To move home, both tenants must have permission of their landlords. Landlords will normally only grant an exchange if a number of criteria are met. These include:
- Neither tenant owes rent
- Neither tenant is moving to a home that the landlord thinks is too big or small for their circumstances [3]
- Both tenants are secure tenants (council tenants) or assured tenants (housing association)
- Neither tenant is in the process of being evicted
- In Sweden, both tenants must have valid reasons for the exchange, such as needing a larger home to accommodate a new-born child. Also, in order to curb the black market for rental homes, it is not allowed to request payment from the other tenant.
A mutual exchange may involve more than two tenants. The largest reported swap in England has involved a group of 6 tenants swapping their homes between them.[4]
Precise details of the criteria used for home exchanges can be found by a tenant from a their landlord, and some will identify free resources, such as websites, to help their tenants pair up to make a swap. (e.g.[5]).