Do you sell or do you rent your UK property when you emigrate

I was thinking about a very contentious issue last night, and it’s this: given that prices on house sales have dropped considerably in the UK, is your best bet to sell your property if you decide to move abroad, or would it be better to rent it out? The latter does mean that if, for what ever reason, your move does not go according to plan you haven’t burnt your boats completely…not a bad idea in my book.

Let’s say you decide to rent it out: two more decisions are paramount.

Firstly, furnished or unfurnished?

If you are me, then you want to take all your precious things with you. If you are most people, you will be delighted to leave them behind and completely refurnish abroad. First prize would of course be that you leave all your furniture in your home. You rent it out furnished and then, with the proceeds from the rental, you have enough to rent and buy new furniture abroad, and save yourself a bundle in shipping costs…but it doesn’t quite work like that.

Furnished properties need to be furnished to a very high standard, and all soft furnishings need to be certified as fire resistant. On top of that you may not get much extra rent on a fully furnished property. I know when I rented here in London the rent was the same furnished or unfurnished…

You do need by law to leave a few things behind for your tenants however; things like a stove, fridge, washing machine and garden tools/lawn mower if they will be looking after a garden. This adds to the list of things you have to pay to repair and maintain, but frankly I think that new electrical appliances are best bought in the country you are moving to.

And then…Letting Agents?

A letting agent will find tenants for you, arrange necessary maintenance, repairs and inspections, and generally look after your property. You’ll pay for the privilege of course – 10-15% plus VAT of the rent your tenant pay will go straight to the letting agent.

You do need to keep on top of things with your letting agent, for a number of reasons, which I am going to detail next week.

Just let me end by popping one further thought into your head: if you are emigrating abroad and wish to establish non-residence status in the UK, just moving overseas won't be enough to establish that you've got a new domicile.

Essentially you need to show that you've severed your UK ties totally and that you are living overseas on a permanent basis. There's a burden of proof and it is not something that is easy to convince the tax man of. If you are retaining your property you need to be aware of this: a long-let is advisable and perhaps you would be wise to consult with HM Tax and Revenue Services and/or a lawyer to make sure that you conform to requirements so that you don’t find yourself with a vast tax bill!

Kim Brown
The Overseas Guides Company
Visit my website at: http://www.emigrationguide.com/

Check out your estate agent or developer before rather than after buying

If you need to buy a property during your emigration process, one of the most important elements is to ensure that the estate agent or developer that you're buying from runs a reputable and honest establishment.

Often buyers get caught up in the excitement of the purchase and fail to do the necessary homework. My in-laws decided that since their developer was German, he was an efficient and trustworthy builder. That couldn't have been further from the truth.

If they had simply asked around or even done a search on the Internet, they would have found complaint after complaint about this man. And with a bit more digging they would have discovered that he's been taken to court on several occasions.

Don't let this happen to you!

Many buyers feel like they are beholden to the developers or agents – this is NOT the case. You should be in control…and to be in control, you’ll want to take responsibility and determine if the particular developer or agent is going to service you in the best possible way.

Listed below are ways that you can check up on your developer or estate agent.

1. Enter the developer or agents name into the Google search engine. Sometimes you'll get the best results if you put the name in "quotes" such as "XYZ Developers"

Click through every link that mentions the developer in question. You might come across articles or postings that report problems or issues that other buyers have experienced. On the other hand, you might also find testimonials or good reports.

Within Google, you can also go to Groups and enter 'Greek Property' or check out Yahoo! Group. This is a place where people post information about experiences, questions or issues they've experienced.

Check out any chat rooms, forums or message boards that discuss your location or area of choice.

Bad developers/agents cannot hide when it comes to the Internet...If people are upset, they will go to any lengths to help other people to avoid the same problems.

2. If you're buying on an estate that has people who have moved in already AND you have the ability to visit the estate, why not post little flyers through the door saying:

"Hi! We might be neighbours soon...I'm interested in buying on this estate, however before I make my decision, I am interested to know if you've experienced any problems with the developer or agent. If you wouldn't mind, I would be so grateful if you could simply answer the following questions and email them to me at:

* Was the property completed on time?

* Is the quality up to standard?

* Did you have any issues?

* What is the traffic noise like?

* Add more questions that interest you...

Thank you in advance,

HOWEVER, keep in mind that people that have purchased have egos and in some circumstances they will feel compelled to give you the rose coloured picture rather than tell you what truly happened.

As with all your research, don't listen to just one source.

3. Ask for referrals from your agent and if they don't have any, treat that as a major warning sign.

4. Ask the locals what stories they've heard. If something bad happens, the word often spreads quickly. Don't be afraid to ask your waiter/waitress or a news agent.

As with everything, take what you hear with a pinch of salt. You might happen to ask a relative of XYZ builder about them and they'll say that they're the best...

Or perhaps you're chatting with someone that considers XYZ Estate Agent to be terrible, however if you dig a bit you'll find that the owner is an ex-boyfriend. Hell hath no fury and all that!

You know what I'm trying to say...so I won't harp on about it. Just keep your wits about you...

Kim Brown
The Overseas Guides Company
Visit my website at: http://www.emigrationguide.com/

Emigration: Healthcare Part 2: Non-EU countries

Just to round off our discussion of medical care around the world if you should chose to move abroad:

USA
Unlike other developed countries, the US does not have a universal system of healthcare coverage - it is up to individuals to obtain health insurance. What that means to you as a new arrival or a part-time visitor/tourist is that it is absolutely essential to have medical insurance when in the USA.

American residents with a green card aged 65 or over can sign up for the government-run Medicare scheme, and low-income parents, children, pregnant women and people with certain disabilities are eligible for the government-administered Medicaid programme. The US government also runs the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-Chip), which provides coverage to children whose parents are on modest incomes, but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. Military veterans are also provided healthcare by a government-run scheme.

Australia
Medicare Health Care System was introduced in Australia in 1984. Medicare facilitates access to all eligible Australian residents for free or low-cost medical, optometric and public hospital care, while leaving them free to choose private health services should they so desire.

Individuals’ financial contributions to the public health care system are based on their income and are made through a taxation levy known as the Medicare levy. People admitted to public hospitals as Medicare patients receive treatment by doctors and specialists nominated by the hospital. They are not charged for care and treatment or after-care by the treating doctor. Private paying patients in public or private hospitals on the other hand can choose their own doctor.

Medicare pays 75 per cent of the Medicare schedule fee for services and procedures provided by the treating doctor. For patients who have private health insurance, some or all of the outstanding balance may be covered. Medicare Australia also pays pharmaceutical benefits under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which subsidises an agreed list of prescription drugs. For both medical and pharmaceutical services, safety net arrangements exist to make sure patients who need a high level of treatment or medication during a financial year do not incur significant out-of-pocket expenses. Out-of-pocket costs are the difference between the Medicare benefit and what the patient is actually charged.

The Australian Government has signed reciprocal health care agreements with the governments of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden. Visitors from these countries are eligible for Medicare assistance for medically necessary treatment only. If hospital treatment is required, such visitors are eligible for treatment only as Medicare patients and not as private patients. Other visitors are not eligible for Medicare and should arrange for health insurance to cover their stay in Australia.

South Africa
South Africa's health system consists of a large under-resourced and over-used public sector, under pressure to deliver services to about 80% of the population and a smaller but fast-growing private sector. This private sector is run largely on commercial lines and caters to middle- and high-income earners who tend to be members of medical schemes (18% of the population), and to foreigners looking for top-quality surgical procedures at relatively affordable prices.

It is virtually mandatory to have a private medical aid either through your employer, who shares the cost with you, or individually. State hospitals are appalling – take it from one who knows. As a tourist or émigré, you would be well advised to get medical insurance cover.

New Zealand
Under the public healthcare scheme in New Zealand, a certain degree of care is offered free to its residents and to those with work permits that allow them to temporarily reside in New Zealand. The hospitals are publicly run and treat citizens or permanent residents free of charge. Waiting times for non-urgent care can be fairly long and many patients are going private in order to be treated faster.

To benefit from the public health system in New Zealand, you must hold a permanent resident visa, be a resident of the country or hold a work permit for two years at the time of application. To check your eligibility, please take the test at http://www.moh.govt.nz/ . If you meet the criteria, your partner and children aged 19 years or under will also be eligible for publicly funded healthcare. If you do not meet these requirements, you have to take out a private health insurance in New Zealand or before departure from your country of origin, either if you plan to stay or if you are just visiting.

The current system, funded by taxes, includes free prescriptions and treatments at public hospitals, free x-rays and laboratory tests when carried out from public hospitals or clinics, free service charges for pregnant women, free dental care for children at school age, and free breast screenings for women aging fifty above. The other free services offered are subsidised GP referral visits, free treatments for patients suffering with chronic conditions and subsidised prescriptions for children six years old and younger.

The EHIC or European Health Insurance Card
In 2006 the E111 form was phased out and replaced by the free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Also called the EU Medical Card, it gives details such as your name, date of birth and National Insurance number. The card lasts for 3-5 years and entitles you to receive free or reduced-cost emergency healthcare if you or any of your dependants are suddenly taken ill or have an accident when visiting countries with reciprocal health agreements with the UK (European Union countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).

You should obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before leaving the UK – you have to present this to get free or rebated medical expenses as mentioned above. The EHIC is available free of charge through most UK post offices or apply online at www.ehic.org.uk You can also contact them on 0845 606 2030 and get them to send you one. Every family member (individual traveller) needs their own card - that includes children – and you will need the name, date of birth and NHS or national insurance (NI) number of everyone you are applying for.

Only state-provided treatment is covered, and you'll receive treatment on the same terms as 'insured' residents of the country you're visiting. Private treatment isn't covered, and state-provided treatment may not cover all of the things that you'd expect to receive free of charge from the NHS.

That’s it – I hope this has helped. I am afraid that in future and to save escalating costs only those resident in the UK or in emergencies may be treated under the NHS scheme – something to think long and hard about.

Kim
The Overseas Guides Company
http://www.Emigrationguide.com