Move or swap a home

If you’re a Soha tenant and want to move home, there are a few options for you to find a home that better suits your needs.

Maybe you’ve got a new job that’s not so local, or maybe you’d like to move closer to family or friends. Whatever the reason, you can register and then look for a new home on your local authority letting scheme, where all empty properties (including ours) are advertised.

Most authorities use schemes called choice based letting schemes. This means that rather than your local authority deciding which properties to offer you, you can tell them which properties you’re interested in by bidding for them.

All the bids for each property are then ranked in order of priority, and the home is offered to the bidder with the highest priority. ‘Bidding’ doesn’t actually involve any money – it’s just a way of saying that you’re interested in a particular property.

Local authority letting schemes have strict criteria; for example, any rent arrears must be below the required threshold.

What do I do next?

If you want to move home, you must first make an application to your local authority lettings scheme. If you need help with this, please get in touch with your local council. You can find your local authority here.

An exchange (known as a mutual exchange) is a way of swapping your home with another Soha tenant, or a tenant at a different housing association, or a council tenant.

You can apply for an exchange if:

  • your rent account is clear
  • there are no ASB, nuisance cases or court actions outstanding
  • you’re exchanging to a suitably sized property for your needs

What do I do next?

Start your search! One of the many places you can search is HomeSwapper, a dedicated service to mutual exchanges for social housing residents (and free for Soha residents).

Once you’ve found a suitable home to swap with, go to our dedicated mutual exchange page to read about the process and complete and submit an application form. HomeSwapper does not notify us when you have found a potential swap.

Our Lettings team deals with all mutual exchanges. We have a dedicated email address for everything to do with mutual exchanges. It’s exchange@soha.co.uk
Contact us for more information or help on what to do next.

If you’re moving because of exceptional circumstances (such as suffering severe harassment or domestic violence) or because you or a family member becomes disabled, we can help.

What do I do next?

Get in touch with our Neighbourhood team to explain your circumstances and include any supporting documents. We will assess your situation in accordance with our Management Transfer Policy.

If you’re under-occupying a family-sized house (which is too big for you now) and want to move to a smaller property, you may qualify for help under our downsizing incentive scheme. This could mean help with your removal costs and a cash payment when you move in.

What do I do next?

Contact our Lettings team for more information.

Moving to your new home

Once we have reviewed and approved your application through the MySoha app, we will send you an offer letter. This letter will include the full address of the property, details about rent and service charges, and the expected start date for your tenancy (which may change).

When the property is ready for viewing, we will arrange to meet you there. If it works for both you and us, we can also sign the tenancy agreement and hand over the keys on the same day as the viewing. Please do not visit the property without a member of the Soha Lettings team. If meeting at the property is not possible, we will invite you to our office in Didcot to sign paperwork and collect the keys.

This meeting will take up to an hour. During this time, we will review your tenancy agreement, explain any work planned after you move in, and answer any questions you have about your new home and tenancy. At this meeting, we will also ask you to pay up to one month’s rent or charges for the property.

We may send you the tenancy agreement a few days before your appointment so you can read it and sign it digitally, or you can sign it in person at your sign-up meeting.