With the decline in purchasing power helping, Internet users have found a solution to go on vacation :.exchange their house . How it works ?
It is a question of proposing your house to Internet users, indicating the dates of availability of your accommodation. You then choose another Internet user ready to do the same, and you then operate the exchange.
If you want to go to a specific city, the dates may not coincide with your own holidays.
If, on the contrary, you absolutely want to leave at a very specific time, the destination may not be precisely the one of your dreams.
In addition, the platforms have evolved well for some time, and you can now do non-simultaneous exchange thanks to certain sites.
You can also participate with a student studio, an apartment or a loft. Whether you are a tenant or an owner , you can take part in the adventure. Indeed, it is not a question of subletting, but of an exchange, that is to say a transaction without collection of rent.
The benefits of home swapping
The advantages of exchanging your home are above all economic, especially if you are traveling with your family. Those who exchange their accommodation leave on average twice as often as the others . You only pay annual registration fees (100€/year on average, and some are even free), and then benefit from a considerable offer of possible destinations without having to pay the hotel .
You can exchange your accommodation, but also your car . Some ask for it in their ads, especially when it comes to a destination accessible by plane. It can also allow you to make real savings , especially if your stay is planned for a long time.
Announcement
Finally, mking a home exchange can be practical, especially if you have animals that you cannot take with you: you can ask that your guests take care of them during their stay at your home. In addition, since your house is occupied, it considerably reduces the risk of being burglarized during your vacation.
The non-simultaneous exchange
The basic principle of the exchange is to lend one’s accommodation reciprocally and at the same time. But faced with certain spatio-temporal limits, a new concept has emerged: Nightswapping (= night swapping). The principle is simple and based on a points system : you earn points by welcoming members to your home, and you use these same points to stay for free elsewere (with another member of the site).
The exchange can then generally be done in 2 ways: either you lend or borrow an entire accommodation (when the host is not there), or you exchange a This last case offers the advantage to the most reluctant to embark on a home exchange while having an eye on their accommodation. And it can also create links.
What about my house insurance?
The fear of not finding their accommodation in the same condition slows down many Internet users. However, incidents are extremely rare in these procedures.
To prevent possible damage, consider looking at your multi-risk home insurance . In the event of theft, the insurance companies will only insure your house if there are traces of burglary, but you can of course always file a complaint.
In any case, two documents are necessary before contracting an exchange: home insurnce and civil liability insurance.
Register well in advance. You will be able to read the forums and the impressions of other members on the person who will come to you. Once the choice of the person or the family has been made, contact them by email, telephone, etc. Don’t hesitate! It is important to set up a dialogue and reassure each other. Your correspondent will probably have as much apprehension as you and will be just as happy to get to know you. You can even invite him for a weekend, to get to know each other. Many friendships have been made through this.
Which site to choose?
To make your life easier and avoid getting lost in a comparison of home exchange sites, we have selected the best site for you, and which has become the undisputed leader:
Home Exchange
It was born from the merger of Trocmaison (which only made simultaneous exchange) with the site (specialized inIt has now become the world’s leading network of holiday home exchange sites, and many offers for all countries in the world are listed there. The registration and publication of your ad is free: this allows you to test the potential of your house and the exchange in general. The platform is then remunerated on the paid services included in the annual subscription. Indeed, from your first exchange, you will have to subscribe to a subscription of 130€/year and you pay nothing more the rest of the year whatever the number of exchanges. Suffice to say that the subscription pays for itself very quickly compared to a hotel night!
They have already experimented with home exchange, and they give us their advice.
(if you also want to participate in these testimonials, contact us )
Our shortest exchange was for 4 days, a long weekend with a bridge. We had gone to Vendée. And the
– Your best exchange : Difficult to choose… We hesitate between Denmark, which was our only exchange abroad, so some great discoveries. And Auvergne, with its fabulous volcanic landscapes! Let’s say both…