If you want to move from your council home to another, you can apply through Home-Link. If you want to leave Cambridge, use Homefinder UK instead.
There is a lot of demand for housing through Home-Link, so you might want to try to find another council tenant who is willing to swap properties with you. This is often called a mutual exchange.
Find a mutual exchange
The HomeSwapper website can be a good starting point. It’s a free service that makes the process of applying for a mutual exchange as simple as possible.
You could also search on websites such as Gumtree and social media, or rely on word of mouth.
When you have found another council tenant who agrees to swap properties with you, you can apply for a mutual exchange.
Apply for a mutual exchange
Use HomeSwapper to apply for a mutual exchange. Select ‘found a swap’ on the dashboard after logging in. You can also track your application there.
If you move to a smaller home as part of a mutual exchange, you can apply for a grant to help cover the cost of moving. Read how to move to a smaller council home to find out more.
Approval
We must approve all exchanges, and we will need to inspect your property to do so – we will contact you to arrange this.
There is legislation governing these exchanges, including grounds for us to refuse. Grounds for refusal include a property being too large for your needs, or you having made unauthorised alterations to your current home. Our policy explains how we process applications.
Home inspections
For the safety or your family and our staff during the inspection, please:
- Open the front and back doors and leave internal doors open, to minimise our use of door handles.
- Keep working areas well ventilated and free of obstructions.
