After the covid pandemic, Clive decided he wanted to move to a new home. He was living in a sheltered bungalow
just outside the city centre of Norwich. Feeling nostalgic having previously lived in London, and regularly visiting to see friends, he wanted to return.
Clive first registered on House Exchange in February 2021. Living in a sheltered home made it a little tricky to find
a swap, as the property was restricted to people over 60. Despite this hurdle, Clive remained active on House Exchange, regularly checking his account for swaps and messaging people.
Joe, who is the Customer Support Officer at House Exchange would regularly check in to provide any required
support, giving tips and advice to help him on his search for a swap. Clive started to look at multi swaps, and in
2023, he agreed to a multi swap via a four-way exchange, making the move in December.
Clive moved into a one-bedroom ground floor flat in Southwark, however it didn’t really feel like home. It had lovely features, including high ceilings and a long garden, but it felt too big. London also was not as he remembered, and
so he decided to move back to Norwich.
He registered back on House Exchange in January 2024 with the help of Joe. In March, Clive found a potential direct
swap to a bungalow just outside of Norwich. After viewing each other's homes, they agreed to exchange. As a direct swap, this was very straightforward and both households swapped homes in June 2024.
Since moving back to Norwich, Clive said everything is ‘all coming together.’ He is starting to get to know his new neighbours and is very happy living in his new location, close to the familiarity of Norwich. Some bills have also become slightly less which is helpful!
Clive said he found House Exchange very easy to navigate. He found comfort in certain features, such as seeing how many views his advert had and when he would get new matches. He described Joe at House Exchange as being extremely helpful, with regular check ins via telephone calls to offer encouragement and support Clive in his venture for a mutual exchange.
Clive’s story is a notable example of how House Exchange, even with a few hurdles and patience, helps people move into the home they want.
After supporting Clive with House Exchange, Joe in the team said, “It was a pleasure to support Clive through his mutual exchange journey. He took to House Exchange like a duck to water and showed great optimism and perseverance in agreeing a 4-way multi-swap to get from Norwich to London.
This experience no doubt helped us when Clive was subsequently looking to move back to Norwich. Finding a direct exchange over such a long distance is certainly no easy feat, so to go from re-registering, to moving into his new home in just under 5 months is a great reflection of both the House Exchange website, as well as the amazing work we were able to do together.
It’s also a nice touch that his straight swap from London to Norwich involved two of our partner landlords in Southwark Council and Norwich City Council.
Clive’s story is a fantastic example that with dedication and patience, House Exchange is the best option for social housing residents looking for their dream move.”
