***CHACS IS CELEBRATING 21 YEARS***

Established in 2003, 'CHACS' has enabled hundreds of Christians to enjoy amazing holidays all over the UK and beyond!

'Christian House and Church Swap’ (CHACS)  is a UK based holiday house swap organisation. There are registered members throughout the UK, Europe and further afield.  House-swapping works well for everyone; single people, married couples, friends and families. Instead of paying a substantial amount of money for holiday accommodation, and then leaving your house empty, you can simply swap homes with other Christians! 

One of our earliest members writes:-'We have been holidaying through CHACS since 2006, and have done between one and three holidays a year with them. We have been to Scotland several times, Wales, France, Spain, Germany and Australia. Truthfully, we have only ever had good experiences, and experiences we wouldn't otherwise have had, and I see these holidays as a blessing from God. (Rebekah & Graham with their 2 children from Oxford ref:- 0-375)

Some Feedback from 2023:-

From Adele (joined 2007) stayed in London, reference:- 1322

This location was fantastic. We had a great week in a really budget friendly way. We were able to use the house as a base, cook tea and make packed lunches ; so it worked out a fantastic way to do what would have been a very expensive holiday. Without the house swap we would never have been able to afford to go to London for a week in the middle of the school 6-week holidays.

Thank you for making house swapping possible. We have had two fantastic holidays this year and are currently looking through details for Scotland and Manchester house swaps for next year.

From Matt (joined 2018) stayed in Devon ref:- 1237

We had a really great house-swap holiday and enjoyed being able to visit the South Devon seaside and Dartmoor from the house. The house was spacious and easy to relax in. Good instructions on arrival. Particularly enjoyed the lovely kitchen/dining extension to the ground floor and the large and airy attic bedroom.

From Eric and Hazel (joined 2009) stayed in Suffolk ref:- 1692

This is a lovely detached bungalow set amongst fields on the outskirts of the small hamlet of Thwaite. We had hares for neighbours and as they don't make much noise it was a very peaceful stay! You need a car to get around, and we found many village churches open which were fascinating, as well as charming small towns. If you want to “chill out” this is a stay for you. Top marks all round!

From Aron & Natalie (joined 2022) stayed in Coventry ref:- 1514.

This lovely home is well-equipped and perfect for a family. The hosts were kind and friendly; they even provided a detailed information pack which was extremely helpful. This is perfect for a city break, and their garden is a fantastic space. We had a brilliant stay. Thank you!

From Charlotte and Graham (joined 2008) house/garden/cattery-sat, near Asti in Italy ref- A141

Italy is beautiful and we really fell in love with the place and people! We appreciated being in a non-touristy area but thanks to Mark & Denien's local recommendations we found plenty to do. As a couple they are warm, welcoming and encouraging! The house is right next to a forest so we could walk, cycle and run from the front door, but also very close to two villages with plenty of local amenities and only 20 mins from the town of Asti where we spent some magical evenings enjoying pizza, gelato and soaking up the atmosphere (our children even joined an informal football game in the main square at 11pm one evening!). It's in a stunning wine-growing region so some (hilly!) cycles and drives rewarded us with breathtaking views. Mark &Denien shared lots of ideas of places to go and things to do, including introducing us to a local vintner where we spent a very special evening tasting some of her wines (we may have brought some home...!), as well as spending an evening with their friend a local b & b owner who hosted us for 'Aperitivo' and a dip in his pool! Speaking a small amount of Italian definitely helped in this area but could be learnt on the go. We drove from England via the Dover-Calais ferry, breaking our journey in France each way. It made for a hefty amount of driving but was a wonderful adventure for the whole family! Our 16 year old said it was his 'favourite holiday ever' which is truly praise indeed!

From Dawn (joined 2012) stayed in Co Durham ref:-0969

This house is situated on a quiet estate and is absolutely lovely! It's in a great location enabling easy acces to the area. We were able to visit friends in Darlington and County Durham and did some absolutely brilliant walks including Roseberry Topping & the Captain Cook Monument, High Force and Low Force and the fell above them in upper Teesdale and up the valley from Richmond then back along the River Swale. Adele was a brilliant communicator and super-helpful. Everything was absolutely GREAT!

From Sue & Martyn (joined 2005) stayed in the Netherlands ref:- A176

We had a really nice holiday in the Netherlands in September ... we swapped with the family from Uddell. Their house was amazing and in a lovely area. With thanks once again for all you do. We counted up recently - we have now completed 18 swaps - and all have been a great success!

USING YOUR HOME....

Your house, however humble or grand, will provide a great holiday base for someone else.Your locality, so familiar to you, has lots to offer to someone new to the area.

SECURITY

There is a huge rise in house burglary when occupants are away from home. By house swapping you have automatic Christian house sitters! When people register with us, we contact their church leader, just to check that they are known by them as members/attendees of their church. This is for everyone’s peace of mind.

LOCAL COMMUNITY

Another great feature in its favour is that you will holiday in a local community. A local person, friend or neighbour, will have agreed to give you the key, check that you are okay and to deal with any queries. That person will also be able to give you up-to-date information about nearby amenities, local events, places to visit, best pubs, good restaurants and so on.

PETS AND PLANTS…

House swappers are usually happy to water the garden and indoor plants, and feed the cat and goldfish! Mutual dog owners are generally happy for the dogs to be included in the swap!

IT’S YOUR CHOICE!...

You get to choose from the descriptions of a variety of properties, all found in the online brochure. You pay us the admin fee only when your house swap is confirmed.  

There is never any pressure on you to make a specific choice…the choice is yours!

Some reviews from previous years:-  

From Elizabeth and Michael (joined 2022) stayed in Doncaster ref:- 0-623

This has been a delightful first experience of a CHACS house-swap for our family. A warm and kind host, and her home is spacious and comfortable. The garden is large, peaceful and well-loved. Our children very much enjoyed caring for the chickens (low maintenance), excited to see how many eggs there are each morning & evening. Lots to do and see in the area, lovely walks along the nearby rivers and canals.

From Debbie (joined 2016)We had a great house sit in Nairobi (ref:- A190) and a successful swap in Grenoble (ref:- A104) this year for our 7 week sabbatical. Thank you for all you do for Chacs, we absolutely love it!

From Mairi (joined 2017) stayed near Staines (ref:-1382) We accepted a very gracious offer of a house-sit and had a wonderful 9 days. The house and garden are very spacious, light and sunny. The village itself is very pleasant and we loved that it was so near the Thames. We were able to visit family members nearby, and we went into London a couple of times.

From Birgit (joined 2021) stayed in Higham, Kent ref:- 0-809 We would highly recommend visiting this home in Higham. The house offers a great respite and the area offers some beautiful outings! We were warmly welcomed into one of the local churches and Eric and Hazel’s neighbour kindly showed us around. We thoroughly enjoyed our house swap holiday!

From Hazel (joined 2022) stayed near Stowmarket ref:-1568

This was my first official house swap and first proper holiday in many years. I wanted to see East Anglia and I totally loved the area, as well as the peacefulness and tranquillity of the house and garden. Branston the cat was a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed this Suffolk swap. Thank you to CHACS for making this happen!