"We do long-term exchanges to Australia and New Zealand. And if you want to go to someone's villa in Bermuda in June and he wants to spend January at your flat in the Canary Islands, that can be arranged," says director Michael Reilly.
"A lot of our members are repeat customers," says Lois Sealey, founder of Home Base Holidays. "People have been exchanging for years and years."
Two other resources for those who are considering a home exchange are Sealy's home exchange blog, and the Sadler family's home exchange website at (homepage.ntlworld.com/a.sadler/exchange/index.htm) which details a family from Malvern's experiences in arranging one.
HOUSE EXCHANGES ; Cash-strapped Britons are exchanging residences, writes Ellen Kelleher
The value of the pound is falling, inflation is rising and the economy is slowing. But still, holidays must be arranged in the face of the gloom.
Cash-strapped Britons are looking to swap houses with strangers in Cape Town, Bermuda and a range of other glamorous holiday spots. And many are turning to the internet to arrange these exchanges.
Rising demand has spawned a number of websites that cater for the demands of house swappers of all stripes. If you are interested in renting out your oceanfront villa in Barbuda, for example, you might want to contact Select Exchange (www.selectexchange.co.uk). The group tries to attract a wealthy clientele with second homes looked after by property management companies.
"We do long-term exchanges to Australia and New Zealand. And if you want to go to someone's villa in Bermuda in June and he wants to spend January at your flat in the Canary Islands, that can be arranged," says director Michael Reilly.
Sabbatical Homes (www.sabbaticalhomes.com) caters to academics looking to swap houses when they are not teaching. And workaway (www.workaway.info) is a site for budget backpackers eager to work on a Hawaiian farm or in a Kathmandu orphanage in exchange for board.
The market is widening quickly, but the pillars of the home-exchange market are three companies which have been in business for a quarter of a century: HomeExchange (homexchange.com), Home Base Holidays (www.homebase-hols.com) and Home Link (www.homelink.org)
"A lot of our members are repeat customers," says Lois Sealey, founder of Home Base Holidays. "People have been exchanging for years and years."
On offer currently at Home Base is a three-bedroom villa in Bali owned by an English couple who are looking to exchange with property owners in the US, New Zealand, Australia or Europe.
A three-bedroom bungalow in Nairobi is also available as an English couple with children are hoping to return to the UK for a spell during the summer.
At Home Exchange, meanwhile, one of the most enticing properties is a four-bedroom house near Kakadu National park in Australia's northern territory.
Rates to sign up for these sites tend to be quite reasonable - in a range of L25 to L50 per year. But an additional charge of L50 to L100 may be added on when an exchange is made.
Two other resources for those who are considering a home exchange are Sealy's home exchange blog, and the Sadler family's home exchange website at (homepage.ntlworld.com/a.sadler/exchange/index.htm) which details a family from Malvern's experiences in arranging one.
Home exchanges are particularly popular with pensioners who tend to be more flexible about the date and length of the exchange.
Amid the economic downturn, more Britons are opting to swap houses with people who live in France and countries closer to home, or choosing to go for long weekends instead of extended stays, according to Sealey of Home Base Holidays.
And, while the popularity of home exchanges is on the rise, there are still many cynics who avoid these sorts of schemes out of concern about potential damage and what could go wrong.
But analysts in the industry dismiss their scepticism, saying mishaps happen infrequently.
And basic home insurance is likely to cover any damages made by reckless guests, they say.
Michael Reilly of Select Exchange claims the lone problem he has encountered since he opened his business last November is a tenant not replacing the bottles of wine he drank at the house he stayed in.
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