Birmingham Home Swap Guide

Looking forward to experiencing life as a local in Birmingham? Here is a complete guide on you how can find some of the best and safest mutual exchange options in the city. Housing Help has built a community of swappers where you can list your home exchange adverts for free. From suitable home exchange websites and schemes to registration procedures and Facebook groups, we have covered all aspects of your ideal home swap in Birmingham.

Let’s start with the basics, what is Home exchange?

Home swap or apartment swap means that you can live in someone else’s house and in exchange, they live in your house, and both have free accommodation. But of course, there is more to it than that –for instance, the exchange might not always be simultaneous. Here is everything you need to know about finding a council home in Birmingham.

How Does Home Exchange Work in Birmingham?

There are more than 54,000 social housing properties in Birmingham and out of them, almost 5,000 are supported council homes. To swap to council homes and register, you must have housing needs. This means that your current accommodation is not suitable for you or your family members.

Most social housing websites have a basic model. You will have to pay a fee to become a member. All swappers will have to list their houses with a description of their location, pictures, and other information. They can allow you to browse options in Birmingham for free, but you will not be allowed to contact the homeowner or arrange an exchange without paying a fee. Once you find a suitable listing, it may fall into one of the following three categories

Simultaneous Exchange: This is the most common arrangement in Birmingham in which you live in someone’s house and they move to your house at the same time

Non-Simultaneous Exchange: In some cases, the exchange might not be simultaneous. This means that you stay in a person’s home while they stay at yours at some other time. This type of arrangement is perfect if you are planning a vacation or if you travel a lot.

Hospitality Exchange: In this arrangement, you host your home exchange partner while you are there and they do the same for you.

Council Exchange Websites in Birmingham

You can easily find a listing that matches one of these three models through home exchange and council exchange websites. Here is a list of all the popular Birmingham social housing websites along with their registration links and application procedures

Birmingham City Council

You can apply for a home swap through Birmingham City Council. You will have to fill out a form and provide proof that your current housing is not suitable for you. They will review your application and arrange a tenancy exchange depending on your requirements. Once you have done the exchange and find that the property is no longer suitable for you, you can apply for a transfer through this link

Birmingham Home Choice

Another option to apply for home exchange is through Birmingham Home Choice. To register, you will have to meet their eligibility criteria. You can fill out an online registration form available on their website and arrange a safe council exchange in Birmingham.

Home Swaps

To find some of the best house exchange listings, you can browse options on Home Swap. They have almost 12972 swaps listed in Birmingham and all over the UK. Fill out their registration form to become a member and list your house for an ideal home swap.

House Exchange

House exchange is a non-profit service that allows swappers to find their ideal social housing properties quickly and easily. If you are looking for free and low-cost options, this is the perfect place for you to start searching for a home swap in Birmingham. All you have to do is fill out their registration form and join their UK-wide home-swapping community

Council Home Swap

Having more than 22315 home swap listings, Council Home Exchange is an ideal place to look for a council home or social housing. They have a list of all the latest listed towns including Birmingham which will allow you to easily browse for swappers and homeowners in the city.

Housing Help;

Our own in-house home swap service is in the process of being re-launched. Make sure you sign up today for our free national council exchange service, which also supports London Home Swappers.

Facebook Groups for Home Swap in Birmingham

If you don’t want to pay hefty membership fees, Facebook groups are a pocket-friendly option for you to arrange a home exchange in Birmingham. These groups are free and allow you to look for people willing to exchange their homes as well as list your house for a home swap. Here is a list of some active home swap groups in Birmingham

Birmingham Council Home Swap / Mutual Exchange (11.2k members)

If you are living in a council property and looking for another BBC tenant, this group is the best option for you. A lot of Birmingham locals are a part of their online community making it a safe and reliable platform to arrange house exchange in Birmingham.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/144015349789702/about

BIRMINGHAM House Exchange / Mutual Exchange / Home Swap (4.9k members)

This group is dedicated to both, people who are looking for home swap options and those who have council association property looking for tenants to exchange with.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583928888537709/

Birmingham And Solihull Housing Rent Or Exchange (13.1k members)

Another useful platform to put your house up for home swap is this group. You can simply upload your house pictures, details, and requirements to find interested swappers in the area.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/693165750782581/

Council House Exchange & Housing Association UK (27k members)

Although not limited to Birmingham, this group has a huge following which benefits a lot of Birmingham-based homeowners to interact with tenants and swappers. You can find a lot of amazing listings here which you can narrow down to find the best council home in Birmingham.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/property.swap/

House exchange or mutual exchange might be a daunting prospect, however, with a little help, you can find the best council homes and social properties in Birmingham. Make sure you have insurance for your house and do your due diligence before moving to a new home.