home swaps and search adverts for free.

3. Home Swapper

Whether you are a tenant or a landlord, Home Swapper finds ideal matches for all people. They have a community of 500,000 registered social tenants and 200,000 live adverts. You can register on their website to find reliable and safe home exchange options in Cardiff

4. Cardiff Housing

Cardiff Housing provides information on rented and affordable accommodation in Cardiff. However, you can also apply for an exchange through their transfer form. Once you have found someone to exchange homes with, you can fill out this form to arrange an exchange through a series of transfers.

5. Housing Help

Housing Help’s very own social housing and council home exchange service is in the process of being launched. Housing Help is focused on helping and guiding social housing tenants in Cardiff but also covering all home swap locations across the UK. Register right now to search council homes and list your advert for free.

Best Facebook Groups for Mutual Exchange in Cardiff

Another feasible option to find people willing to exchange homes in Cardiff is through Facebook groups. You will find a lot of Facebook groups where people post their house details. The interested council tenants respond to their posts if they want to arrange an exchange.

To make it easier for you, we have curated a list of some safe and reliable Facebook groups for mutual exchange in Cardiff

1. House Swap Wales – Cardiff (10.4k members)

This group is great for finding housing association tenants like yourself. You can go through their posts to find suitable council homes

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/523044447707131/

2. Home swap Cardiff (8.6k members)

If you are looking for a reliable place to find swappers, this group is a great place to start

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/165071400576367/

3. Cardiff home swapping housing associations (2.1k members)

You can post your house details on this group to connect with swappers in Cardiff. Interested swappers will contact you to arrange an exchange

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/244874645907571/

4. EXCHANGE CARDIFF (10.5k members)

This group has a huge community of swappers where people constantly advertise their homes for exchange in Cardiff.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/190477441015613/

5. Cardiff & Surrounding Area Home Exchange (3.6k members)

You can find some of the best home exchange listings in Cardiff and surrounding areas on this group. Visit right now to find your ideal swap

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/300680910012249/

6. House Swap Wales Cardiff 3 Bed (2.5k members)

Last but not least, if you are looking for a 3-bed unit for exchange in Cardiff, this group has some great online listings.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/209722719231826/

House exchange is a complex process, make sure you are well-informed and fully prepared for it before you swap houses. Get permission from your landlord and clear your rent account before you proceed with a swap.