A homeswap is a way of enjoying free accommodation either in the UK or overseas. Using a home exchange platform, you pair up with a homeowner at your desired destination. Then while you’re on holiday staying in their home, they stay in your property.

Most homeswappers use a platform like Homebase Holidays to organise their trip. This puts you in touch with possible partners from around the world so you can get started arranging your home exchange.

Once you’ve paired with a suitable partner household and agreed dates, it’s time to get your home ready to host your homeswappers.

Take care of niggling repairs

Most people’s homes have peculiarities – the toilet flush that needs to be pressed just so, or the ruck in the hall carpet. We get used to these niggles – but they can make life awkward for guests. So get them fixed before you homeswap.

Check all safety equipment is working

Keeping your smoke alarms in working order and checking your carbon monoxide detectors is part of most people’s home routine. So before your holiday make sure that all your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide monitors are working as they should and that the batteries are fresh.

Clean and declutter your house before your homeswap

A clean home will give your homeswappers a comfortable, welcoming holiday. And a decluttered home will be more appealing and easier to care for. Put out-of-season items like Christmas decorations into storage to give your guests a bit of extra space.

You may also have items that you’d rather your homeswap partners don’t touch, or that may not be to their taste (not everyone likes horror film memorabilia, for example). These are perfect candidates for your storage unit ahead of your homeswap holiday. Remember to update your storage inventory, and check that your self-storage insurance is still right for you. It’s worth getting a few quotes for self-storage insurance if the contents of your storage room changes. Specialist self-storage insurers like Store and Insure can often give you a better deal on insurance than your storage company can – so get a quick quote today.

What insurance do I need for a homeswap?

To ensure that your possessions at home are covered under your home contents insurance, you’ll need to let your insurance company know that you’re doing a homeswap with non-paying guests.

Prepare your welcome pack

It’s kind to leave basic provisions for your homeswap partners. Think what you would find useful on arrival at your holiday destination – for example, toilet paper, tea and coffee, biscuits, milk and cereal. Some hosts leave flowers, a bottle of wine or a regional treat and that can be a nice gesture.

Although it’s easy to ask a search engine for any information you want about the local area, a friendly gesture might be a few leaflets about local attractions, and details of things like the nearest shops and the best takeaways and restaurants. You may also wish to include contact details for healthcare, taxis and trusted tradesmen for household emergencies.

Include instructions for appliances, and details like where to find the stop cock. And remember to provide info about rubbish collection days.

Communication is key in the run-up to your homeswap holiday

Good communication ahead of your homeswap holiday is so important in building trust with your homeswap partner family. Answering their questions will inspire you to ask questions of your own and promote the sharing of information which will help the holiday to go more smoothly.