Photograph by Anna Schori
House swap, anyone?
Whether you’re planning a family holiday or perhaps you’re a have-laptop-can-travel freelancer who fancies a spell in a new destination, exchanging your home for someone else’s could prove the adventure of a lifetime. Or allow you to stay somewhere special with barely any pricetag. A couple of years ago I shared my tale of how we traded our Kensal Green terraced house for a Brooklyn apartment with The Observer.
We’re thinking of doing it again, and this time we’d enlist Luxe Home Swap. Register online for a £99 fee, then upload pictures of your stylish home. Find a property you’d like to swap with, contact the owners through their secure messaging system. And hopefully – bon voyage! And if you are someone who really loves hotels, the great thing about a house swap is that holidaying this way saves you loads of cash to lavish on a night or two in fancy pad either as a mini-break within your trip of for a weekend away somewhere else!
Paris apartment with Luxe Home Swap
Trade like for like. A studio in Swansea won’t equal a sea-view villa in St Tropez. And swapping Mayfair for Manhattan may work last-minute, but the more remote your location, the further ahead you should plan.
Decide dates with your swappers before booking flights.
Show photos galore. Don’t make like an estate agent: manage expectations honestly and if anything undersell, overdeliver.
Leave it spotless. A clash of cleanliness is one of the biggest causes for disappointment. Empty the fridge, declutter surfaces, provide cupboard space, leave bathrooms sparkling, and insist on the same.
Leave a house manual. Include local tips, including the nearest chemist, eating and drinking highlights, transport connections.
Have kids? Match a household with similar-aged children; if you have a baby, a cot, changing table, steriliser, etc, in situ makes life easier.
Check your insurance. The issue is usually how long you’re away rather than who’s in your house.
Research plan-B. Glass-half-emptiers might feel comfortable having contingency arrangements in case of a problem with the property.
Meet the neighbours. Ask your swappers who’s friendliest – especially helpful in emergencies. Then say hi as soon as you get there.
Walk/use public transport. Hightailing it around your new city on a bus or train pass rather than gas-guzzling taxis is cheaper, more eco, and better for soaking up local culture.
Tips originally compiled for Red magazine.
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Hiya,
I have a house swap and sublet site for creatives to swap between themselves, the idea being that like will work well with like personality wise. The transaction is easier, the houses are cuter and it’s socially curated!
Love the blog. I have a blog about my region too
http://www.sohimagazine.com.au
Hoping to be back in NW6 within the year
Rebecca.
Nice piece. Quite tempted to do it myself.
I’d swap a villa in St Tropez for a studio in Swansea any day though.
V. good tips for first time home swappers!
With only two years to go until London 2012, this is a very good time for Londoners (and those who want to visit London during the Games) to start looking for home swaps during this period.
Home Base Holidays, based in London, has been providing a home exchange service for 25 years and also runs Guardian home exchange. London is by far the most popular city destination requested so London members who want to escape the city during the Olympics will have many attractive exchange offers to choose from.
If you have a second home and don’t want the hassle of trying to find an exchange partner, try http://www.exchangeholidayhomes.com
It is free to join ( established in 2006) and all members are second home owners . Members receive credits which are valid for up to 3 years and can be used against any member that agrees to give up suitable dates.
There is a vast range from castles (yes in the plural!) to 1 bed flats. The only cost is £67 when you find your own holiday and best of all they offer a personal service free of charge, helping you to find your holiday
Hooray for the house swap. I have just returned to Kensal Green from my third swap in Edinburgh. Registered with Home Base Holidays, all our swaps have been in the UK, so you don’t have to set your sites on Brooklyn or St Tropez, although I must confess, they do sound more appealing than Bognor or Chepstow. The advice I would give is – don’t go for less than a week. It’s not worth it for the sheer quantity of cleaning and washing you have to do beforehand and also at the end of the swap. And if you’re a houseswap kind of person, chances are your swappers are like-minded, so you may even strike up a longterm friendship.
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