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Thinking about returning to the UK

Thinking about returning to the UK

Old Aug 29th 2011, 11:53 am
  #1  
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Default Thinking about returning to the UK

Hi there,

I have been working in the Middle East for the last 6 years and now I am thinking about returning to the UK with my wife and children. However, I don't have a house in the UK and was wondering whether the council or maybe some other organisation would help a family with accommodation until I found suitable work and a property. That is, if we do return, we would have nowhere to stay upon our return. Has anyone experienced this situation before and is there any advice that the forum can give me?


Thanks,

Maz
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Old Aug 29th 2011, 2:39 pm
  #2  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

Originally Posted by MazMan
Hi there,

I have been working in the Middle East for the last 6 years and now I am thinking about returning to the UK with my wife and children. However, I don't have a house in the UK and was wondering whether the council or maybe some other organisation would help a family with accommodation until I found suitable work and a property. That is, if we do return, we would have nowhere to stay upon our return. Has anyone experienced this situation before and is there any advice that the forum can give me?


Thanks,

Maz
I suspect much would depend on your financial status. Most of us who are solvent end up renting a private home. Here are the details though:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndC...ying/DG_188701
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Old Aug 29th 2011, 2:44 pm
  #3  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

Originally Posted by MazMan
Hi there,

I have been working in the Middle East for the last 6 years and now I am thinking about returning to the UK with my wife and children. However, I don't have a house in the UK and was wondering whether the council or maybe some other organisation would help a family with accommodation until I found suitable work and a property. That is, if we do return, we would have nowhere to stay upon our return. Has anyone experienced this situation before and is there any advice that the forum can give me?


Thanks,

Maz
Surely, as you have been working in the Middle East for the last 6 years, you will have accumulated some savings? If for some reason you do not have such savings, you need to start building up a fund now as you will not qualify for subsidised housing.

Many landlords will require 3-6 months rent in advance, plus a deposit equivalent to 6-8 weeks rent, for people moving from abroad, although this may be waived if you have a secure job lined up.
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Old Aug 30th 2011, 9:18 pm
  #4  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

Unless your need to move back to the UK is an emergency, why not do what the rest of us do and save up the money you'll need to move back? This country is stretched beyond its means already with people on benefits.
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Old Aug 31st 2011, 9:43 am
  #5  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

Originally Posted by MazMan
Hi there,

I have been working in the Middle East for the last 6 years and now I am thinking about returning to the UK with my wife and children. However, I don't have a house in the UK and was wondering whether the council or maybe some other organisation would help a family with accommodation until I found suitable work and a property. That is, if we do return, we would have nowhere to stay upon our return. Has anyone experienced this situation before and is there any advice that the forum can give me?


Thanks,

Maz
lets look at it another way, and consider temporary transitions;
could you alone move to UK and stay with family / lodging while you visit the cities / companies where you could be employed ? Then your family can join you later.
Couldn't you all move into a temporary rented accom., say a static caravan in a small non-tourist location, or even a camper van while you did your interviewing?
Perhaps stay longer in your chosen country until you have saved 6 months living & housing costs, even if it means financial restrictions on your life style until you have enough in your pocket to self-support here for a while.

These above are all ways that people in this forum have self-funded their returns.

The assumption, right or wrongly, is that you moved to the middle east to take advantage of high salary with no tax so we assume you could / should save enough to make your own fresh start in UK without handout.

But you do indicate that you will be seeking work in UK so that does suggest you are not a waster but possibly merely exploring all possible options to find your way back to UK.

Maybe it was unfortunate wording in your post. Frankly, I think councils have plenty on their hands dealing with current UK residents to put any effort into helping someone repatriate.

You have received rather blunt responses from others because many have found ways to self-support their moves back to UK while suffering hardships and there is little sympathy for people expecting handouts from the state or the council as your message suggests.

Good luck on your journey.
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Old Sep 1st 2011, 11:56 am
  #6  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

John, JJ, Elvira and all,

Many thanks for replying to my post.

Elivira, with respect, please know that people do not move to work abroad just for the money. I did it to be with extended family and the reasons that I did not want to go into fully when I made my original post were that I am currently in Syria and the situation is not as good as it was at the start of the year! It is also not a country renowned for high tax-free salaries but it does have many other advantages.

Also, I do not intend to live on state benefits. I do not have a house in the UK but I do work, have just started my own business and I am in the training/consultation business in HR. Amassing tax-free money is not a major priority of mine! I was thinking about temporary housing for a couple of months until we find something permanent. After all, I have lived in the UK for over 40 years, paid taxes for over 20 years and put into the tax system considerably. I don't think it is wrong to ask for some small help in returning or maybe advice.

But very importantly, I think that it is wrong to reply with blunt replies without knowing all the facts and assuming that people are scroungers. I was asking for advice from the forum and I'm not asking for money. In fact, I was also asking for this advice from the very same people who may have been, or are, in the same predicament as me and not, with the greatest respect to all people here, from people who are quick to jump to the wrong conclusions and make incorrect judgements on people who are sincerely wanting to, or are exploring the various options that are available to them, their partners and their children in these difficult times.

JJ, I like the idea of returning by myself and then setting everything up for the rest of the family to return. I think this is very sound advice and I thank you for that.



Regards,

Maz
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Old Sep 1st 2011, 1:31 pm
  #7  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

Originally Posted by MazMan
John, JJ, Elvira and all,

Many thanks for replying to my post....

But very importantly, I think that it is wrong to reply with blunt replies without knowing all the facts and assuming that people are scroungers.

Regards,

Maz
Thanks for the expanded explanation.

It is easily done to draw the wrong interpretation of a post based on limited facts or personal point of view.
It is easily done to post an apparently simple question that is out of tune with the community or individual sense of right or wrong.
It is not unknown for scroungers or fakes to post from time to time.

Welcome to BE, I hope you find the answers you seek for your repatriation.

I encourage you to read through some old threads, some good folks have had a very hard time in making their way back to UK on their own so apparent scroungers are particularly not easily tolerated.
The Wiki holds often sought info and there is a search mode too.
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Old Sep 1st 2011, 7:59 pm
  #8  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

Originally Posted by MazMan
Hi there,

I have been working in the Middle East for the last 6 years and now I am thinking about returning to the UK with my wife and children. However, I don't have a house in the UK and was wondering whether the council or maybe some other organisation would help a family with accommodation until I found suitable work and a property. That is, if we do return, we would have nowhere to stay upon our return. Has anyone experienced this situation before and is there any advice that the forum can give me?


Thanks,

Maz
The council work on a points system which usually gives priority to those that have been on the waiting list longer and usually been a resident for some time of the borough they are seeking accommodation in. If you explain to them that you've been working overseas this will most likely set you back to the back of the queue right away.. It's a very tricky one as to be frank we have had an absolute nightmare with this. The fact is there is a serious housing shortage in this country as we discovered the hard way. It really isn't easy finding rented accommodation here without credit, references etc. (which we didn't have because we'd lived in the USA for three years and even though we had six months to pay upfront we still had a difficult time).. Landlords can be really choosy, councils don't want to know and you have to already be earning a certain amount to be eligible for housing associations. Sorry for such a negative reply; but just want to be honest with you as from our own experience the housing issue was the most difficult part of moving back for us.
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Old Sep 1st 2011, 8:16 pm
  #9  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

Something you may want to explore (some posters have direct experience of this) is renting a mobile home.

There are many mobile home parks the length and breadth of the UK and with the holiday season coming to its natural close, now might be an opportune moment to explore this option further.

My understanding is that rents there are cheaper and the surrounding environment well cared for with easy access to day to day facilities. All hearsay I hasten to add as I've no personal experience to offer.

Maybe someone else has here?
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Old Sep 2nd 2011, 8:21 pm
  #10  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

Originally Posted by MazMan
Hi there,

I have been working in the Middle East for the last 6 years and now I am thinking about returning to the UK with my wife and children. However, I don't have a house in the UK and was wondering whether the council or maybe some other organisation would help a family with accommodation until I found suitable work and a property. That is, if we do return, we would have nowhere to stay upon our return. Has anyone experienced this situation before and is there any advice that the forum can give me?


Thanks,

Maz

I think things here in the UK at the moment are pretty bad when it comes to getting a council property. This is down to a number of factors such as that most of them have now been brought and privatised by home owners and whats left for rent are quickly being sewn up with all kinds of new proposed legislation by the present goverment such as only providing housing benefit to people who fully occupy the propertys to maximum capacity and making those whose salaries can afford to get a mortgage non elegible to rent. It might also depend upon where you want to live as to the availability.
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Old Sep 3rd 2011, 9:05 pm
  #11  
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Default Re: Thinking about returning to the UK

Originally Posted by DDL
Unless your need to move back to the UK is an emergency, why not do what the rest of us do and save up the money you'll need to move back? This country is stretched beyond its means already with people on benefits.
Having recently returned to the UK though, I find that there is quite a lot of opportunity for those that want to work due to the fact that the average Brit is more interested in whether their football club has just wasted millions of pounds in the run-up to the transfer deadline or whether The X Factor is better now that Take That's Gary Barlow has replaced Simon Cowell as a judge.
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