Want to move to another home or area? | Tenant news

If you’re interested in moving to a different home, you can apply to transfer to another one of our homes.

If your home has too little or too much space, or you need to relocate to a new area for a job or to be near a family member, an internal housing transfer could help you find the right home.

“We recently helped to relocate one of our tenants via an internal transfer to a ground floor place. She was looking for a more accessible home as her medical needs had changed,” said our Lettings Manager Julie McNaughton.

Find out if you’re eligible

To be eligible for a transfer, you must meet certain requirements, such as having a clear rent account and having kept your home to an acceptable standard. You also need approval from your Neighbourhood Manager to be accepted onto the waiting list.

If you apply for a transfer, our homes are offered in order of the time you’ve spent on the housing list and your housing need.

“We allocate in a clear and transparent way and applicants will need to meet the criteria for the number of bedrooms and other requirements,” Julie said.

Finding a new home to transfer to is also dependent on availability of homes within your chosen area. It’s not always a quick process, and there’s no guarantee you will get the home you want.

How to apply

You can apply for an internal housing transfer via an application form on our website. You can also call our Customer Services Team on 0300 365 3100 and ask to speak to our Lettings team who can send you a paper version of the form. 

Speak to your local Neighbourhood Team to find out more about how to apply.

Contact your local authority

If you’re in real housing need, don’t forget, you can contact your local authority and ask if you can apply to join their housing register.

“All housing associations allocate over half their homes to councils, so registering with your local council increases your chances of getting a successful housing transfer,” Julie said.

Swap your home

Another popular way for tenants to relocate to another property, is to take the mutual exchange route.

A social housing mutual exchange is when you swap your home with another Habinteg, council or housing association tenant, anywhere in the UK. 

As a Habinteg tenant, you can organise your home swap via House Exchange, an online social housing exchange service that helps you find a match for your home swap.

To be eligible for a mutual exchange, applicants must meet the necessary criteria, including getting written permission from your landlord, and providing evidence that the person you’re swapping with is happy to do so.

To find out more about how it works, read our article on mutual exchange.