Home exchange - Is it worth it

gadjah543

We are hoping to travel to Australia next year and were thinking of being very MSE and trying to get a home exchange:).

Does anyone have any experience of doing this either good or bad.Also are there recommended websites to go through.

Thanks

kb36

Yes !! Check out https://www.knowyourtrade.com for a comprehensive list of home exchange sites that have been rated and reviewed by them. It might be worth choosing the one with the most Australian listings if that's your destination. Been house swapping for 6 years 2-3 times annually and only ever had good experiences!
The only down side in my opinion is having to thoroughly clean your house before you leave but with the savings made you could hire a team of professional cleaners and still be quids in!

knightstyle

Totally agree with the above plus try getting in touch with people in the area you want to exchange with by asking the local paper if they will help. This may encourage someone who hasn't thought of exchanging. When you exchange make sure you depersonalise your house, remove everything to a friends garage that may help a fraudster and redirect your mail to someone you can trust. We didn't have any problems the two times we did it but you never know. We swapped cars as well, picking up and leaving at the airport, so check your car insurance policy. You should inform your house insurer as well.

lf846

I'm also a regular home exchanger. Many exchanges over the last 5 years and all have been fabulous. It has allowed me to have holidays I could not otherwise have afforded, and also to see places from a different point of view. I use geenee to find my exchanges, a great site.

gadjah543

Thanks for the replies.Very useful.

PasturesNew

If you've only a few personal things, you can get local self-storage for £5-10/week for a small locker-sized room of about 1 metre square.

minxtress

Wow more people should do this, im going to look into it for sure!