“Think of home exchange as internet dating for your home,” says Ed Kushins, president of HomeExchange.com, which has more than 11,000 listings in 100 countries. “Before you actually go on a date, you would talk on the phone a few times and swap recent photos.”

Ilana Richardson and Crispin Ellison are recent converts to the movement. Ilana, 56, an artist, and Crispin, 60, manager of a charity, posted their house online, after enthusiastic reports from friends. Since 2004, they have swapped time in their four-bedroom Victorian coachhouse in south London (or most of it: their daughters’ two bedrooms remain out of bounds) for two-week stays in San Francisco and Venice, and a weekend in Jersey. They are off to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, before Christmas.

“The best thing is that you get to live in a residential area,” says Richardson. “It isn’t all touristy. Plus, I’m quite curious about how other people live, so it is quite exciting exploring someone else’s house without them being there.”

When mi casa is tu casa

Get to know your guests before the swap: exchange e-mails and phone calls to establish a rapport

Post as many pictures and ask as many questions as possible

Ask for referrals about previous exchanges

Lock away your and your children’s valuables

Discuss payment of phone and other bills in advance

Check your insurance: if guests steal from your home, a successful claim may not be guaranteed

You can add a named “homeswap” driver to your car insurance for a fee

Work out any contentious issues, such as pets and smoking

Agree to leave a bottle of wine and ingredients for a meal in the fridge, ready for your guests’ arrival

HomeExchange.com, 00 1 310 798 3864, www.homeexchange.com; HomeLink, 01962 886 882, www.homelink.org.uk; Intervac, 0845 260 5776, www.intervac.co.uk

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