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Top tips for house-swapping

Posted by Catherine Deshayes on Friday, July 03, 2009

Cameron Diaz's swap of her LA pad with Kate Winslet's Surrey cottage in the 2007 film, ‘The Holiday,' kicked off a new wave of interest in the idea of home-swapping and now more than 25,000 are swapping their homes each year - so TheMoveChannel.com offers some tips for a successful swap...

The premise is simple - you swap your home with another person for the duration of your holiday and neither of you pay rent to the other.

While you bask in the Bahamas or sightsee in Stockholm, another family gets to explore the delights of your hometown. You can holiday all over the world at a fraction of the normal cost, and get the chance to experience the real deal, rather than squabbling over sun-beds in a Brit heavy hotel.

The attractions of home swapping are obvious. A swap totally wipes out the cost of accommodation and car hire, and if you wanted to rent a holiday property of the same standard as your own home, it would cost a fortune.

If you have children, toys and travel cots will all be there, plus pets and gardens will be taken care of.

Letting strangers have the run of one of your most prized possessions is daunting, but damage is very rare, says Lois Sealey, who runs exchange service Home Base Holidays. "Remember the people you exchange with will share your concerns too, and you are in each other's homes at the same time," she adds.

Home swapping takes the ‘I'll show you mine if you show me yours' to another level. It'll be a truly unique holiday, so you won't run the risk of bumping into the Jones in the hotel bar, and it may even be the ticket to a whole new life. 

Top ten tips for a successful swap

Be honest and accurate when advertising or describing your home. If you exaggerate or over-elaborate you lay yourself open to disappointing the people you swap with. And being disappointed yourself.

2. Don't make travel arrangements until you have absolute confirmation of dates with the household you are swapping with.

3. Inform your insurer you are leaving your home in the care of others. It won't necessarily affect your premium, but it might have a bearing if you have to claim for something that happened in your absence. If you are swapping cars, there will be an extra premium to pay to add your houseswappers' names to your policy.

4. Tell your neighbours that you are lending your home to other people, so as not to arouse suspicion if they see strangers letting themselves in through your front door.

5. Give your home a thorough clean before you leave (and that means the inside of the fridge and the oven; the windows; and especially the bathroom). Make sure you leave sufficient space for your guests to unpack and store their own food in the kitchen. Make up the beds, and leave clean towels.

6. Clarify who is expected to pay what in terms of bills, particularly the telephone, and store-cupboard essentials. If the swap has been arranged through an agent, they will probably address these on their agreement form.

7. Compile a guide to your home. This should include:

- instructions for electrical appliances, central heating etc and anything else relating to the house that isn't obvious

- local tourist information, maps and information and timetables for public transport recommended local restaurants and shops

- details of a doctor and dentist, as well as emergency services

- instructions for pet and plant care, if looking after your animals, garden or houseplants is part of the deal

- contact details of someone who might be able to help in an emergency, and details of your whereabouts (unless you are going to be at their home the whole time)

- a note of the day(s) the rubbish is collected

- instructions on which items you usually recycle and details of how and where to do so

8. Give a spare set of keys to a neighbour or friend or relative who lives locally, and give your homeswappers their details in case they lock themselves out.

9. Leave a bottle of wine and the makings of supper and breakfast for when they arrive in case it is too late or they are too tired to go shopping or to a restaurant.

10. While you're away: treat your temporary home as you hope your visitors are treating yours. Leave the house as you found it. And if the owners are due back imminently leave them some groceries.

Picture by lavilleautady

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