Downton Gabby

Hello,

I've been planning on moving to the UK as some might have read in my other posts. I read things here on BE most days and a lot of it has me worried about this move.

In a nutshell, it sounds like a person can't find a place to rent easily, especially if they are moving from another country and have a dog. Also, apparently being in my early 60's I may not be able to get a mortgage in a few years. And opening up a simple checking account is a monumental project as is getting a driver's licence. Add to that some people say that there is still an obvious class system in the UK that we do not have here in the US. And the weather is awful.

That's what I read here and it's scaring me.

Is everything really all that hard and/or unpleasant? Any good news or options anyone can share would be greatly appreciated, because I am just about to abandon this dream I've had for so long and I don't want to, but I don't want to struggle to find a nice place to live and to drive and have a bank account.

HKG3

You can try to open an UK bank account in the US. HSBC offers this service, see link below -

https://www.us.hsbc.com/1/2/home/per...g/open-account

Pulaski

Opening a bank account is no more difficult than for a new immigrant to the US. The rules are more or less identifical, and shouldn't be a major problem - you just need to be able to prove who you are and where you live. A few banks might baulk at opening an account for a USC, but I don't think that is a widespread problem or an insurmountable one.

I don't notice much difference in the existence of a "class system" or lack thereof, and I don't think it is much different in either country. I don't think it makes much difference which country you are in, if you wander in to a swanky golf club wearing jeans and a T-shirt, you are not likely to be welcome. Maybe some fancy restaurants in the UK are less tolerant of jeans than restaurants in the US, but it's never been a problem either way IME.

I think you're right about mortgages - getting one after, or close to, retirement might not be possible.

The driving test I have covered in the past - it is tough, but fair, and is a challenge for anyone to pass. If I took a test in the UK today, with almost 500,000 miles of driving under my belt, I still wouldn't bet more than £100 at even odds, of passing it. In your position I'd take a few lessons - say 5-10, and have a couple of shots at the test, if you focus hard passing os certainly possible, but the examiners are intolerant of things such as taking one hand off the wheel unnecessarily, or apparently not using your mirrors (tip: adjust the mirrors so you have to move your head to get a good view, so the examiner can see you're looking in your mirrors).

Re driving, and transport, if you choose a city/town, and location within that city/town wisely , it is perfectly possible to survive happily without driving. And in any case studies have shown that the cost of car ownership is so high that for most people it is cheaper to use the local buses and long distance trains when convenient, and use a taxi for all other travel needs.

You will find during the summer months that local bus companies offer day trips to a wide variety of destinations - nearby towns and picturesque villages, stately homes, museums and seaside resorts. My mother, who never drove, took my sister and I on a number of such trips in the summer to keep us entertained.

mikelincs

Did you have a UK drivers licence in the past?, if so all you need to do is to contact DVLA and it will be reissued.

With getting a rental, you may well need to put up a bigger deposit as you will have no credit record in the UK for them to check, with regard to the dog, many landlords just ask for an additional deposit.

In the normal run of things I have never really noticed a class system here, and the weather isn't as bad as you think, in fact it's been quite reasonable down here the last week or two.

Pulaski

She's American with, IIRC, access to an Irish passport, and has never lived in the UK or in Europe.

SanDiegogirl

Being in your early 60's you might not be able to get a job and without income you certainly are not going to get a mortgage (are you really going to have to take out a mortgage in your mid 60's?)

Since you have never visited the UK or Europe I would plan to visit for three months or so (get a vacation rental) and see the country for yourself. Visit different areas in UK and Europe, rent a car to see how you like driving, visit realtors to find out what properties cost.


..... the weather is the least thing to worry about.

Englishmum

If you are too daunted to (learn to) drive a car with a manual gearbox aka "stick shift" then you may wish to just stick to driving a car with an automatic gearbox.

My daughter failed her driving test in a stick shift car, and found a driving school which had a car with an automatic gearbox and passed her test. In the UK she is limited to only driving cars with an automatic gearbox but she is fine with that.

You can drive on your US driving licence for one year btw.

Downton Gabby

First of all, I am self-employed, but if I wanted a job I'm pretty sure I could find one. ANd I'm not an idiot...I know I wouldn't get a mortgage w/o some sort of income.

Secondly, What kind of statement is this? "(are you really going to have to take out a mortgage in your mid 60's?)" And I'm not in my MID 60's...not that it matters....
Do you think people don't get mortgages after 60? I'm not 100 for god's sake. It's a rather insulting thing to say....like you can't BELIEVE someone in their 60's doesn't have money enough to PAY CASH for a HOUSE.


And weather IS important to me.

Pulaski

I understand why you are offended, but banks in the UK (there is no "federal agency" underpinning the mortgage business in the UK) expect you to (have a reasonable liklihood of being able to) pay off the mortgage before you die, therefore getting any sort of mortgage beomes progressively more difficult, a lot more difficult as you approach retirement age.

Soooo, to answer your question above, as a general rule, "no" we don't think people (in the UK) get mortgages after 60. Sorry, it's not personal, things are different in the UK.

Giantaxe

It's worse than that; it's difficult to get a mortgage whose term extends into retirement. Essentially it's legal in the UK to discriminate against retirement income as opposed to other forms of income. I find this a little peculiar in that retirement income (especially pensions) is often more stable than employment income.

Editha

I'd say that is true overall. It does depend to some extent on where you are moving to, how much you can afford for rent, but it is more difficult with a dog.

It may be very difficult to get a mortgage at your age. From what I've read in the financial pages, there are more mortgages for older people than there used to be but, in the UK it isn't usual to get a mortgage in your sixties.

No it isn't,

For someone from the US, yes. If you took your test in the UK originally, no.

Errr ..Yes. We actually have less financial inequality, so it is swings and roundabouts.

Depends on what you think is awful. We have a maritime climate.

Giantaxe

Agreed. There is very definitely a class system in the US. It's merely based on money. For anyone who doubts this, check out the system of "legacy preferences" at top US universities. When there was a case of that at Oxford University, it caused resignations iirc.

Pulaski

In any case there's not much demand for mortgages from people retired or close to retired, as the general pattern is to downsize and release tax-free capital.

teejaydee

Why so angry? In your original post, you said "Also, apparently being in my early 60's I may not be able to get a mortgage in a few years". This implies you will be trying to get a mortgage when you are in your mid-60s.

Giantaxe

Even if that's the case, it's no justification for the current situation in the UK.