Finding the right exchange whether council or housing association can be a difficult and lengthy process.

There are now lots of different sites all doing this. So how do you choose the best.

The so called biggest and busiest are not necessarily the best. They can be filled with out of date ads. and users that never respond. Take your time when choosing which exchange service to join. Try to find out how a particular site works. If you join lots of different sites the chances are that you will not re visit them all again so you will then become one of the users that do not respond. How active is the site? Does it send notification when a new user joins that may suit you? Does it notify you when someone wants to contact you to talk about an exchange? Does it help you to find an exchange using other methods other than just the website? If it ticks these boxes it could be the one for you.

Once you have found a possible exchange find out all you can about where the property is. how far are the schools/shops etc? Is the property is a nice neighbourhood? Try to find out why the current tenants want to exchange, maybe just to increase bedrooms or need to move to a different area but it could be because the neighbours are a problem. It is a good idea to visit the property when the tenants are not expecting you and to just sit outside for a while this may give you a "feel" for the area. If you would like to go ahead with the exchange you will need to contact the local council or the H/A office to get permission. Mutual exchanges are on a "as is" basis, which means you take it how it is at the time of the exchange and your local council or H/A will not usually help you to move if you find you have made a mistake so be careful when choosing your property.