How credits work

Each qualifying property is allocated a Credit Value based on the Weekly Vacation Rental Value of that property. If the property is not a vacation rental property, Credit Values can be assessed using the weekly rental value of an equivalent property in the same area.

How your property is rated: The Credit Value system is simple, 1 credit for every $100 of Rental Value.

For example:

If the Weekly Vacation Rental Value of a Property is $1,000, then the Credit Value given to that property would be 10.

$100 = 1 credit

$1,000 = 10 credits

$10,000= 100 credits and so on.

How do you earn credits?: Credits are earned by having another member stay in your property.

Whenever another IVHE member stays in your property for a week, you earn credits equal to the Weekly Credit Value of your property.

You can also earn extra credits by, introducing us to a new Qualifying property. If you refer a New Qualifying Property to IVHE, you receive half the Credit value of the new member's property, the first time that another member stays in that property.

Using your credits: Every property in IVHE is given a weekly Credit Value and a Credits Account. To be able to stay in a particular property, you must have at least as many Credits in your Credits Account as the Credit Value of the property you wish to stay in.

For example, if you stay in a 10-Credit property, then 10 Credits will be deducted from your Credit Account. 

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Membership fees

For a limited period only, join as a bronze member and get 9 months membership FREE!

There are no limits to the number of property listings you can have on the IVHE website and for all paid levels of membership, we offer an option to purchase credits at $40 per credit to help you start travelling. Purchased credits are valid for one year and the maximum number of credits that can be purchased are shown below.

We will give 5% of set up fees to Mercy Corps helping people in disaster areas around the world. 

*After the first year, if we have not been successful in arranging a stay for you at an IVHE property we will waive the second year annual fee.

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Booking a property

Look through our list of members' properties , you will find cottages, holiday villas, houses, condos, apartments and lots more, if you find a property you are interested in booking, sign into the members area and submit a trade request. We will then contact the owner to see if it is available for that time and we will also answer any queries you may have about the property.

If you do not find a suitable property in the members' list in the area you would like to go to, let us know and we will do our best to find a new qualifying member in that area.

We do all the work for you!

Once a suitable property is found and you would like to go ahead and book, we will send both members an exchange agreement. An invoice for the arrangement fee is also sent to the guest party.

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Our arrangement fee

Our charge is 7% of  the Credits Value of the property.

For example:

If the property you have chosen is valued at 10 Credits ( $1,000) for the week,the arrangement fee would be $70 for a week's stay.

A fraction of the cost of renting an equivalent property.

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Qualifying requirements

To qualify for membership to International Vacation Home Exchange:

1. You  need to own a property that is maintained & equipped  to a high standard, either a primary residence or vacation  villas, yachts, country cottages, log cabins etc., in a frequently travelled or exotic area.
2. Provide  us with an accurate, full description of the property and  the weekly vacation rental value, that can be verified.
3. We  need 4 good quality photos of your property.
4. Provide  us with 2 references, preferably from guests who  have stayed in your property, either through a rental or  exchange at the lates before you can visit another members property.
5. Accept International Vacation Home Exchange Terms and Conditions .

For a more detailed explanation have a look at our Policies & Procedures

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Prime time offer

Start Travelling Now!

With IVHE Prime Time, you block out one or two weeks during high season for IVHE members to be booked into your property, and you keep those weeks available as if they really had been booked by a member.

Those weeks will show on IVHE's Prime Time availabilities making it easy for members see properties that are available on set dates. As soon as you allocate the weeks and they are approved you get credited with the credit value straight away, that way you do not have to wait for a trade to happen on your property before you can start travelling yourself!

Please read our Prime Time Terms and Conditions for full details.

IMPORTANT Members found breaking these terms and conditions could lose their credits and membership. 

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FAQ

• This is my primary home, would it work with your system?
• Do you do direct trades?
• Does my property qualify?
• How many trades would I get in a year?
• I do not rent out my holiday home, how many credits would I get?
• Do you take on resort property or time-shares?
• When I rent out my property I usually ask for a damage deposit, can I do that when trading with IVHE members?
• What is the process of a trade?
• I have my own agreement, can I use it? 
• Do I get to communicate with the other members before the trade?
• I can only have so many holidays, what happens if I have enough credits and don’t need any more for the time being?
• Can I let my  family or friends use my credits?
• Is my property safe?
• What happens if my guests cancel their holiday at the last minute?
• What happens if I have to cancel my trip at the last minute?

Q: This is my primary home, would it work with your system?
A: The IVHE system of home exchange is very focused towards non-simultaneous and non-reciprocal exchanges. This system works best with:

• Using a second /vacation property to make trades
• Having good availability throughout the year to maximise your trades
  

This is because the more availability your property has, the better your chances of building credits to use when you want to holiday at another member’s property.
IVHE system is not geared towards direct holiday swaps and this is what makes it unique to other home exchange sites. The IVHE system does not always work that well for primary homes. Mainly because most primary homes have very limited availability to other members and will almost certainly need a direct swap to make it work. The exceptions to this would be:

• If you are away from your primary home quite often.
• If you travel a lot and therefore your primary home is available at different times throughout the year.
• If you do not have to take your holiday at exactly the same time as you host another member (direct swap).

Q: Do you do direct trades?
A: No, IVHE prides itself on being able to offer non-simultaneous exchanges. Of course if two members happen to want to go to each other's places we are happy to do that.

Q: Does my property qualify?
A: Location and quality are our most important criteria and we are happy to accept properties in any area people will wish to travel to. The size of your property is not important as long as it is equipped and maintained to a high standard.

Q: How many trades would I get in a year?
A: This is very difficult to predict. Location, activities, size, style all sorts of factors play a part, but there are all sorts of members, singles, families, skiers, golfers and those who just want to chill out so location desires are just as varied.  

Q:I do not rent out my holiday home, how many credits would I get?
A: In this situation we would find out the rental income of a similar property in your area to determine the amount of credits you are entitled to receive.

Q: Do you take on resort property or time-shares?
A: Yes, this is possible, providing they are available for a substantial/flexible period each year.

Q: When I rent out my property I usually ask for a damage deposit, can I do that when trading with IVHE members?
A: Yes, this is possible, if you feel you need to. We are not aware of any member having done so yet, but that is entirely up to you, the difference between renting a property and trading within IVHE; when renting you have no idea who the people are, and they have no reason to respect your property. With IVHE members, they are also property owners, they expect people to look after their property, likeminded people. As we are a membership network, any bad reports would come back to us. Read more....

Q: What is the process of a trade?
A: Once you have spotted a property you would like to visit please submit your trade request via www.ivhe.com. Once we have established that the property is available on the required dates both host and guest are sent a copy of a trade agreement and given each other's contact details.

Q: I have my own agreement, can I use it?
A:Yes, you are sent a copy of IVHE's standard agreement to which you can add any special requirements/restrictions and  can add your own agreement as well.

Q: Do I get to communicate with the other members before the trade?
A: Yes, IVHE are happy to pass on contact details if both owner and guest are willing for them to do so.

Q: I can only have so many holidays, what happens if I have enough credits and don’t need any more for the time being?
A: Everytime we get a trade request, we will forward it to you, it is up to you to decide if you would like to go ahead with it or not, if you get to a point that you feel you have enough credits for a while, just let us know and we can stop sending you request for a while.

Q: Can I let my  family or friends use my credits?
A: Credits can be passed on to family or friends if the host is happy for you to do so. In this circumstance the member of IVHE will always be liable for any damage to the property.

Q: Is my property safe?
A: Your property is much safer occupied than standing empty. We also take references from all our members before they can stay in another member's house.

Q: What happens if my guests cancel their holiday at the last minute?
A: If your guests have to cancel at the last minute you will still be entitled to the credits you were due to have earned. Read more...

Q: What happens if I have to cancel my trip at the last minute?
A: We will do our best to find someone else to take your place, but if the place remains empty you will have to pay the credits due. We recommend that you take out travel insurance as you would do for a traditional holiday – hosts are normally willing to provide financial receipts. Read more...

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Rent versus Exchanging for Credits through IVHE

If you have a holiday villa, cottage, yacht, lodge, cabin or any type of vacation rental and like travelling yourself, then our credits system will give you more value than your vacation rental income, this does not mean you should never rent out your property, it just means that for 1, 2 or more weeks a year, the credits you earn are worth more than the rental income for that time.

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