Consumers Association of Ireland ARTICLE on Home Exchange

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At HomeLink, we understand that to enjoy your home exchange holiday,  you need to feel confident about the people who will stay in your home. You need to find more than just the right house... you need to find the right people to exchange with. People who make you feel comfortable and who share your values.  HomeLinkers are those people - the right kind of people.

HomeLink has representatives in most major countries. Support and assistance in a member's native language are just an email message or phone call away.If you have a problem overseas, all of our representatives speak English and can probably offer some assistance.

Why HomeLink? 

1. Members of HomeLink can be contacted only by other genuine registered members, whose homes are listed as well, and are well acquainted with our customs and code of ethics. Some web-based organizations offer an "Open System" in which any "anonymous" visitor can contact any member for free, even though they have not even registered or provided a listing themselves.

2. HomeLink has been operating over 50 years helping people exchange homes. This is your holiday and you can be assured that we will be here when you need us.

3. HomeLink has the world's largest home exchange database and the greatest distribution of listings around the world published on the Internet.

4. HomeLink offers several distinct search engines each designed to match your preferences in searching. We also offer Key Word searches that allow you to specify your requirements in as much detail as you  choose. During your database searches, you may "Tag" listings that interest you by clicking on a button. Later, you may retrieve such listings for review. You may add notes, such as a correspondence record, to any of your "tagged" listings. Of course, listings that no longer interest you may be deleted from your private file.

5. We maintain separate web-sites (currently 24) specifically for major countries around the world. These sites are in the domestic language(s) and run by HomeLink Organizers native to that country. These are real sites run by real people. Each site allows access to the home exchange databases running on the central servers.

6. Every HomeLink Organizer in the world has complete 24-hour access to administer the central database. New listings may be uploaded, passwords administered, and listings edited 24 hours a day, seven days a week from anywhere in the world.

Homelink has always been about people. So, for more than half a century, we've offered our members a truly personal service.

Unlike the "new" breed of faceless, "one-man-band" home exchange websites, we are a team of highly experienced local Coordinators. We are located in 27 major countries around the globe. And we'll all gladly help you, every step of the way.

HomeLink is an association organised under Belgium Law, having it’s headquarters in Brussels.The aim of HomeLink is to provide the means to holiday in a way that may have seemed impossible before and to improve mutual understanding among people of the world. While the economic advantages of a home exchange are clear, financial considerations are not often the principal factor in the choice of a HomeLink holiday.The network was first established in 1953.

HomeLink comprises of a group of over twenty associates - each associate represents a country and the interests of the subscribers in that country. The Board of Directors is elected from this group of associates.

The wide variety of choices and the high quality of service, help to explain why so many members return to HomeLink year after year. Our organisers throughout the world are themselves experienced home exchangers and sources of much useful information.

In Ireland, HomeLink is represented by Marie and Paul Murphy, very experienced exchangers.