What to say in your first message? Home exchange FAQs

When contacting a Home Base Holidays member with your initial home swap enquiry message, you don't need to go into great detail as, at this stage you're just trying to gauge if they are interested in discussing your offer further. First impressions count so be friendly and polite - after all, you are asking to stay in their home! Personalise your message; address them by name and mention what you like about their home and location (a little flattery never goes amiss!).

Things you may want to include in your message:

When you'd like to home swap
The duration of the swap
What you like about their home / location
What is nice about your home / location
Important information (e.g. pet care required, accessibility requirements, serious allergy information).
If you've previously home swapped
Commitment to care for their home

Example of a home swap enquiry message:

"Hi Alice, would you be interested in a swap to our stone cottage set on edge of Snowdonia National Park? We saw your listing and thought your London flat looked lovely. We are a retired couple and were hoping to visit London for a week at the end of September, but our dates are flexible. We've swapped a couple of times previously and both were really lovely holidays. We'd take excellent care of your home and are happy to answer any questions. Look forward to hearing from you. Best Wishes, Jan and Mike"

Should you send enquiry messages to more than one member?

It's always good to be proactive when planning a home swap holiday. Most experienced home swappers send out a number of initial enquiry messages rather than one at a time and wait for a reply. With your initial enquiry message, you're not making a commitment to a swap, just seeing if the member would be potentially interested.

If you are considering more than one offer, make your decision as quickly as possible and let other members you have been communicating with know without delay. Also, let members know if you would like to consider their offer, if available, at a later date.

What should I do if I do not receive a reply?

It's good to be patient and give them up to a week to reply. If after a week you have still not received a response, try sending a follow up reminder message. If you still do not get a response, either choose to move on or, if particularly interested in the home swap offer, contact us at Home Base Holidays and we will try to get in touch with the member for you.

Received a new home swap enquiry message?

Try to check your emails and/or the home swap website messages regularly. Where possible, make sure to reply to all home swap offers you receive within a week of receipt. Even if you're not interested in the offer, reply politely declining the offer so that the other member can move on and find alternative home swap accommodation.

If you need time to think about an offer, reply to the member to let them know and try to give them a timescale for you to make a definite decision.

Start planning a home swap holiday

Sign up to Home Base Holidays for free and contact members to arrange your home swap holiday accommodation.

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