Apartment exchange: the simplest way to travel in the city
Your apartment is worth a holiday. On Homeforswap, home exchange between members opens the door to thousands of verified city homes — no nightly rate, no commission.
People often assume home exchange is only for big houses with a garden. It isn’t: the apartment is the most swapped home in Europe, simply because travellers want to sleep where the city actually happens.
A studio in Lisbon, a two-bedroom in Berlin, a Haussmann flat in Paris: every one of them is valuable to someone. That is what a house swap is — you lend yours, you stay in theirs, and nobody reaches for a credit card. On Homeforswap only the yearly membership is paid: the stays themselves cost nothing.
Why apartments swap so well
Location beats floor space
A one-bedroom ten minutes from the centre gets more requests than a villa an hour’s drive away. In a city, what you really swap is a starting point.
A real home, not a room
A proper kitchen, a washing machine, a decent bed: enough to stay a week or a month without living out of a hotel. That is what changes everything for families and long stays.
No nightly rate
A week for two in a European capital easily costs €700 to €1,200 in accommodation. With Homeforswap that line drops to zero — which is often what makes the trip happen at all.
Apartments right across Europe
A few of the cities where our members swap their apartment most often.
Presenting your apartment well
- Shoot in full daylight — Open the curtains, clear the worktops, shoot each room from its widest corner. A listing with no kitchen photo gets half the requests.
- Describe the neighbourhood, not just the flat — The bakery on the corner, the metro line, the Sunday market: that is what makes someone pick your listing over another of the same size.
- Be precise about the floor and the lift — A fifth floor with no lift isn’t a flaw, it’s information. Far better said upfront than discovered on arrival.
- Set aside a locked cupboard — A cupboard or a room you keep for your personal things. Every host does it and nobody minds.
- Leave a welcome note — The door code, how the heating works, your favourite restaurant. It is the detail travellers mention most in their reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Also worth a look: pet-friendly homes · trip to Europe · departure checklist