HomeSwapper Reviews

While i agree the people have HIGH expectations on this site with little to offer, ive had a few successful swaps. I preferred the OLD version of the website back in 2014 though.

Its very time consuming! You will not find your mutual swap straight away so if you’re looking to move RIGHT AWAY I suggest looking elsewhere.

I also think there are a few sick people that like randomly coming to peoples homes with no real intention or interest of moving.

Been using this for years, council pay them a fortune and website is USELESS... sure there are the people who expect to swap their bedsit for a mansion...
But for me, who understands how websites work and databses, this site and the people who run it are COMPLETELY incompetant. I search for ANY type of 2 bed on any of the coastal towns and find about ten in total. want something by the sea but NOTHING closer than 30 mins walk to sea.. I contact homeswapper and they say The Search engine cant find all the swaps instantly, and will send you a list of what if find later .. but it never does!!
Seems to be their database can only seach a set amount of properties in a small area, and then it stops, so if there are a million and it can only seach 1000 at a time its gonna take a long time to process the request... It should be able to have 50 million houses, and with you search criterea, you should be able to search the whole of the country....
also why do they let people say they live in a bungalo when they are in a tower block on floor 88
Whoever runs this is RIPPING off the council and when someone actually makes an alterantive site that works they will loose their contract

I have used home swapper for many years and over those years I have never successfully found someone to swap. So I decided to do some research and have come across this website, and this is my experience.

The home swapper site charges you for absolutely nothing. The site has various homes that people are not willing to swap. You are required to approach the other person to come to an agreement to swap. does that happen in reality, the answer is no! you don’t go into a estate agent and say what properties have you got and then go knock on the door, the estate agent does the work. It has to be a mutual agreement between both properties which is difficult to achieve without actually knowing what the other person wants and if they are serious enough to swap.

The site needs a revamp & a new method to encourage a positive exchange of properties.

The site needs to be regulated and have a team of administrators to successfully run or at least siphon through the various homes that are for consideration. Having an advisor (middle person) In an area that can locate you a property dealing with specifications to what both swappers need would make a fundamental Positive experience that would only encourage and bring back faith to those who use the site!

I hope My message is heard and that in the near future they will consider these options for the site, taking into account the negative feedback that they’ve already received.

Full of inept TIMEWASTERS!!!! The So-called ' genuine people" on there just BLOCK you for NO REASON, i remember telling someone how i liked her flat, she replied back to me saying " not interested" then she blocked me loooool. You complain to L + Q who are USELESS and seem to allow other users to sit on there abusing and blocking people for no reason! The place is a joke, pure CRAP

Okay, so l get an email asking me to sign in etc. Then after I sign there NO notifications, and there are NO messages. Very annoying. So l look at People Who Have Looked at Your Property etc, that a person wants a 2 bedroom bungalow/semi detached house.
I only have a 1 bedroom bungalow. How annoying is that.
HomeSwapper has done this to me several times lately which is really really annoying. WHY????????
I think the HomeSwapper team are a gang of zombies.
I have already complained about the same problem several times, but they have not taken any notice whatsoever. It has fallen on deaf ears. ☹️

This site is terrible. Everyone on the site either do not answer back, are not serious movers or are looking for something they are never going to get. I have been on this site for 5 years and have never had a serious swap. I am looking for another site to use so wish my luck.

Do not join. I have had money repeatedly removed from my account after not being a member for many many months. They also refuse to refund me. It’s a scam

99% of people on this site are complete time wasters - with nothing better to do, the other 1% seem to want to move out of troubled areas, the site needs to clamp down on shoppers not swappers

they don't really want to move, just enjoy showing off their homes

Homeswapper is either a complete scam or everyone who registers on there is either bogus or has severe mental health issues.... The site is a complete waste of time and a waste of a joining fee, you're better off just getting drunk on the sofa and facing the fact you are stuck where you are, it is that bad... some of the properties must have been put up there to fill the numbers/gap while either A.I or some part time idiot replies to random messages... No joke.... AVOID AVIOD AVOID...

The matches are awful, it was bad the first time I used it and it has got worse.
I used HomeSwapper to move to my current property, that took just over 7 years of people not responding, not wanting what I had even though they said they did or the site matching me with people It shouldn’t have.
There are lots of people on here that haven’t signed in for a while for which there should be a system in place to email if they’re still interested and if not, or if they don’t respond, then they should remove them.
Serous about swapping doesn’t help the process as most people read serious as want to move quick/will take anything and get frustrated/abusive about the amount of time they are on the site without a swap and if you (a 3 bed) reply no to them (a 1or2 bed).
I’m in a rural area which I love but have got a new job in a city which is 20mi from where I am. I went on the site as I’d like to move a bit closer to links to where I work to make my commute easier but I am also disabled and need to stay near to my family and network I have built up here as I’m not considered disabled enough to receive any help I really rely on them.
I also cant to move into the city I work in as, although it has a few (emphasis on the few) council homes none of these are suitable of my needs, they’re old and I need features that aren’t or can’t be put in these. Any new builds that have been built in the town are private owned or private rents for £££’s which isn’t something I can consider.
The housing associations built just outside town are people who don’t want to move out just further in (good luck to them) or out/rural but I’m not out/rural enough for them or I am but they expect something more lord of the manor in terms of size of property, gardens and access to the country.
Despite setting my distance the site continues to match me with people miles out, I get messages from people ranging from 60mi of where I am now right out to nearly 200mi away, I do respond to every message but it is really depressing that I have to keep saying no as the site has incorrectly told them I’m a match.
I have put pictures (The maximum it’ll allow) on the site and have been very detailed with what I have and what I want, that said I am not being unrealistic about what I have and what’s out there but I get regular abuse from people that think I am being unreasonable not accepting what they have because the site has told them I’m an 87% match or that because I want to move I should take whatever’s offered regardless of whether it’s suitable. I know this is renting and not buying but I pay all my rent and council tax without help so I don’t see why I should have someone else tell me what I should be living in and where. I’m in a 3 bed and need to stay in a 3 bed due to the size of my household and have this set, yet the site seemingly tells everyone they’re at least a 87% plus match regardless of this. I don’t know how they work out the % but it is flawed.
I had abuse from someone in a 1 bed over 50 miles away from where I am now and 70mi from my work when I said no because the site showed them me as high % match for them, but that doesn’t mean they are for me.
I’m regularly told I’m being unrealistic and need to “get real” for knowing where I want to go and where I don’t when I say no to someone who has come up as in my area, the thing is they’re not really in my area, this is another flaw of the site it’s too ambiguous with areas.
I want to move closer to work whilst staying near family but by setting the distance to cover the distance between me, family and work the site puts it down as a radius that means I’m also matching with people that distance away but in opposite directions to where I want to go, this results in people messaging me all excited and then getting angry when I say no despite the fact that I apologise and explain why instead of using their impersonal no message feature.
Where I want to go has properties that are council and housing association some are even on HomeSwapper so theoretically I could get someone who wants to swap, I guess I can be more relaxed about it given where I am.
I think HomeSwapper just keep showing random homes to people, getting them all rilled up that the site is full of people that aren’t really interested, as they need to justify what they’re charging the landlords to have their tenants on there.
I am annoyed at the level of anger on the site, just because everyone on here is a council, housing association or other this doesn’t mean they aren’t entitled to a say in where they want to live even if it is unrealistic as they may find what they want, its natural to think more of a home you’ve put time and money into. It would be helpful if the site could let you know how many homes that could be swapped are in the area they’ve selected, maybe even how frequently they’ve swapped so they can see the likelihood of getting somewhere in that area as they may widen/alter their search.

Homeswapper has become a total waste of time.People don't log on regular so don't respond to messages They should be removed after a few months of no activity. Its just a waste of time

Homeswapper should definitely take people off the site who don’t bother logging in for over 10 weeks as it wastes serous swappers time but from what I’ve read they get paid for having these time wasters on by there landlords so there’s not much hope of that .so be prepared to waste your time looking for serious swappers .

People in bad council estates, who refuse to move to bad council estates lol. Everyone wants the new build in the nice new cul de sac with views of fields, and lovely neighbours, yet turn their noses up at people who have homes exactly like theirs.

Avoid this crap site

Website is a total joke for doing an actual decent search on there. Not for the fact if your housing association hasn’t signed up they make you pay to use it. Which if nobody wants to swap it’s going to cost you.
Site is also full of time wasters who seem to not want to swap to anything but one house. Or they want rural on the edges of cities yet they don’t want the city postcode. Have had people moving up from a 2 bed to mine and it’s excuse after excuse to not move. Sites a complete waste of time and money. Also searching for swaps is impossible and the “simple” search is something that’s rarely worked. Half the matches don’t even want my area yet there 100% matches. Sh-t site and sh-t service

I've been on there for several years now, and its been an utter waste of time. We had one person who said they wanted a swap, we agreed and it got to the signing stage when suddenly they could not afford the move, and hinted about needing some money. Wondering if they were trying to scam us we said we would be happy to wait, then without warning they pulled the plug, and we found out that they had never even sent their documents in to their housing association, and a week later they were doing the same with someone else. My missus dug into them a bit deeper and found they had done this around a dozen times, and even had several on the go without ever swapping. This is one of many issues with Homeswapper, the main one being as others have said is people claiming they're serious about swapping, yet who seem to only be interested in a single street, in a single postcode despite their wants stating otherwise. We had one swap that looked perfect, we were just outside the 20 miles for the area they were apparently desperate to move to, and we figured it had to be far better than the several hundred miles away they were from it currently, apparently not it seems, as they said no thankyou, and this has been a reoccurring experience since. Too many people on there seem to want the perfect house, in the perfect area in exchange for something that looks nothing outside of the norm, and it doesn't work like that, these are ALL council/housing association properties, not entrants for an ideal homes competition.

Absolute JOKE!I asked not to be contacted directly as I am a vulnerable woman, as soon as I closed my account I had a disgruntled tenant email me on my personal email address giving me abuse and threatening to come and smash my windows and also threatening to stab me as I slept, he was sick of time wasters on Homeswapper! I contacted Homeswapper about this but it wasn't a cause for concern that they had leaked my info and it had led to this, do not use this service, they will not keep you safe

Agree with 99.9% of reviews site is the worst but so are most the council's and housing associations. We want to move from a huge 3 bed house, found a 2 bed tiny flat perfect....but no council said we can't have a 2 bed ridiculous we live in a 3 bed, two reception room house. Why would we want a 1 bed in an area I dont want? The site does not filter out the council's and housing associations that do not allow an extra bedroom so we get loads of potential swappers and we keep having to turn them away.

HomeSwapper...Once your on the rollercoaster it won’t let you of

Homeswapper might not be for everyone and I believe it comes to luck aswell finding your dream move.
My personal experience I joined homeswapper in may 2019 and within a week found my dream swap central London and moved in August 2019. My advice will be don’t give up keep hopes high coz you never know!!!!

What's going on?
I keep getting message from Homeswappers saying I must reply to messages - some are months or years old they've dredged up.
These messages are from people who've answered me, saying they don't want my home or are not interested.

I've had my answer they don't need a reply!! Haha, sites a joke now stuck in a loop for an eternity...

HOMESWAPPER IS RUBBISH!! LET'S BE HONEST!!

Anybody who uses this app is guaranteed to feel frustrated and angry within five minutes of being on it. Overall, the app itself is easy to use, it's very simple.

The biggest problem with Homeswapper are peoples EXPECTATIONS!! And even though your match is between 97% to 100%, the reply from them is always the same thing "sorry its not what I'm looking for". In their description though it clearly states, "5 miles within St Austell area". Well if its not what your looking for remove your freaking "what your looking for" comment! It's misleading. Some who lives in blocks of flats wany gardens, some who has a three bedroom house wants a four, some who has a one bedroom wants a two! I'm not saying it's wrong that you WANT those things, but why do you put in your description that your happy to move to a flat? Then when your messaged you say you need a garden! Geez. Your never gonna have the ideal home that your dreaming of. Think more realisticly! To those people who are "just looking", get off the app will you! Your absolutely annoying, nosey and if you have no intentions of moving, get off! You either want to move or you don't. Your just wasting our time for the more serious swappers!

It's pointless going to your local Council because they will only suggest that you use Homeswapper.

For real people though, get a grip!! Start small, you'll soon realise that starting small can make you live big.

People are unrealistic about what type of properties are available to them!

Homeswapper is not Location Location Location!...

I have previously used Homeswapper to move back in 2013, from signing up to moving, it took about 8 months. So I know how it works and what to expect, however, I must note - the upgrade to the site is appalling and locks you out, glitches and doesnt enable you to read messages etc...And I think the people have got worse! If I'm honest....Like previous reviews, people dont message you back or you fit perfectly with what there asking for but there response is " no, it's not what I'm looking for", which makes no sense to me!

People need to be aware of what type of properties which are available in a particular area to them. I live in an area with lots of Victorian houses, which in reality are not big properties! Only the privately owned ones are big and that's because they invested lots of money and extended it. If my property was on the private market, it would be snapped up because it a highly sort after house and an highly sort after area. But yet people in council properties seem to believe there going to get a high end, huge mansion! In return for their property that basically like mine anyway! It's not how it works ... I think there is a clash of dreams and reality.... and people wanting a perfect property, which does not exist.

People need to look past the advert or pictures because there both deceiving, you dont know what a property really looks like until you view it ( one that looks big & nice might not be those things at all) and also, another important factor, the feel for the property, the potential to make it yours!

I believe people need to take a little more time when considering a property, go and view it, get a feel and most importantly be honest from the being to the other swapper about what your looking for ( or just respond and dont ignore), but more so, be honest with yourself and your expectations, with regards to what's really available. Because otherwise your going to waste, not only your time, but mine also....Dont be on Homeswapper if your not serious about swapping!

hahahah

This site is a joke! The have no clear guidelines, allow people to have almost zero information in their home adverts and their search options are almost always broken.

I have contacted them several times with site errors and things going against their guidelines and I am met with a stock reply of " we are just an admin"...it is appalling really that get a huge amount of money and resource to essentially do nothing because most housing associations and councils are too lazy to do the work themselfs!

This is in essence outsourcing and that in and of its self is awful and destitute of moral.

The layout looks like it was made by a child....actually no that is unfair a child would do a better job.