A number of jurisdictions around the world have recently introduced or are considering the introduction of laws governing the restriction and/or licensing of short-term rental accommodation.

These laws have in some cases, notably Scotland and Amsterdam, explicitly include home exchanging / home swapping within the laws for short-term lets. Others have laws which are ambiguous.

We, the undersigned, are home exchangers.

We ask legislators to stop including home exchange with short-term rental legislation, and to treat home exchange on its own and on its merits.

We believe we should not be subject to licensing to host a home exchange.

We believe that the act of including home exchanging in short term rental legislation misunderstands the difference and punishes a class of travel accommodation that is a part of the solution to the problems that the legislators are trying to address.

Home exchange members are real people. We are not big corporations or third party companies managing properties for a business. We are diverse: families, retirees, couples, singles, and we are from every walk of life, but we are real.

Home exchange homes are real homes. We exchange the homes we live in every day, and that’s one of the biggest attractions of home exchange. We get to see what it’s like to live in someone else’s place, in someone else’s shoes.

Home exchange is sustainable. Home exchangers are much more than tourists. We share our homes with each other. A home exchange is more akin to having friends stay at your home.

Home exchange is not about profit. No money changes hands in a home exchange.

Home exchangers are responsible. We are staying in each others' homes, so communication is essential and we’re much more concerned about who our guests are and what they’re like. We care about our homes and our guests.

Home exchange is good for the local community. Because the cost of accommodation is removed, home exchangers tend to stay for longer, and have more money to spend in the local community.

Home exchange is good for the world. We promote slow travel and getting to know each other. When we understand each other, many of the problems of the world go away. We acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate each other’s differences. Exchangers often start a conversation as strangers, but end an exchange as friends.

We acknowledge short-term rentals and that they offer a legitimate part of the accommodation landscape. Many of our members operate short-term rentals and many of our members use them. We are not against short-term rentals but they are different from home exchange.

Don't punish the good guys. We are part of the solution, not part of the problem.

The author is the Founder & CEO of People Like Us Home Exchange, www.peoplelikeus.world People Like Us (PLU) is a diverse group of people from all over the world with a common set of values. We believe in sharing, trust, generosity, respect, communication, equality, cooperation, honesty, hospitality, friendship, flexibility and adventure. We take pride in our homes and we care about the environment in which we live: our village, city, country and our planet. We care about the ethos of home exchange and we do it because we love the experience and the friendships that it generates.

#dontpunishthegoodguys #partofthesolution #peoplelikeus