Housing corporations launch ‘Tinder’ for swapping homes

Dutch housing corporations on Monday launched what they are calling a ‘Tinder’ for house swaps, allowing people who live in corporation property to move around more easily.

In total, 26 housing corporations with 330,000 homes between them have signed up for the service.

The app – huisjehuisje – focuses on Noord and Zuid-Holland but houses from all over the country can be included, as can homes with private landlords. The site points out that it is up to the owner to decide whether or not to agree to the swap.

Users display their house, neighbourhood and rents without their name and address. Housing corporations also have the option of adding in that the rent may be increased for a new contract.

Project leader Pieter Schipper, who works for housing corporation Ymere, told the Volkskrant that he hopes ‘people like finding out what their rental home is worth on the market for home exchanges.’

‘It must become as addictive as looking up homes to buy on Funda,’ he told the paper.

There are 3.2 million rental homes in the Netherlands, of which 2.3 million are rent-controlled. Every year, just 5% of tenants move to a new home but housing corporations are keen to encourage greater flexibility. They say too many tenants are living in a home which does not fit their household needs in terms of size or price.