Moving options

All secure tenants have a legal right to swap homes with another tenant either within the same borough or elsewhere in the country.

Eligibility for house swap

In order to be eligible for a mutual exchange:

• you must be a secure tenant which means the council has not obtained a possession order against you, or that you have not breached a suspended possession order
• you must not be an introductory tenant
• you must not have any rent arrears
• the size of the property of both parties willing to exchange must meet the needs of the family
• no money or gifts have exchanged hands.

Apply for mutual exchange

You can apply for a mutual exchange online and you may advertise in order to find someone to swap with.

You can do this through websites such as:

• Home Swapper
• Locata

Once you have found someone, you must complete a mutual exchange application form, which is available from your Housing Officer. On receipt of your completed application form, Brent Council will inform you of our decision within 42 days.

The respective landlords of both tenants must authorise the exchange, or the exchange may be considered illegal, with both parties being required to return to their original homes.

Contact us about mutual exchange

In Brent, as in many other areas of London, finding an affordable home to rent or buy is challenging. We are building over 1,700 council homes by 2028, but that isn’t enough. We also want to make the best use of our existing homes by working with our residents to ensure that everyone has a home that meets their needs.

We believe that, due to changing personal circumstances, many of our council properties are now under-occupied. This means they are too big or have more rooms than our tenants need. If you find yourself in this situation and you have more bedrooms than you need in your current Council property, we can help you downsize to a smaller more suitable home. 

Benefits of downsizing

• You could move to a brand-new home.
• Find a home that better meets your needs for example, a bungalow or ground floor flat, a dedicated older person’s block or a home with suitable adaptions to help with mobility.
• A smaller home can be easier to manage and often lower utility bills.
• You can purchase your own home.
• You can rent privately anywhere in the UK.

Brent incentive scheme

There are three incentives on offer. You are only eligible for one of these incentives:

*Please note that all incentives are subject to eligibility and availability*

To register your interest or for further information, please contact the Stock Maximisation Team at DownsizingIncentives@brent.gov.uk or call 0208 937 2929.

We offer an innovative mobility scheme for Brent Council tenants who do not qualify for a move under the council’s normal waiting list.

We give qualifying tenants the chance to move to another Brent council property of the same size that is closer to their employment. The scheme is also aimed at tenants who give or receive care and want to move closer to this location.

Eligible Brent Council tenants will need to meet either of one the following criteria in order to qualify.

• Employment route - Tenants travelling one hour or more to work and/or working outside the standard core working hours of 9am to 5pm.
• Care route - Tenants who receive care or provide care to a person with an identified care need.

Contact us about Social Housing Mobility Scheme