Two families ready to swap, waiting for one inspection
Two tenants have found each other through an exchange service. One is one of your tenants, the other is with a neighbouring housing association. They submit their applications. Your lettings officer needs a property inspection, safety checks, a check of the rent account and tenancy conduct, and a reference from the other landlord. Each is requested by email. The inspection waits for a surveyor. The other landlord's reference sits in their inbox.
The tenants ring every week. The deadline for a decision under your policy gets close, and nobody is sure exactly when it is.
Why exchanges are slow
The checks are not complicated. There are just several of them, owned by different people inside and outside your organisation, and the process has no single view of what is outstanding.
- Applications arrive on paper or by email.
- Checks are requested from other teams by email, with no due date.
- The other landlord's reference depends on someone there picking it up.
- The decision deadline is counted by hand.
- Tenants have no way to see progress, so they call.
What slow exchanges cost
Exchanges help households move to homes that fit them, without using a void. When they stall, households stay in overcrowded or unsuitable homes for longer, some exchanges collapse, and tenants complain. Decisions made late or without all checks can cause problems after the move. Officers spend time answering chase calls.
Exchanges also carry a risk that comes from haste rather than delay. When a deadline is close and the checks are scattered, it is tempting to approve with one check still outstanding, such as an inspection that would have found an unauthorised alteration or an appliance fitted by the outgoing tenant. The incoming household inherits whatever was missed, and your repairs team inherits the cost.
The mutual exchange tracker we build
- Tenants apply through an online form, including details of the other tenant and landlord.
- The application is logged with the date received, and the decision timer from your policy starts.
- Checks become tasks with owners and due dates: property inspection, gas and electrical checks, rent account check, tenancy conduct check and any others your policy lists.
- The rent account and tenancy information are pulled from your housing management system automatically for the officer to review.
- The other landlord receives a request for a reference with a simple secure form, and reminders if it is not returned.
- Tenants can see progress through a link: which checks are done and what is outstanding.
- When all checks are complete, the decision letter is drafted from your templates for the officer to approve, including any conditions.
| Check | Owner | Status shown |
|---|---|---|
| Property inspection | Surveyor | Booked, done or outstanding |
| Safety checks | Compliance team | Done or outstanding |
| Rent account | Lettings officer | Pulled from system, reviewed |
| Other landlord reference | Other landlord | Requested, reminded, returned |
| Decision | Lettings officer | Days remaining |
Your mutual exchange policy, the checks you need and the grounds for any decision are yours and your advisers'. The tracker organises and times the process.
What officers and tenants see
Every application shows its checks, owners and the days left to decide. Officers stop chasing by email because owners are reminded automatically. The other landlord gets a simple form rather than a letter. Tenants can see progress without calling, and decisions are made on time with every check done.
Does this sound like your exchanges?
- Mutual exchange applications arrive on paper or by email.
- Checks are requested from other teams by email.
- You wait on other landlords for references.
- Decision deadlines are hard to track.
- Tenants call regularly for updates.