Website of the week: ukholidayswapshop.co.uk
Swapping your home for another, for free: few types of holiday can be better
suited to the current economic climate.
A number of websites facilitate the home-swapping process, by showing you
other homes you can swap with, and, once you've become a member, letting you
advertise your property and contact other swappers.
A 'staycation' this summer could be even more cost effective if you trade houses...
Most of these websites are geared primarily towards international exchanges.
But www.ukholidayswapshop.co.uk, launched earlier this year by keen swappers
Dave and Jackie Wiltshire, is exclusively for those who want to swap their
UK home with another in the UK.
A quick browse reveals lots of tempting properties with which to try to
swap: a farmhouse in the Brecon Beacons, a Devon cottage with sea views, a
house in London's smart Kensington district, a flat in Liverpool's
docklands...
Strengths
Good, concise tips on how to swap successfully. Straightforward search options, either by region or distance from a chosen town or city. And membership is cheap: £14.95 a year if you join before 30 June, £24.95 thereafter - with HomeLink (www.homelink.org.uk), one of the big international swapping websites, the annual fee is at least £115.
Weaknesses
The choice of potential swaps on ukholidayswapshop - currently around 450 properties - is smaller than on other home-swap websites, though it is growing. A surprisingly large number of homes do not have photos. And the concept of swapping - strangers in your home, little recourse should things go wrong - is not for everyone.
Ratings
Inspiring 3/5
Useful 5/5
Easy to use 4/5
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