I recently returned from a month-long road trip where I used Home Exchange for the first time – both as a host and a guest. I stayed in homes in Portland and Boise, and while a Spanish traveler stayed in my San Francisco condo. Things didn’t go exactly as planned on either side of the exchange, so I’m sharing an honest review of what went well, what went wrong, and how Home Exchange handled the situation. If you’ve ever wondered whether home swapping really works, this post is for you.
If you decide to join Home Exchange after reading this, I would appreciate it if you would use my referral link, we will each get an extra 250 guest points
What is Home Exchange?
Have you seen the movie “The Holiday” where Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet trade homes? It is exactly like that, except you have the option to do a reciprocal exchange where you trade homes with someone like the movie, or a points exchange where you pay the host in points that you accumulate by hosting in your own home. I like the concept that you can’t buy points or exchanges and that you can only earn them by hosting, so everyone on the platform has their own home up for hosting. You can also review photos of the potential guest’s own home before you approve for them to stay in your home. I definitely judged potential guests on their cleanliness and style of their own home, just saying.
Joining Home Exchange
Prior to joining the platform, Home Exchange had someone call me to see if I had any questions, and it made me feel more comfortable with the process. They advised me to prepare my home just like I was having friends come to stay with me. They also sent lists and a template for how to provide a guide to my home. I found the entire process very helpful and easy to reach out to someone if I needed anything.
My home was approved to join “Collection” which is their version of higher-end homes. I decided to join. There is a higher annual fee, but it allowed my home to be worth more points and gave me a better customer service experience in case anything went wrong, which I am glad I went with. Once you join, you can do an unlimited amount of exchanges for the year.
Finding an Exchange
This was slightly more difficult than I anticipated. I started dipping my toes in by trying to find a short weekend exchange that was within a three-hour drive from San Francisco that we could do a reciprocal exchange, and I could bring my dog. I messaged people along the Northern California Coast from Carmel Valley up to Mendicino as well as some inland locations like Sonoma. Perhaps it was too short of notice, and it was the end of summer, but I wasn’t able to find an exchange.
Once my expectations had been reset, I tried to find points exchanges for my road trip in Portland and Boise. Now that I knew I would likely have to message several homes that had availability on their calendars and allowed dogs, I got to work searching and messaging. This time, I was able to find homes to stay in both locations within a few days. The biggest difference between Airbnb and Home Exchange for booking is that it takes more time and flexibility to book a Home Exchange.
Hosting
I received several requests to stay in my home and was able to find someone that wanted to stay for three weeks while I was planning to be away for a month, it felt like a perfect match.
One perk of Home Exchange is that you can ask guests to do tasks to help take care of your home while you are away, like water plants. So in addition to getting to stay in someone else’s home, I also got someone to water my plants, and I didn’t have to ask for any favors from friends or neighbors. It was more preparation for me prior to leaving than I would have done if I was leaving my home empty since I made sure to change bedding and have everything extra clean for a guest, but I do like having a clean home so having a deadline for extra cleaning was okay with me.
The timing worked out that my guest arrived the morning I was departing so I was able to walk him through my home and give him the keys in person before I took off on my trip. Everything seemed smooth while I was away. I checked in on him and checked with neighbors. It appeared that everything was fine, and he was a nice quiet guest. I’ll write more about what things were like when I returned later in this post.
Staying as a Guest
My First Exchange in Portland
I arrived at my first Home Exchange in Portland, Oregon. Similar to an Airbnb, the host sent me details for how to get into the home before I arrived. Inside, there was a guide to the home on the dining room table for me to review. This was my third time in Portland and I decided I wanted to stay in a house in the North East quadrant of the City and experience life there from a more suburban location than I previously stayed.
The home was definitely lived in, it was like staying at a family member’s home that you’ve never been to before (without them there). It felt a little strange to be in a stranger’s home, but it was also nice to be in a fully stocked house. The home I stayed in was a bit more cluttered than my personal preference, but it was comfortable, and my dog loved the dog toys that were in the home.
One noticeable difference between Home Exchange and Airbnb was the hospitality with an exchange. My host checked in on me, gave me recommendations for places to eat (even when I had specific questions about what was dog-friendly), and even offered me keys to their Smart Car. A CAR! I didn’t use it since I was on a road trip and had my own car, but I was shocked that someone would offer this. Another thing I noticed about the home was some of the photos and art around the home, these were clearly people that love travel. The more time I spent in the home, the more I appreciated it.
When I left, there was more cleaning expected than an AirBNB, which also makes sense since I wasn’t paying a cleaning fee and was expected to leave the home as I found it.
My Second Exchange in Boise
This is where things start to go awry in my travel plans. My dog sprained her ankle running in the Salmon River in Idaho. After a couple days of limping I took her to the vet and she was ordered to rest for two weeks. Due to this news, I decided to cancel my exchange in Boise two days before my arrival and head home early. What fun would Boise be if I couldn’t go for long walks and hikes with my dog and we just needed to stay home and rest?
I am happy to report the Home Exchange customer service and my host were incredibly nice and accommodating for the situation. I cancelled the exchange through the website and messaged my host. When I returned home, I called Home Exchange Collection and spoke to someone about the issue. A few hours later someone called me back and let me know they would be sending me an email about the situation and to send the vet bill as proof of reason for cancellation. I sent the invoice as requested and a few days later the points for the exchange were refunded in my account and the host was also allowed to keep the points. A HUGE thank you to Home Exchange for making that so easy and pleasant.
I looked at the policy for cancellations and while that outcome is not guaranteed, they do say they will do that at their discretion if there is a reason for the cancellation.
Returning Home
Unfortunately, my home was not cared for the way I expected. After much research, talking to others that have used the platform, and reading many only reviews, I expected Home Exchangers to treat my home the way I treat it and to return home to a clean, well-cared for home. Neither of those happened.
While my plants were cared for and my home was tidy and I could tell it had been vacuumed, that is about the extent of the “care” that was taken. My bathroom was not clean, there was hair on the walls and toothpaste splatters in the sink and on the walls. I found grease burns on my brand-new stove, food splatters on cabinets, and rotting food left in my fridge. My heat had been turned on, turned up to 70, and left on when he departed. Worst of all, a large antique pocket door had been jammed back into the wall so badly that it disconnected from the rollers and was unable to move. I needed to have a contractor come in and take apart the door frame to repair the door. Actual construction in my home to repair the damage! Needless to say, he is never welcome in my home again.
I reported the pocket door damage to Home Exchange Collection and within hours someone called me back to walk me through the process for dealing with damage. Each guest leaves a $500 deposit when they stay so I was able to decline to return the deposit when I wrote a review of the guest. I had to provide photos of the damage to Home Exchange, and the invoice for the work from the contractor. The pocket door repair was more than the amount of the deposit, and Home Exchange agreed to cover the part of the cost that was not covered by the guest deposit. Having my home treated that way was awful, but I was happy that Home Exchange helped me find a resolution and paid for the damage.
Will I use Home Exchange Again?
At this point, I have points in my account that I plan on using to stay at other homes. As far as hosting, I want to have a better experience and will likely host again. I’ve heard such good reviews from other hosts that I have to believe most hosting experiences are better than my first time. For now, I am taking a break and have been responding to messages for potential future exchanges. I am planning to try again over the holidays.
Customer Service
I have read other reviews online criticizing Home Exchange for a lack of customer service and not helping them when guests caused damage to their home or there were issues. I did not have this experience at all. I found it easy to contact Home Exchange Collection and was able to get help resolving issues quickly. I may have received a higher level of service due to being a Collection member. If that is the case, it is definitely worth joining the higher level just in case things do not go as planned.
Summary
My first experience with Home Exchange wasn’t perfect, but it gave me valuable insight into how the platform works and how to prepare for next time. Hosting requires trust and communication, and while things went wrong, I was impressed with how quickly Home Exchange helped resolve the issues. I still believe it’s an amazing concept for slow travelers or anyone wanting to feel at home while exploring a new city.
Join Home Exchange
If you decide to join after this review, here is my referral link. If you sign up with this link we will each get an extra 250 guest points which is good for 1-2 nights.
Have you used Home Exchange? Let me know what your experience has been.
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