Home Swaps - Advantages and Disadvantages - And Alternatives

Home swaps. Best done when you have a new almost empty home with nothing to be broken.

 I did this with my family when we were newly married with a small child and an au pair (like a maid or cheap nanny). We swapped our home in London for a week in the Channel Islands. 

Want something short term?  If you can't be around to hand over the keys, and no agent does it, you can ask a neighbour or a family memer who lives nearby. Best not to leave keys under a flowerpot. 

Cars

You can even swap cars. You need to given the right insurance for both vehicles, which includes lots of details, correct names and so on for the insurance documentation.  In fact, if you are dealing with people who say, just call me John, or have nicknames, it's good to have an official reason for demanding documentation well in advance.

What could go wrong?

Crockery

To avoid problems with breakages, some people put away their own crockery, and 12 person sets, because that would risk the visitors breaking one of a set of 12, or something no longer replaceceable, or leaving 12 sets of everything needing washing.

If you  buy a brand new matching set of crockery for four, that can easily be replaced by you or them. They have a small number of plates and cups and bowls and have to wash up after each meal and can't leave a huge amount of washing up deliverately or accidentally if they have to rush to get the taxi to the airport or catch a train or bus. 

We also rented out our home in the UK when we went to live and rent a home in the USA for a year. 

I found it very awkward to come back to the UK to see my family and not be able to live in my own home.

If you don't want to leave the place empty whilst you are away, consider a house sitter.

Pets

You could choose a family with the same pets.

Angela, and neighbour with dog.

You can also book a pet sitter. Compare the cost wwith the cost of putting your pet in a cattery or dog home. All sorts of options are available. 

You can join a Facebook page for English speakers, French speakers and Spanish speakers.

How do you check out the place? You could try Streetview, but check the date to see how recent the picture is.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Home_exchange#

https://www.homeexchange.com/p/facebook-groups-homeexchange

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Home_exchange#Home_Exchange_for_Seniors

https://www.homeexchange.com/p/risk-free-home-swaps?