Azrael

Hello
I've lived in the UK for the past 11 years. I moved here on my own and now wanting to return with my family. The problem is I have no property to sell as I have rented the whole time i have lived here. We have saved up money to be able to move back and deposit and a few months rent for a rental property in the UK. However most rentals want payslips for 3 months etc. I am self employed here in Spain but you don't need to earn as much here to rent here. So i feel this won't be enough. I also have pets and it seems the UK is very anti Pets in rental properties, which i understand in some way, but I'd be whiling to pay for professional clean afterwards, but no one is interested. We Can't live in Spain any more as we don't live, we need a life and family and friends. If anyone is considering moving to Spain with a young family you need to seriously think about it, especially if your under the age of 40. Anyway I'm rambling here........
My Question is.
Does any body have any advice on moving back? Point me in the right direction?

Thank you for any input.

SanDiegogirl

Your post is somewhat confusing.

What nationality are you? Is it just you in Spain or are you living there with a family? (firstly you say that you moved there on your own, and then that 'we' want to move back).

Most rentals ask for several months of rental upfront. As you have been out of the UK for many years this is quite normal.
Most rentals don't want pets. You need to search for those that do.

Robbie2010

I didn't have too much trouble finding a rental that would accept a dog when I moved back 2 1/2 yrs ago … I did have to pay 6 months rent upfront.

spouse of scouse

Hi Azrael, welcome to BE.

Rentals - if you're trying to rent a UK property from Spain you'll find it very difficult, you really need to be there. Some posters have reported that they didn't have to pay months of rent upfront, just the usual month tenancy deposit (the equivalent of one month rent) plus a month in advance. Estate agents will want to see proof of income and will run a credit check. Landlords who self-manage their properties often advertise on Gumtree and may have less strict criteria, but if you rent in this way you need to make sure that the property and the landlord are legit - lots of scammers out there unfortunately. Most people rent short term/holiday accommodation while looking for a longer term rental. There are still many landlords who'll accept pets (including me, in fact I welcome them as part of the family) You might find it a bit more difficult if you have a menagerie though.

British citizens are covered by the NHS immediately on their return to settle in the UK. Applicants for benefits such as income based job seeker's allowance need to pass the 'habitual residence test' (HRT), after being out of the UK for several years you'd need to wait for a minimum of 3 months before you could pass this test. You can find out more about this here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/be...ming-benefits/ If you're planning to move to Wales or Scotland you'll need to look for info specific to there.

If you have specific questions please do ask, I'm sure someone will know the answer!

Azrael

Hello

Thank you for your responses.
My wife and I are British and my kids are British even though they was born in Spain they have UK passports as we are both British. The problem is trying to find somewhere to rent? How have people done it in the past? Stayed in a hotel or B&B till they have a job and a place to rent?
If I need to show a UK income I don’t know how people do it?
I’ve known of people moving back all the time but they generally own a property still in the UK.
Thank you again for all your advice. If anyone has gone a similar path it will be most helpful.

Nand

Yes, how indeed? I too am very curious to know.

Pulaski

AirBNB and holiday rentals are a possibility. Private landlords may be more open to listening to your situation and "working with you", but be prepared to offer several months rent up front, I have heard of people paying for as much as six months rent up front.

So far as "income" goes, you need to find a job, don't you? I am not sure that the answer is any more complex than that.

Britchick42

Hi, I moved back to the U.K. 6 years ago not from Spain though. We brought back two rescue dogs. We settled in North Yorkshire in the end and despite everyone seemingly having pets of some sort rentals were extremely hard to find . we had to adjust areas and expectations. We had been out of the country for a little over 5 years and it was tough . You do have to pay 6 months rent up front and start back at 0 no claims if you don’t have proof of car insurance where you lived.
with regards to renting once you are here , some people hire a caravan for a few weeks I rented a holiday cottage and put my dogs in kennels for 4 weeks . Not ideal my pets had a passport and they dropped right into the country in a matter of hours , but there were no properties that took dogs even holiday cottages. That was just bad luck so I stayed 4 weeks with my younger two in a cottage in North Yorkshire and went around schools etc and my Husband and eldest followed two weeks after that and we stayed in another cottage in the area until we found a property and the container came 2 weeks after that . Rightly or wrongly postal wise I used a relatives address for post then just changed address when we got a house.

Britishbitz

You by pass the usual "criteria" of having a job etc initially by paying a few months in advance usually, this is what will be doing next month, if you peruse these forums you will see many people have done it this way.

It's really best to get to the UK stay with either family or temporary accommodation ie: air bnb, hotel, caravan, whatever it is you prefer/can afford, in the area you wish to rent, and then you can go in to Real Estates face to face explain you're citizens, just arrived, what you are looking for in terms of housing and they will check your right to reside, simply show your passport/s for that.

How much you will have to pay upfront will depend on the agent etc, some people have had to pay 6 months in advance, some 3 months, some just the usual 1 month + bond/deposit.

If you just email agents from overseas in my experience, you generally will get the copy/paste response of you need xyz. Ignore that, reading comprehension seems to be lacking in that regard (I recently learned this myself from these very forums). The work around as said is to pay in advance, passport proving you're legal and have the right to live in the UK and possibly showing bank account savings? (I assume, don't know?). By the time you have hit the paid too date, you will hopefully have a job, a UK bank account in place, NI number, working on your credit score etc and so on and life will continue as normal as if you'd have been in the UK for years.