How to swap homes

Day 1 is the day you receive the forms. You’ll then need to complete the forms and return them to us within 14 days.

Once we receive the forms, we will:

• request landlord references if anyone you want to swap with isn’t living in a Clarion home
• check rent accounts are in good order
• make sure the properties in the exchange are suitable for the households
• let you know if we are missing any information from you.

Within 4 weeks of receiving your forms, we will arrange with you for a member of staff to visit you at home and carry out a full property inspection.

The home visit will confirm that:

• you have kept the property and garden or any outside areas in an acceptable condition
• there are no outstanding repairs that are your responsibility.

If we have any concerns, we will chat to you about these at the visit. If there are any tasks that you need to complete, we cannot agree the exchange to go ahead until these are all done. If there are any significant issues with the property, we may ask a Clarion surveyor to come and inspect at a different time and date.

Once any outstanding issues and tenant repairs are complete, we make our decision within 42 days.

During this time, we think about whether the move can go ahead. We have to do this within 42 days of receiving your forms.

If approved, we will propose potential moving dates with you and everyone else involved. Once we have a date agreed by all parties and landlords, we will write to you to arrange the sign up.

If there are multiple Clarion properties, an appointment will need arranging for each address.

The final part of the process involves arranging the mutual exchange sign ups. This is where each party takes on the tenancy agreement of the property they’re moving into.

Everyone involved can then move into their new homes.

Once the exchange has taken place, we’ll make gas and electric checks at all Clarion properties involved.

We review all applications to ensure the proposed move is suitable. If you are swapping with a non-Clarion tenant, we will ask their landlord for references. We will also come and inspect the property to make sure it is in good condition and identify any issues such as outstanding repairs or damp and mould.

Once those steps are complete we will make a decision, this will be within 42 days (6 weeks) of receiving your application. It is important that you correctly complete the form as we cannot start the process until we have all of the correct information from you and if we need to come back to you for more information this could cause delays.

There are a few different reasons that we may refuse an exchange, these include:

• You have substantial rent arrears which you are unable to clear prior to exchanging.
• There is an active court order against you for rent arrears, Anti-Social Behaviour or tenancy breach.
• The property you want to move to is too big or too small for your household
• Your current property has been adapted to accommodate a physical disability and the person you want to swap with does not have the same needs

If we do refuse your exchange, we will explain why. We may also approve your exchange on a conditional basis so the exchange will only go ahead if you comply with the conditions. These could be paying off rent arrears or putting right something in the property.

Yes, a Neighbourhood Response Officer will conduct a home inspection prior to us making a decision.

They will be looking for any tenant damage to the property, the overall condition of the property and to see if there are any outstanding repairs and whether they are tenant or Clarion’s responsibility.

We will send you a text with details of when the inspection is and we encourage you to attend with the officer so that you can have a thorough look throughout. If you are unable to make this appointment, we recommend that you arrange with your swap partner to visit each other’s properties a couple of times to ensure you are happy with everything.

The exchange process will stop. If you can find someone else to swap with instead then new forms will need to be submitted.

No. If you move before permission has been granted and before the official paperwork has been completed, we will ask you to move back as you will be illegally occupying the property.

You will be required to cover all of your moving costs to your new property. When you submit your application you need to ensure you have the funds to move.

No, in terms of decoration you take the property as it is and it will be your responsibility to decorate it to your taste.

We complete the gas checks on your moving day and the electrical checks will be done within the first week. You will receive a copy of both of these certificates once the checks have been carried out.

If these are tenant responsibility, these will need to be completed by the existing tenancy before we allow the exchange to go ahead.

If the repairs are Clarion’s responsibility, we do not want to delay the move so we may agree to do these after the exchange has taken place. If the repairs pose a health and safety risk, we will aim to do these before our new tenant moves in. A surveyor will visit the property and determine when the repairs should be carried out.

You will take on the terms and conditions currently held by the person you are exchanging with, so it is important you check which type of tenancy you will be moving on to as it may change your conditions.

Every landlord works differently and has different processes in place. However, we will do all we can to work with any other involved landlords to accommodate your moving date request where possible.

If you are responsible for paying your own rent, we expect you to pay your rent in advance so your account never shows in arrears. Once you have moved into the property, you will need to call us and speak to our dedicated customer accounts team to set up payments. Alternatively, you can sign up or an online account and manage your payments through the online portal.

If you are in receipt of housing benefit or universal credit you will need to inform your local authority of your move to avoid gaps in payments.

When you exchange you may find that your tenancy terms will be different, for example you may lose the right to buy. You need to check with the new landlord before you go ahead as it’s very important to have a look at what type of tenancy the other tenant has before you apply to swap.

Where you have different types of tenancies, the swap can usually be done, but through a process where you surrender your existing tenancy and are granted a new one. This will usually be the same type of tenancy you had before but there are some exceptions to this. You may also need to check on what kind of rent you will be charged.

Before you go ahead with your application, you should find out what the other landlord's policy is. Check what type of tenancy you would be offered if you swap and what the terms and conditions are.

You can also speak to your own landlord if you are unsure about what this means or want more information about how it works.

At sign up, you will be given a welcome booklet which contains lots of useful information that will help you settle into the property and contains the different services we can offer you as your Landlord. If you want to read about anything in advance, visit our website.