If you follow specific regulations and obtain permission from your landlord, you can switch your council or housing association house with another renter. This is commonly referred to as "mutual exchange." Contact your landlord if you are a housing association tenant looking to move. If you are a private tenant, contact your landlord's agent before you start looking at other properties. Generally speaking, you cannot swap houses with anyone other than your partner. If you have children, you will need to consider whether it is appropriate to trade houses with them too. Most families are not able to swap because of the amount of work needed to complete a change-of-address form for your utilities and also for the new owner to update their address with their local authority. There are two types of mutual exchanges: direct and indirect. In a direct exchange, both parties go to the same landlord and negotiate a deal directly with them. This is usually done by phone or in person. The advantage of this method is that there is no middle man and so costs are kept to a minimum. The disadvantage is that it can be difficult to find partners who are willing to do a direct exchange especially if they are not on the same area of London. In an indirect exchange, one party goes to a property website such as Zoopla or Rightmove and searches for suitable properties. They then contact potential partners and arrange a meeting place/time where they can show the properties together.