Swappers deserve better. Let's build a fairer system together.
Mutual exchange should be the easiest move you ever make. For too many social housing tenants, it's the slowest and most stressful. We're campaigning to change that — with practical, achievable policy changes that put swappers first.
The state of swapping today
These aren't scare numbers — they're the lived experience we hear from swappers every week.
We'll add live, sourced data here as our research with charity partners progresses. If you'd like to contribute data or experience, please get in touch.
What we're calling for
Six clear, practical changes. None of them require new laws — most are about enforcing what already exists, and being honest about what works.
1Statutory cap on mutual exchange decisionsLandlords already have 42 days. We want it enforced — and shorter for straightforward applications.+
Most swaps stall not because of refusals, but because of silence. The current 42-day rule is poorly enforced. We're calling for a 28-day default decision window for straightforward applications, with automatic approval if no decision is given — and proper accountability when the rule is broken.
2End vague refusalsEvery refusal must cite a specific Schedule 3 ground in writing, with the right of independent appeal.+
Tenants are routinely refused with one-line responses or "you don't qualify" without explanation. The Housing Act 1985 already lists the only valid grounds. We want every refusal to cite the specific ground in writing, with a clear, independent appeal route within 14 days.
3National mutual exchange standardsNo more postcode lottery — every landlord using the same forms, the same timelines, the same outcomes.+
A swap that takes 6 weeks in one council can take 6 months in the next. Inconsistency is unfair to swappers and impossible to plan around. We're calling for a national mutual exchange code of practice that every social landlord follows.
4Transparent waiting list and swap policiesPlain-English policies, published online, easy to find — for every council and housing association.+
Most swap policies are buried on landlord websites in PDFs from 2014. Tenants shouldn't have to FOI-request basic information about their own rights. We want every social landlord to publish a clear, plain-English mutual exchange policy on their website homepage.
5Repair protections during and after swapsOutstanding repairs shouldn't be quietly handed to the new tenant.+
A common horror story: tenant A reports repairs for months, gets nowhere, and then swaps. Tenant B inherits the broken boiler, the damp, the missing handrails — with the repairs reset to "new request". We want a guarantee that any repair logged before a swap moves with the home, not the tenant.
6Tenant voice in housing decisionsReal seats at the table when councils and housing associations review their swap policies.+
Most landlord policies are written without ever talking to swappers. We're calling for tenant panels with proper authority — not just consultation theatre — when housing policies are drafted, reviewed, or changed.
Sign the pledge.
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Coming to a community near you
We're lining up our next events now — community fundays, housing festivals, and tenant union meet-ups across the UK. Sign the pledge above to be the first to hear.
Charity partners
We're building this campaign with charities, tenant unions, and community organisations across the UK. New partnerships are being added all the time.
We're still the people who needed this.
We started Link My Swap because we spent over two years trying to find a swap ourselves. Every one of the demands on this page is something we hit personally — or watched someone else hit, and couldn't fix without changing the system.
Building a better app was step one. The campaign is step two. Together they make swapping fairer, faster, and a bit more human.
If you sign the pledge today, we promise to use your name well — respectfully, anonymously where it matters, loudly when we need to be heard. We'll keep you posted. And we'll keep going until this is fixed.
Be part of the change.
Sign the pledge. Share with one swapper you know. Come to an event when we're near you. Every action moves us closer.