According to the survey, thousands of Britons are exchanging homes with others around the world every year.
Who does home swaps?
Propertyfinder.com asked nearly 1000 people about home swapping and revealed that it is surprisingly popular. Half of respondents knew about home swapping and 18 per cent said it was something they would consider, although less than 3 per cent had actually done it.
The people most likely to do a home swap were between the ages of 31 and 35 with 63.8 per cent of this age group saying they would consider exchanging homes for a holiday. However, unlike the film, single people emerged as the people least likely to consider a home swap, perhaps opting for more sociable holidays. People with families were the most enthusiastic respondents, citing affordability as the most popular reason for choosing a home swapping holiday.
Top home swapping destinations
The USA is the top destination respondents would choose, as 15 per cent opted for that country. Surprisingly, a swap with someone elsewhere in Britain came second, while Australia, Canada and New Zealand all scored above 10 per cent.
Least popular destinations
The least popular destinations for home swappers were Eastern Europe (1.2 per cent), even the new EU members only scored 1.7 per cent of the vote. Respondents favoured Western European destinations, preferences seemingly dependent on where the sun shines the hottest. Other regions that scored particularly badly for a house swap were Africa (1.4 per cent) and Asia (2.1 per cent).
Who don’t people want in their homes?
The research shows that people in the UK are reluctant to let some people into their homes, particularly those who don’t speak the same language as them. The results showed that the respondents were more trusting of most English speaking countries, although 19 per cent said they would not trust a fellow Brit in their home.
Warren Bright, chief executive officer of Propertyfinder.com, said: “People are clearly drawn to English speaking countries with strong cultural affinities to the UK as the top five most popular destinations are English speaking. With house swapping often a cheaper alternative to many holidays, people can afford to travel further, perhaps offering an alternative explanation for why we are not so keen to swap with our European neighbours.”
Holiday or road test?
The favourite destinations for house swappers closely reflect the choice of country to which UK citizens emigrate. The top six overseas home swapping destinations are all among the top seven countries to which Britons move.
Bright added: “House swapping is an excellent way to experience life as a resident rather than a visitor. It gives you a more realistic taste of life in an area and is a means by which to test the water if you are considering a more permanent move.
“The close overlap between house swapping and emigration shows it can be a great way to road-test life in a chosen country before committing to a permanent move. UK websites like propertyfinder.com make it really easy for people to research homes overseas – before you even take the plunge on a house swap, let alone a move, you can have a closer look at what other homes are like in the area you are visiting.
“At first glance, the popularity of UK destinations seems surprising, but it makes sense as a way of trying a region for size before buying a second home, or making a permanent move. It is however amusing how little we trust other Brits in our homes.”
