Start with people you know
If you’re unsure about exchanging homes but want to dip your toe in the water, swap with people you connect with, not strangers.
Naomi Kendall, an artist living in Somerset, has embarked on several house swaps. “You can’t be too precious about your home, but equally you need to feel comfortable around the people you’re exchanging with so you’re not worried all the time,” says She. You also need to think about your neighbors a little. “We only traded with people we knew or who were friends of a friend.”
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Find the right platform
If you’re ready to switch to foreigners, platforms like HomeExchange, HomeLink and Home Base Holidays (which also runs Guardian’s own website, Guardian Home Exchange) help you list your property, browse places you’d like to stay and see if owners would be interested in swapping with you. These charge an annual fee: at the time of writing, Home Base Holidays charges £49 per year, HomeLink charges £120 and HomeExchange charges £180. In most cases no other money changes hands.
These platforms offer direct exchange with another homeowner. You contact each other and if they want to trade with you, you discuss all the details and make a plan that suits everyone.
The transition does not necessarily have to happen simultaneously; Maybe you go somewhere in August and another family comes to stay at your house, then when that family goes to a different place in October, you go to stay at their house. empty house.
Aside from two-party-only exchanges, HomeExchange has a “GuestPoints” system where you can let people stay at your home while you’re away in exchange for some GuestPoints, which you can then use as credits for the stay. Another house on another date.
Trust your home
Several platforms (for example, the US-based site Kindred) run a system of applications and check whether your home meets minimum requirements such as Wi-Fi, work space and “tasteful” decoration. But on many platforms, you just need to check the boxes to show your properties; The process becomes self-regulating and people choose trade-offs that meet their needs.
Many people worry that they will stay in an incredible place and their guests will be depressed. Your home doesn’t need to be perfect, but be sincere in your descriptions. When creating your listing, clear out the clutter and make it look as appealing as possible for photos, but also include images of the avocado bathroom suite you plan to update so there are no surprises.
You don’t need to own your home on most platforms, but Mark Sealey, managing director of Home Base Holidays, says: “Members renting their homes need to get an agreement from the landlord or letting agent before listing the property for house swapping.”
Sell your territory
It’s not just about the house; People want a base from which they can explore.
Even if you don’t live in a tourist-heavy area, mention and include photos of places of interest within an hour or so by car (cities, national parks, beaches, attractions, anything that might pique people’s curiosity).
Tell your insurer
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) recommends speaking to your home insurer to find out whether swapping will have an impact on your insurance. “Your insurer will also be able to advise what exclusions may be available in your policy for loss or damage caused by guests,” an ABI spokesperson said.
Pikl, an insurance company specializing in “sharing economy” coverage, is among the companies that offer a property landlord loading policy suitable for home swaps, or Airbnb-style rentals if your current policy is inadequate. Private insurance is available from £2 per day and cover for up to 30 days per year is £39.99. This cover covers fire damage, accidental or malicious damage caused by guests, as well as public liability of up to £2 million if guests are injured as a result of home alteration. In order for the loading policy to be valid, you must obtain swap permission from your main insurer.
Some people modify their cars as well as their homes. Check if your insurance provider allows this; If allowed, you may need to provide license information to the driver and pay extra. Your exchange partner should do the same for you. Sealey says some Home Base Holidays members split the cost of car rental when insurance policies are too restrictive for one party to borrow a car.
Expect fascinating flaws
One person’s “clean and tidy” is the other’s “how do they live like that?”
“The vast majority of places being replaced are homes that people use year-round, so they won’t always be perfect,” Sealey says. “Sometimes problems arise because people don’t have the same approach to cleanliness. If your home is spotless and you want your accommodation to be the same, ask questions to find out how your potential trader approaches cleaning.
Be flexible
“If you need to be in Madrid on a specific date in April for a wedding, it can be difficult to find a suitable exchange,” says Caroline Connolly, country manager for HomeLink UK. “But if you can say, ‘We want to go to Spain in the summer,’ you’re much more likely to find something that works for you.”
You can specify destinations when you sign up or leave it on; some say keeping an open mind about positions can lead to more interesting trades. Connolly’s first trade was for a house in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; It was a place he would have had a hard time finding on a map at the time. “It turned out to be incredible,” he says.
Take your time and ask questions
“The first contact you have with members will largely be feeling things out,” says Sealey. “Give yourself plenty of time to find the right place and build trust in each other.”
Ask lots of questions and be prepared to answer them, and if you’re a light sleeper, check the address on Google Maps to see if there’s anything that might cause problems for you, like road noise or the busy nightlife downtown.
Phillippa Rose and her family from London moved house several times using HomeExchange, staying in homes in the UK, France and Spain. Rose recommends meeting online before the swap: “I find it really nice to have a live video call just to get to know the people you’re swapping with, and you can also show them around virtually.”
Leave a small welcome pack with information about your home and area, and consider recording videos to help with any oddities (for example, if there’s an ability to open the washing machine door). “The owners in France recorded a video to show how to change the pool filter; it’s much easier to see how things work in the video,” says Rose.
Store your belongings and keep everything clean
Before you replace it, do some spring cleaning, clearing out clutter and perhaps getting rid of anything particularly breakable or valuable, or your child’s prized Lego creations. Store items in the attic if you have them, or take a box to a friend or family member’s house.
“We have members who do long-term swaps, say three months, and in those cases they can rent storage units,” Sealey says.
“We lock some items in the closet and make sure we clear out a few drawers in the bedrooms for guests to use,” says Rose. Instead of clearing out closets containing the family’s clothes, they provide freestanding clothes hangers.
He says he hasn’t had any problems with guests other than a broken light bulb.
Unless you’re very unlucky, Sealey says your home will be well looked after: “Most experienced house swappers like to leave the house in as good a condition as they found it, if not better. There’s a spirit of respect here: this is someone’s home and they welcomed you here, so you should take good care of it.” ”