Q&A: preparing my house for a home exchange holiday?

Q: I've been browsing offers on the Home Base Holidays website and am very interested in the idea of arranging a home swap holiday. It looks such a good idea but, as this would be my first swap, I am a little bit unsure of what people will be expecting of my home. My home is a 2-bedroom apartment in North London, it's not overly fancy or anything but I think it's a very nice comfortable space and has excellent public transport options nearby making it ideal for getting around London. However, it's where I live and so has all my clothes and personal belongings, etc - am I meant to remove these items / hide them away prior to a swap?

- Alan (London, England)

A: It's great that you’re interested in home swapping! Although Home Base Holidays does have quite a few second/holiday homes available for swapping, the vast majority of properties are just like yours - homes that are lived in full time. Therefore, being real lived-in homes, they will be fully furnished and contain personal items, kitchen stuff and in some cases things such as kids toys, cots, etc. Home swappers will expect to be staying in a real home rather than a holiday rental or hotel room. Therefore, there's absolutely no need to remove your personal belongings, just make sure that your home is clean, tidy and welcoming for your guest's arrival.

However, it's always good to clear a little space in your wardrobe so that your home swap guests have space to hang their clothes rather than living out of their suitcases (they won't likely need a lot of space if swapping for a short period). Make sure to also provide clean bedding and towels. It's also recommended to clear out the clutter from your fridge but it's nice to leave some basic foodstuffs such as tea, coffee, milk, bread and butter so that your guests have this for their arrival.

Welcome folder: prior to a swap, spend some time putting together a home swap a welcome folder for your guests; use this to explain how things work in your home (e.g. heating, alarm, locking doors, etc), tips for local attractions, recommendations for nearby cafes and restaurants, transport information and emergency numbers.

For peace of mind, some home swappers use a lockable room or take advantage of friends/family nearby to store items that they would not want available during an exchange (e.g. work laptop or items of sentimental value).

House insurance: it’s very rare that we hear of problems during an exchange but it’s important to contact your house insurers to confirm your policy will cover the period your guests will be staying (we can also point you in the direction of reasonably price top up insurance for home swappers).

Understandably, it can be quite a daunting planning your first home swap holiday but we're always here to help in any way we can! Contact us with any questions