We met with Sabine from Rotterdam. Sabine left for Spain this autumn to emigrate permanently? Permanently, she wasn’t sure about that yet, which is why the last thing she wanted was to sell her beloved apartment in Rotterdam. She decided to exchange it for an apartment in Gandia, in Spain.

Home Exchange, how Did You Come up with this Idea?

I had decided to go to Spain and was looking for a house. I mentioned this everywhere, and by chance, I came into contact with someone from Málaga. She wanted to go to the Netherlands but was looking for someone who could look after her cats in her house. And that’s how I got the idea to exchange my house. Because just selling your house, without truly knowing if you’ll settle in Spain, is a very big step. This gives me the opportunity to calmly take my time to discover my new place of residence, without burning my bridges.

How Did You Approach the Home Exchange?

I started Googling and came across Home Exchange. The platform seemed trustworthy to me, so I decided to list my apartment on the site. It didn’t take long for the first requests to come in. That’s how I got in touch with Alfonso from Spain. Alfonso had listed his house in Gandia online and was looking for a house in Rotterdam for his son and girlfriend who are going to study in Rotterdam. We video-called to get acquainted and thus agreed on the exchange for 3 months. The administrative process, such as signing an exchange agreement, paying a deposit, etc., goes through the Home Exchange platform. They are the intermediary, and for their services, I pay €160 per year.

I Understand You’ve Extended by Now, how Do You Know how Things are Going in your House?

I had a good feeling about Alfonso and his son; moreover, we are staying in each other’s houses, and that idea gave me peace of mind. As a “safeguard”, there’s also a deposit of €500 that we both paid to Home Exchange. They manage the deposit, which gives me peace of mind. It’s good, should anything happen, that I can claim the deposit. Now I’m assuming the best and not worrying; I’ve even entrusted the care of my cat to Alfonso’s son.

Do You See any more Advantages in this Exchange?

Absolutely! In Spain, I have someone to fall back on; Juan, for example, helped me with the application for a NIE number. That’s great, because it’s not a simple process, and it helps to have someone who masters the language and knows how Spain works “administratively” to help you with this. At Home Exchange, you earn points. For example, my house is worth approximately 100 points due to its size and
number of rooms. You can earn points when you make your house available through the platform. Additionally, you can earn points by completing your profile and through certain promotions from Home Exchange.
Now I’m back in Rotterdam for a few weeks for the holidays, and Alfonso’s son and girlfriend are also going back to Spain for a while. I can then use my own house in Rotterdam again. During my stay in the Netherlands, I can also use my points for weekend trips in the east of the country as long as the Spanish couple is still staying in my own house. With this exchange, I’m really lucky. It’s for a longer period and in a great location near the beach. I also have very good contact with the owner. Alfonso’s house is larger, so it’s worth more points. But the difference in points doesn’t hinder an exchange. It’s not that I have to pay extra because Alfonso has more points than I do. He can simply approve the reciprocal exchange despite a point difference.

How Long Do You Want to Continue with this?

I want to continue with this for now, because you can actually exchange all over the world.
I see it as a great opportunity to be able to flexibly stay.

Are there any other Things You Need to Consider?

If you exchange for a longer period, my advice is to look into a few more things. It’s wise to take into account requirements from, for example, a Homeowners Association, and it’s advisable to inform the neighbors. Also ask in advance if it’s necessary for the temporary residents to register at your address, because then you’ll need to consider even more things, including municipal taxes.

What is your Advice to People who Want to Exchange Their House?

Do it! Try it. But don’t underestimate how much time it takes to get your house “ready for exchange”. It takes quite some time to store your personal belongings elsewhere and to free up enough closet space for the temporary residents. Do try to find out something about the people who want to stay in your house. For example, ask for their profile on AirBnB; there you can read reviews of how they behave as guests. Conversely, if you use AirBnB or similar platforms, make sure landlords also review you so that you too can demonstrate that you treat someone else’s property with care. And get acquainted beforehand; a video call is easy to arrange.