HomeSwap Direct scheme launched
A new national scheme has been launched by Housing Minister Grant Shapps, which will allow social housing tenants wanting to swap their home to see every available property in the country.
This may enable tenants to move house in order to find a new job, or move to a property which is better suited to their needs and that of their family. Allowing tenants to see a much wider selection of properties than ever before provides greater choice for potential swaps
The scheme will be online, and so this will make advertised swaps much more accessible for tenants and the possibility of moving house ‘just a click away’.
Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the home swap system is expected to not only bring economic benefit for tenants and their families by putting them in a position to take up more opportunities, but could also help provide overcrowded families with new opportunities to move into a larger home, swapping with other tenants whose children have moved on and now need a smaller property easier to heat and maintain.
Grant Shapps said:
“It’s crazy that some people don’t want council tenants to have the same life opportunities as everyone else. At the moment tenants who live in social homes might be able to move nearby, but there’s almost no chance of a longer-distance move to take up a new job offer or move closer to their family.
“I’m not content to restrict opportunities for the eight million social tenants in this country – that’s why we are determined to shake up the lazy consensus that traps people in this system. HomeSwap Direct will give tenants access to a wider range of properties than ever before, and the chance to move anywhere in the country.
Website: Communities and Local Government
Amanda Frewin
Research & Project Support
