2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

Hi. I'm moving to the SF Bay Area in 2 weeks (gulp) and my tenants moved in a few weeks ago. Was thinking about what else I need to think of re my house, should I want to sell in the next 2-3 years (to avoid CGT and so we can buy in the States should we choose to stay). Should I get it valued now or just wait until I need to sell it? I've informed my mortgage company (they only give me 6 months grace before upping my interest rate on account of it now being buy-to-let... grrr) and I've got Landlord insurance.

I've redirected my post to my parents' house, turned off my paper statements at the Bank, cancelled all my UK related standing orders/direct debits that I no longer need, got copies of all medical records and vaccinations and important documents, stuff has been sold/donated/shipped to the US, I've done my Power of Attorney, etc but is there anything else (admin-wise) I should be doing? I know I need to call HMRC and arrange to make NI Voluntary Contributions, but I'm sure I'm still missing out stuff? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

You have the internet right, if you forget anything do it online or call the UK...we are not that primitive in the bay area :lol:

Good luck with your trip :)

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

Teach people how to use Skype. Honestly. Download it for them and show them how to use it while you are still in the country.

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

We have also just moved and are renting out our UK property. There were also several items that we didn't get sorted in time and have had to finish off here in the US!

In terms of house rental have you filled out the forms to get your rent paid without deducting tax? Do you have insurance for your heating/boiler system?

I took out a life insurance policy in the UK before leaving as the one through my OH company was not as generous:D

Are you planning to drive over here? We have requested my OH driving history from the DVLA and also confirmation of his no-claims from the motor insurance company.

Did you have a car in the UK and if so I am assuming that you have cancelled insurance and tax.

We also closed down all old savings accounts to avoid any hassle on our first tax return, but have left our main current accounts open. We bought over the most current statements for any pensions.

For house rental purposes in the US, we bought over our previous 6 years worth of mortgage statements to prove we pay on time! We have also ordered a credit report from Experian and have printed out a bank statements detailing our utility payments for the previous 12 months.

It gets a bit mad at the end! Good Luck with the move.:fingerscrossed: I will post if I think of anything else.

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

+1 We went through this with my in-laws who are in their 70's and had our first family call last week. Was a great success and we are calling again this weekend as they are visiting my BIL.

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

+2

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

It's actually from the Canadian Wiki section, but it should help - http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Departure_To_Do_List

:)

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

Thank all. All your advice is much appreciated! That Wiki for UK to Canada is really useful.

Luckily my family are really familiar with Skype as we have a lot of relatives abroad and my sister lived in Hong Kong for 5 years. At Christmas we bought my parents a camera for their TV so they can Skype from the comfort of their sofa!

I'm just hanging out, spending time with friends so I figured if there was anything else I could do here before I go, I have the time.

Am I allowed to keep my ISAs? They are bringing in so little interest there's probably little advantage to me keeping the money in an ISA anyhow.

Will check out life insurance and sort out stuff with inland revenue. Our tenants are paying us direct so no tax is bring withheld.

Can't believe how quickly it's all come around!

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

I'm in the same boat, just three weeks to go before the big move to San Diego and still have tonnes to do! Thanks for the advice as that's helpful for me too.

I do worry that I don't have any evidence of paid utility bills from the UK for the past 18 months as I've been renting from a friend inclusive of bills. I have my experian report and have an excellent credit rating, but will the lack of evidence hold me back?

I'm also leaving behind a property which is rented out so have my tax to sort out from the tax year just gone and the forms re non deduction of tax. I've read loads on hmrc and am a bit boggled still but will hopefully get there with it all. My stuff is not yet sent and I don't have my visa still so it will be one big mad rush I think, but trying not to worry just yet and take each day as it comes.

Let us know if you think of anything else.

Thanks guys :)

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

With regards to ISA's - you will need to look into this as I think that you may have to be resident in the UK to have one. There have been threads about this and the reporting requirements in the past. Hopefully someone with more knowledge about this will come along.

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

We have only just rented our property out so we filled the HMRC forms in over here and sent them off last week! You probably know that for IRS purposes the rent you receive is classed as "income" and should be reported on your tax return. There are various deductions that you can make to lessen the amount taxable but you can only deduct interest payable on any mortgage NOT the capital too. It can therefore look as on paper as if you are making a profit.

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

I would assume that your friend (landlord) would give you a reference to say that you paid rent including utilities promptly. The only other issue is when you (and I) sign up for utilities in the US. I have read that as we have no credit history a larger deposit may be required. I just thought if I could bring some UK evidence it may help, but fully expect to pay more:(

Good luck with your move too!

Re: 2 weeks to go, what have I forgotten?
 

You can usually keep them, just not contribute to them. Makes IRS tax filing a bit of a hassle though, but there are plenty of tax threads on this.