Hmm. Not sure how best to proceed. You’ve reminded me that one of the reasons that originally put me off renting was the all the hoops tenants have to jump through now! We could get a pay-as-you-go UK mobile but obviously our UK bank cards are going to remain linked to our French address until we have a permanent UK one. So Catch 22.
We have a rental in Northern Ireland. I’m starting to think it might be easier to go there first and get established. Even though where we’d really like to live is Norfolk.
I think if you can go in person it is probably easier, especially if the financial side can be done face to face. The online “system” had my retired systems architect husband in a state of fury. The only thing that eventually helped was Face ID.
Not sure if my comment will help you, but here it is anyway.
We have a house in the UK that we rent out. Our most recent tenants couldn’t prove their income as it was mostly from the US. Our agent said they couldn’t accept them because it’s hard to prove their income.
We suggested that if they were able to pay half the yearly rent upfront, then split the remaining half over the next 12 months, we’d be happy to go for that.
They could then easily prove that they were able to afford the reduced monthly rental fees.
We only needed to do this for the first year. The following years were conducted as normal. They’ve just signed for their 4th year.
I’m unsure as to whether or not you could offer a whole year upfront?
Anyway, be aware that rental laws in England are changing on May 1st. For us, I think it will be our last year renting out our property.
We’re also looking up near Norwich and Bury, along with some other areas of England.
Our landlord has accepted our bona fides, though we could have paid up front. Our income is all from UK pensions so one might think UK bank statements, plus P60s were sufficient proof. The online preferred systems demands of UK phone numbers seems a bit more open to abuse!
We had a similar issue with Agent in France. As I recall Unless we did things his way he would take no responsibility for tenants that reneged on their rent.
Certainly on the face of it.
Our first viewer in France was within 3 days of market launch in early September and full asking price offered.
2 weeks later the compromis was signed but not withiut a lot of input from me to the agent who needed to be pushed.
After 14 day cooling off period we immediately started looking for removals company as international company’s are well booked up in advance.
I will not go on about losing our house purchase in the UK as already well documented but needless to say many of you said it was a blessing in disguise, and indeed it was.
We could not be happier with our new house, it’s location and how life has turned out.
Each day was ‘testing’ but positive thinking got us here.
Not just when renting.
Moving from France to England after 17 years means that although we are British we effectively had no footprint here.
Solicitors are bound to check finances of an individual but even when you have proven your identity and source of funds the financial checks just keep piling up.
Even at the final hurdle with our bank account brimming with ready money to buy our house we had to go in person to the bank and spend an hour there going through yet more checks before the bank would send our money to the solicitors.
During the interview the bank even rang our solicitor to check them out.
Thinking we were home and dry for completion the following day we had a call from the solicitors for both of us to confirm by vioce that we were happy to complete.
Yes, catch 22 indeed.
We ordered a GiffGaff sim delivered to our daughter which we just could not register no matter how we tried.
In desperation I walked into an 02 shop and explained my problem, no UK footprint, no home etc
They were brilliant and gave me a free 30 day connection to allow me to get started.
That 30 days expires tomorrow so yesterday I went to our local 02 shop and now have a 12 month contract with them.
So big shout out for 02.
Arriving at a new house with a much reduced amount of personal belongings should be easy but quick realising that our downsize effort of furniture was not enough, a quart into a pint pot simply doesn’t work.
Getting to grips with the country that has changed so much in 17 years and enjoying the challenge.
The most noticeable thing so far is being able to listen in to people’s conversations!!
I remember when my (French) ex-wife and I moved to the UK, she had a helluva time due to not having a footprint in the UK. Even opening a bank account, back then, was extremely difficult. They kept on telling her that having no credit history was worse than having a bad one.
Glad it’s all falling into place for you.
My French is pretty good (thanks to having French family and working with French colleagues for a French company) so I can understand pretty much most conversations these days. I’ve come to the realisation that, no matter the country, most people talk a lot of boring shit
I had a similar experience with EE in Chichester. We have lived in France 18 years and although I was told I would get a better deal online, I knew I needed to explain our circumstances face to face as we have no credit record in the UK. The guy in the shop was great. Slightly easier for me, because we do have our second home now in the UK, so I was able to give him our new address. NB: didn’t get John’s deal, but do have a contract and a date for installation of our broadband. I’m going back to the UK at the beginning of February to make sure I’m there to collect the box, as it comes in the post.
We spent months before our move back searching for what we thought was going to be our final home and thought we’d found it, a year later we realised it definitely wasn’t and moved again to a bigger property with more potential, the only real downside is the in-laws live opposite!
But to get back to @JohnBoy though, I am pleased that you have found your feet and consider yourself lucky, still don’t envy your return though, through all my recent setbacks I can’t imagine I could have got such wonderful support anywhere else though.
Strange how things must have changed though in 26 years, our transition to French life and employment was totally seamless.
David do you think that harks back to a time when people were more tolerant and accepting of others whereas alot seems to have thrown that away at the bequest of the right wing ultra rich?
Yes, I’m sure of it, quite apart from not wanting to, I could not possibly envisage a return trip north after hearing of the various hurdles which I have never had to face.
Gradually we are moulding into our new life in England.
Our experience of the NHS thus far has been much better than is often written about but of course the same folk who pull it down would never think of reporting anything positive.
Within 2 weeks of arriving in England we had applied to and were accepted by our new NHS GP surgery. A few days later we received messages asking to apply for a poo test kit.
The kits arrived within a week and sent back for analysis the following day. One week later we each received a letter confirming negative tests and confirmation that we would be invited to test again in 2 years.
Our new surgery has asked for a resume of our current treatments and general medical history and following receipt we both have RDVs this month to discuss treatment/medication going forward.
Before leaving France I had reached the end of a 4 year cycle of free hearing aids (mutuel required to get full financial benefit) and had already signed up for another 4 years but we had left France before I could take advantage.
Today I had an NHS hearing test which confirmed my continuing need for hearing aids and within 40 minutes I walked out from my appointment with brand new hearing aids.
Better still, unlike in France when you have to pay for batteries and bits, a simple telephone call gets all the spares you need in the post within 5 days, and all for free.
I am sure there will be medical hiccups along the way as there can be in France but so far the NHS is working for us.
Of course the system has changed from how we knew it 18 yeaes ago, not least the AskmyGP online system, but we are learning as we go along.
, enjoy your new home and discovering the Uk again.
