Anyone ever successfully upsized from a studio to a 1 bed on homeswap?

Anonymousey

Posting here as I'm feeling extremely down and disheartened at the moment 

I have a studio flat in a very sought after area in Central London and I need to move to a 1 bed due to my mental health and needing the space to potentially work from home in future. I have been out of work for quite some time (I suffer from BPD and GAD) and I don't see anything other than working from home as a long term option for me in the future. 

I would ideally like to stay in central but willing to go into zone 2, zone 3 I'll consider if the area has very good amenities/features. If the flat is on a higher level than 2nd floor a lift will be needed. 

I do not want to go through my landlord as they have a very bad rep for disrepair, I am very lucky my flat with them that doesn't have many flaws so I wouldn't want to risk being moved somewhere where I'll have issues with rodents, mould, disrepair etc. They also only have around 900 flats, so I'll be on a waiting list forever.

I absolutely do not want to get knocked up either as that is selfish and conniving, I say this because someone has already had the audacity to suggest this. Last thing I need is a baby with my mental health issues. 

I have only been on homeswapper for a few days and already encountered very rude people, most of them dangling their flats like carrots and asking for palaces in exchange from what it seems like. 

Has anyone successfully moved out of their studio into a 1 bed? Or does anyone know anyone who has?

Might I add my chances are sliced in half as my landlord only accepts female tenants not sure what to do with myself. I'm stuck in between a rock and a hard place

Advice and encouragement needed, and recommendation for some better (if available) home swap websites. 

carefullycautious

Make sure that you include the fact that only females are allowed in your advert. When you say that people are expecting palaces is that when they have viewed your place or from any photos you have put up? Have you cleared away any clutter and tried to make your studio look tidy. Take ideas from;
Apartment Therapy | Saving the world, one room at a time
Look up studio apartments and take ideas about how to keep your studio from looking too full of stuff. You want to make it as appealing as possible. If it is already clutter free apologies.
Include in your advert what the local area is like and why people would benefit from living in your 'Zone'
You have only been on Homeswapper for a short amount of time so do give it chance. Take peoples criticisms are constructive and try to use them to your advantage. Some one will want it. Good Luck

Anonymousey

carefullycautious said:

Make sure that you include the fact that only females are allowed in your advert. When you say that people are expecting palaces is that when they have viewed your place or from any photos you have put up? Have you cleared away any clutter and tried to make your studio look tidy. Take ideas from;
Apartment Therapy | Saving the world, one room at a time
Look up studio apartments and take ideas about how to keep your studio from looking too full of stuff. You want to make it as appealing as possible. If it is already clutter free apologies.
Include in your advert what the local area is like and why people would benefit from living in your 'Zone'
You have only been on Homeswapper for a short amount of time so do give it chance. Take peoples criticisms are constructive and try to use them to your advantage. Some one will want it. Good Luck

Hi thanks for your response. It has pictures of the inside which is tidied nicely, newly decorated, bathroom and kitchen are sparkling clean, (bathroom fixtures practically gleaming), big balcony facing the sun, has access to a huge private park that you walk down to and hundreds of shops/supermarkets/fresh fruit and vegetable stalls nearby. It's a dream come true for hipsters. I did put on the ad that I would need to swap with a female. I do need a 1 bed badly as it will be really helpful for me in future. My dream is to work from home, even if I'm earning a meager £100 a day and I can also have a therapy animal like a cat. I suffer really badly with mental health and my current home is stifling me. Perhaps my mental health is also what's causing me to feel this distressed so early on

Thank you for your advice. It did mKe me feel a little bit better. I do hope someone sees the potential in it. It does have potential and I would be over the moon living here if I was in a 9-5 that paid well, but I'm under qualified and I wouldn't do well being in a 9-5 AND undervalued/underpaid. 

Sotts

Hi i can't offer any advice on housing but i will say lockdown and working from home is really hard, especially when your office, living quarters and bedroom are the same room.  If you can, leave the flat in the morning before you start work, even a walk around the block so it feels like you're travelling to work.   Also maybe a word with your doctor for some additional support as you have mentioned mental health issues

2bFrank

Your main issue, is you want to trade a smaller space for a bigger space. Someone with a bigger space will want something in return for giving it up. You really need to sell your features of your studio apartment. key point being location, if you are right near the city, with fantastic transport links and brilliant amenities on the door step then you are in a good position, and you need to sell you flat based on these qualities. 

Also remember we are all working in different times, nearly everyone is working from home at the moment and space is a premium, you really need to sell your flat in the photos, clean and tidy is a given, you need to show that you are not living in clutter and you have clever solutions to storage. If in the photos its showing clutter and no space then you have no chance, take this time to go through everything you own and get rid of anything you are not using, especially if its bulky, or hire a storage unit for the short term.

Use room dividers if your room is big enough to separate areas if need be, to show how you space can be used for multi purpose.

If your plan is to work from home in the future, do you still need to live in London. It will help you if you are able to venture out of the city and I bet you will find more luck, but this depends on your support network, you do not want to be far from this.

NinjaTune

Unfortunately by your landlord specifying female tenants only it severely restricts your options re: people both willing and able to swap properties with you.  Not sure why that restriction is in place, I've only ever seen it in house share adverts where tenants will be sharing communal areas.  You've restricted your options further by requiring a lift if the block is more than 2 stories high.  Both these things mean you will be waiting longer than most other people for a suitable swap to become available.

As 2bFrank says, if you are able to work outside London then you're more likely to find someone willing to swap a larger property for a smaller one.  It's very unlikely anyone already in London is going to want to downsize from a 1 bed especially in current times.

It sounds, however, as if you are in a very desirable location so it's a case just accepting that you may have to be very patient.  Wishing you all the best, I hope you find a suitable swap soon.

martindow

Anonymousey said:

my landlord only accepts female tenants

Do they state this when advertising?  If so I would think they are infringing equality legislation.

davidmcn

martindow said:

Anonymousey said:

my landlord only accepts female tenants

Do they state this when advertising?  If so I would think they are infringing equality legislation.

Given it's a large, presumably social housing landlord, I expect it falls within one of the exemptions.

Anonymousey

NinjaTune said:

Unfortunately by your landlord specifying female tenants only it severely restricts your options re: people both willing and able to swap properties with you.  Not sure why that restriction is in place, I've only ever seen it in house share adverts where tenants will be sharing communal areas.  You've restricted your options further by requiring a lift if the block is more than 2 stories high.  Both these things mean you will be waiting longer than most other people for a suitable swap to become available.

As 2bFrank says, if you are able to work outside London then you're more likely to find someone willing to swap a larger property for a smaller one.  It's very unlikely anyone already in London is going to want to downsize from a 1 bed especially in current times.

It sounds, however, as if you are in a very desirable location so it's a case just accepting that you may have to be very patient.  Wishing you all the best, I hope you find a suitable swap soon.

I am located in the wealthiest Borough in London with 100s and 100s of shops in a 1 mile radius so I definitely have location on my side. I've had keen interest from two people so far but they were both males. Just holding out for a female, most females that have responded to my ad said they are not interested and want a 1 bedroom. I guess it's a matter of finding a female who's desperate to live in this area whether it's due to family/friends or work. As for me, I cannot move out of London whatsoever as I have nobody outside of it. I would be isolated. I do not want to settle either. And yes it's extremely unfair that my HA is female only. However this is due to the fact that the tenants are usually victims of DV that need security.