B&B
Oct 17th 2017, 11:28 pm
#31
Banned
Joined: Aug 2016
Location: Cascade Mountains, WA
Posts: 1,089
Re: B&B
OP, see this link (although it's from a particular NHS trust, the rules are the same across the board. If you spend more than 3 months living outside the U.K. you lose entitlement to the NHS)
Please take a read of the link in spoiler tags.
We are all in the same boat. I paid into it all my working life in the U.K. also and have lost entitlement to it, despite maintaining my British citizenship. That's life and one of the things that needs to be considered when emigrating. The grass isn't always greener.. it's good you're finding these things out now and not after you've arrived here.
I would check your state pension eligibility too. If you're retiring at 53 have you paid NI for enough years to get the full state pension? You have to have 30 qualifying years. Otherwise your pension will be cut.
Please take a read of the link in spoiler tags.
Spoiler:
We are all in the same boat. I paid into it all my working life in the U.K. also and have lost entitlement to it, despite maintaining my British citizenship. That's life and one of the things that needs to be considered when emigrating. The grass isn't always greener.. it's good you're finding these things out now and not after you've arrived here.
I would check your state pension eligibility too. If you're retiring at 53 have you paid NI for enough years to get the full state pension? You have to have 30 qualifying years. Otherwise your pension will be cut.
Last edited by Jerseygirl; Oct 17th 2017 at 11:53 pm. Reason: Link put in spoiler tags...as it reduces text on page
Oct 17th 2017, 11:55 pm
#32
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,446
Re: B&B
Yes I am confused, I have read up a lot about the Visas and whether or not I can work, buy a house in the US and different sites tell you different things that is why I came on here to hear it from the horses mouth. But it seems to me that everyone thinks it is a no go, with the health costs, the property taxes the constant repairs to any property I might buy, the weather and the costs of the AC plus everything and anything else that we might have to pay for, plus the airport officers that might not let us back in, I am surprised that anyone has a holiday home in the US, I thought England was expensive, mainly because it is. But it seems that America is worse. I was thinking of a place in South Carolina because the house tax is cheaper there and the weather is not hot all year round, I do no that I will pay property tax there and still pay council Tax here, and would pay someone to look after both homes while I am away. There must be someone on here that has done what I want to do and doesn't find it that bad.
Unfortunately your perception, in common with most other British visitors to the US, is that America is a low cost place to live, but that is based on the low cost of hotels, rental cars, and petrol, and because you can fill your face at an all-you-can-eat buffet for $15, but for those of us who live here, those low costs are only a tiny fraction of our annual budget. As a visitor you don't see the cost of maintaining and repairing a house, the utility bill (average heating and AC, mix varies depending on where you live) of $250+/mth, of medical insurance, and that a we spend around $250/person/mth on groceries and household consumables.
There certainly are people who own holiday homes here, but speaking as a homeowner here, if I was looking for a holiday I wouldn't want to spend it dealing with property repairs and maintenance. So, if you can afford to pay a manager to check it regularly when you're not here, make sure that the AC runs in the summer, and the heat runs in the winter, and pay for yard maintenance, and not just mowing 'cos weeds grow here like you wouldn't believe! then it is certainly doable.
So if you have the cash to buy a home, and a contingency fund of say $25,000 in the event of major repairs, and the money to pay a manager (I would guess 10% of notional rent - equivalent to managing the same house if it was rented out) say, $150/mth, and the same again for mowing, weeding raking, and pruning, ... and another $250/mth (average) for utilities, and another $150 for proprty taxes, and another $100 for insurance, so total around $800/mth for a house you can only live in for six months of the year, then yes, it is totally doable.
Last edited by Pulaski; Oct 18th 2017 at 12:12 am.
Oct 17th 2017, 11:57 pm
#33
Concierge
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 46,388
Re: B&B
Yes I am confused, I have read up a lot about the Visas and whether or not I can work, buy a house in the US and different sites tell you different things that is why I came on here to hear it from the horses mouth. There must be someone on here that has done what I want to do and doesn't find it that bad.
Yes, homes in the US are not built the way homes in the UK or elsewhere in Europe are built. We don't have roofs that last 30 to 100 years without need for replacement. Our walls are usually wood frame, not stone and plaster board so there is a definite increase to one's home maintenance.
Dear friends who have a lakeside cottage in upper New York State sold their main home and bought one in Florida and return to NYS to the lakeside cottage every May and return to Florida in October. They shut off all water, clear the lines so they don't freeze, lock up and don't worry about the place until they return in May. But it is a 3 bedroom/2bath cottage and doesn't need to be heated while empty in the winter.
The main problems for you are the desire to open a bed and breakfast. You cannot do that without the proper visa. If you have money to invest and can meet the guidelines for an investment visa, then you have that avenue.
Sometimes we tend to offer more negative comments but they are realistic and only you can decide how much of your money do you want to spend to purchase a home here that will essentially only be a holiday home for sporadic use.
Entering the US is always a gamble for a visitor. Only a US citizen is guaranteed the right to enter the US. I see your age of 53 as a strike against you for a B visa because the US, rightly or wrongly, thinks that is a little young to be retired. We know it is not but hey I'm not the one authorizing your visa or stamping your entry.
Check with an immigration attorney and than make an educated decision after you have their advice. Good luck to you.
Oct 18th 2017, 12:34 am
#34
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 9,660
Re: B&B
Yes I am confused, I have read up a lot about the Visas and whether or not I can work, buy a house in the US and different sites tell you different things that is why I came on here to hear it from the horses mouth. But it seems to me that everyone thinks it is a no go, with the health costs, the property taxes the constant repairs to any property I might buy, the weather and the costs of the AC plus everything and anything else that we might have to pay for, plus the airport officers that might not let us back in, I am surprised that anyone has a holiday home in the US, I thought England was expensive, mainly because it is. But it seems that America is worse. I was thinking of a place in South Carolina because the house tax is cheaper there and the weather is not hot all year round, I do no that I will pay property tax there and still pay council Tax here, and would pay someone to look after both homes while I am away. There must be someone on here that has done what I want to do and doesn't find it that bad.
Her other expenses are electricity and trash collection all of which she pays via bank direct debit. (Note that this is an apartment and does not have all the gardening/water/maintenance costs you have been quoted)
For health insurance she uses travel insurance on the understanding that anything serious and she would be whipped back to the UK. She has visited doctors locally for minor ailments and paid cash for their services.
She is not considered resident in San Diego for personal taxes.
She has a home in the UK, for which she pays all the relevant local and property taxes and she is a tax resident in the UK. She has kept her UK bank accounts and her UK doctor , and uses the NHS system.
Even if you obtained a b/2 visa that does not allow you to run a B&B - that is a business and for that you need a business visa; but if you want just a holiday home that is doable - depending on what you buy.
Oct 18th 2017, 1:14 am
#35
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: B&B
I met an English couple running a B&B in Breckenridge, not sure if OP said where but I would have thought could qualify for an EB5. Well that seems the only route I can think of.
Oct 18th 2017, 4:32 am
#36
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 429
Re: B&B
Brits certainly do have holiday homes here - I have a Brit friend who has an apartment here in San Diego; but it is just that, a holiday home. Only she and hubby and some close family members use it. It is certainly not run as a B&B - no money changes hands. They come out for two to four months months at a time on a B/2 visa. Other family members for a few weeks at a time. It is closed up for the rest of the year. They pay local property tax and also HOA fees. Once a month a lady comes in to give it a once over.
Her other expenses are electricity and trash collection all of which she pays via bank direct debit. (Note that this is an apartment and does not have all the gardening/water/maintenance costs you have been quoted)
For health insurance she uses travel insurance on the understanding that anything serious and she would be whipped back to the UK. She has visited doctors locally for minor ailments and paid cash for their services.
She is not considered resident in San Diego for personal taxes.
She has a home in the UK, for which she pays all the relevant local and property taxes and she is a tax resident in the UK. She has kept her UK bank accounts and her UK doctor , and uses the NHS system.
Even if you obtained a b/2 visa that does not allow you to run a B&B - that is a business and for that you need a business visa; but if you want just a holiday home that is doable - depending on what you buy.
Her other expenses are electricity and trash collection all of which she pays via bank direct debit. (Note that this is an apartment and does not have all the gardening/water/maintenance costs you have been quoted)
For health insurance she uses travel insurance on the understanding that anything serious and she would be whipped back to the UK. She has visited doctors locally for minor ailments and paid cash for their services.
She is not considered resident in San Diego for personal taxes.
She has a home in the UK, for which she pays all the relevant local and property taxes and she is a tax resident in the UK. She has kept her UK bank accounts and her UK doctor , and uses the NHS system.
Even if you obtained a b/2 visa that does not allow you to run a B&B - that is a business and for that you need a business visa; but if you want just a holiday home that is doable - depending on what you buy.
this is the way to do what you want to do. Get a condo at a ski resort in the mountains or along the coast somewhere. Do what this San Diego couple is doing.
Oct 18th 2017, 11:05 am
#37
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2015
Location: Near Lynchburg Tennessee, home of Jack Daniels
Posts: 1,381
Re: B&B
I would buy the smallest motor home you could tolerate.There are many low mileage older ones you can buy very cheap. When not in use you could store very cheaply in a covered storage facility. In your travels you could find many places for cheap and convenient storage and also places to use for short stays as you travel the country. There are many Americans who adopt this lifestyle in retirement with a lot of online info available.
Oct 18th 2017, 11:16 am
#38
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,446
Re: B&B
But an EB-5 makes you a permanent resident, so automatically creates a tax issue, not to mention related issues with mandatory health insurance.
Oct 18th 2017, 12:09 pm
#39
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2013
Location: Athens GA
Posts: 2,134
Re: B&B
I wish people would not keep saying this. In the event of really needing healthcare (heart attack, appendectomy, infectious disease, any undiagnosed severe pain and a host of other things) you are not going to be able to just "pop back to the UK".
Oct 18th 2017, 1:24 pm
#40
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 17
Re: B&B
OP, see this link (although it's from a particular NHS trust, the rules are the same across the board. If you spend more than 3 months living outside the U.K. you lose entitlement to the NHS)
Please take a read of the link in spoiler tags.
We are all in the same boat. I paid into it all my working life in the U.K. also and have lost entitlement to it, despite maintaining my British citizenship. That's life and one of the things that needs to be considered when emigrating. The grass isn't always greener.. it's good you're finding these things out now and not after you've arrived here.
I would check your state pension eligibility too. If you're retiring at 53 have you paid NI for enough years to get the full state pension? You have to have 30 qualifying years. Otherwise your pension will be cut.
Please take a read of the link in spoiler tags.
Spoiler:
We are all in the same boat. I paid into it all my working life in the U.K. also and have lost entitlement to it, despite maintaining my British citizenship. That's life and one of the things that needs to be considered when emigrating. The grass isn't always greener.. it's good you're finding these things out now and not after you've arrived here.
I would check your state pension eligibility too. If you're retiring at 53 have you paid NI for enough years to get the full state pension? You have to have 30 qualifying years. Otherwise your pension will be cut.
Oct 18th 2017, 1:25 pm
#41
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: B&B
I would buy the smallest motor home you could tolerate.There are many low mileage older ones you can buy very cheap. When not in use you could store very cheaply in a covered storage facility. In your travels you could find many places for cheap and convenient storage and also places to use for short stays as you travel the country. There are many Americans who adopt this lifestyle in retirement with a lot of online info available.
How do folks get around the issue of registering/titling and insuring the thing without a residence here though?
Oct 18th 2017, 1:26 pm
#42
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: B&B
Hi Thanks for that but I think that is aimed at people that were born in the UK but have lived away for a long time, I have lived here all of my life and have paid more than 30 years NI, and also I have spoken to my doctor here as I am keeping my house and would be home 6 months a year, Would that make any difference to me and he said I would still stay on their books, I have people on some holiday that we have had in the States that are of pension age that receive UK pension and have lived over there for 50 years, which does seem terrible as they haven't given much to the UK economy and yet they are getting money from it. I don't want to immigrate to the US I just want to stay there for up to 6 months in a home I own.
Your citizenship and tax paying history is irrelevant.
Oct 18th 2017, 1:31 pm
#43
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 17
Re: B&B
Hi, I am not that stupid that I wouldn't get insurance to cover anything that might go wrong, what I am saying that even with insurance if I was taken ill as soon as it was possible to go home I would, only an idiot would have no health insurance while in the US, my daughter got taken ill while in Vegas, and for one day it cost over $5k which we paid and than got the money back from our insurance.
Oct 18th 2017, 1:39 pm
#44
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,022
Re: B&B
Hi Thanks for that but I think that is aimed at people that were born in the UK but have lived away for a long time, I have lived here all of my life and have paid more than 30 years NI, and also I have spoken to my doctor here as I am keeping my house and would be home 6 months a year, Would that make any difference to me and he said I would still stay on their books, I have people on some holiday that we have had in the States that are of pension age that receive UK pension and have lived over there for 50 years, which does seem terrible as they haven't given much to the UK economy and yet they are getting money from it. I don't want to immigrate to the US I just want to stay there for up to 6 months in a home I own.
Oct 18th 2017, 1:48 pm
#45
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 17
Re: B&B
Brits certainly do have holiday homes here - I have a Brit friend who has an apartment here in San Diego; but it is just that, a holiday home. Only she and hubby and some close family members use it. It is certainly not run as a B&B - no money changes hands. They come out for two to four months months at a time on a B/2 visa. Other family members for a few weeks at a time. It is closed up for the rest of the year. They pay local property tax and also HOA fees. Once a month a lady comes in to give it a once over.
Her other expenses are electricity and trash collection all of which she pays via bank direct debit. (Note that this is an apartment and does not have all the gardening/water/maintenance costs you have been quoted)
For health insurance she uses travel insurance on the understanding that anything serious and she would be whipped back to the UK. She has visited doctors locally for minor ailments and paid cash for their services.
She is not considered resident in San Diego for personal taxes.
She has a home in the UK, for which she pays all the relevant local and property taxes and she is a tax resident in the UK. She has kept her UK bank accounts and her UK doctor , and uses the NHS system.
Even if you obtained a b/2 visa that does not allow you to run a B&B - that is a business and for that you need a business visa; but if you want just a holiday home that is doable - depending on what you buy.
Her other expenses are electricity and trash collection all of which she pays via bank direct debit. (Note that this is an apartment and does not have all the gardening/water/maintenance costs you have been quoted)
For health insurance she uses travel insurance on the understanding that anything serious and she would be whipped back to the UK. She has visited doctors locally for minor ailments and paid cash for their services.
She is not considered resident in San Diego for personal taxes.
She has a home in the UK, for which she pays all the relevant local and property taxes and she is a tax resident in the UK. She has kept her UK bank accounts and her UK doctor , and uses the NHS system.
Even if you obtained a b/2 visa that does not allow you to run a B&B - that is a business and for that you need a business visa; but if you want just a holiday home that is doable - depending on what you buy.