Badhairday

If people are also working longer that should take the pressure off.

Yes, overseas landlords, including those from countries that have no CGT, have to pay CGT to HMRC upon the sale of British property.

I'm pretty sure he does reference checks, at the bare minimum check's their ID's so he knows they are who they say they are....

2nd. I had no idea Dublin was so expensive. I imagine the salaries are much lower than in London!

Cool. I was expecting way north of those figures... but then again, he works at one of the big four banks so he is probably at the top end of your estimates.

Roughly, what kind of figures are we talking when you refer to 'big bucks'? I have an acquaintance who is a director at a bank and I am nosy.

I believe it's only 7 years if all your tax affairs are in order, but if they are not, HMRC can go back further than 7 years.

I came across a similar company (about 5 years ago) and it was charging a fee to view a flat in a prime location, which was ridiculously cheap. Mind you, this was in Germany. When I researched it online, I found that this company was blacklisted by the UK FSA. It's basically a scam. I'm convinced that the flat was never even up for sale.

The 'piece of paper' is just to distinguish a casual relationship (regardless of the length of the relationship) from a more committed one. Lets assume co-habiting couples are treated the same as married couples, what would happen if a guy just wants a live-in girlfriend but he isn't 'in love' with her? if co-habiting gives her the same rights as a wife, the guy in question would no longer have the option of a casual (at least, in his mind) co-habiting relationship. It's leading to less choices for men - you are married wether you make the commitment or not!

I should clarify, this was in 1994, so before crazy rents. My mate was a student at Uni and the girl was not much older... I didn't think of her as a predator... oddly, I saw her more as the victim...

I'm ashamed to admit that's what I wondered too.. I mean, he had already done the deed without needing the bag... so why not do the deed for money? He had more class than I did in those days... Basically nothing came of it, just a drunken one night stand.

This thread reminds of of the time my mate shagged a rather unattractive young lady. She knew it was a one off but offered to pay his rent in return for regular sex... I felt rather bad for her. Was she so starved of human affection that she would pay for it?

There are no advantages to purchasing in Mayfair via a Cayman ISlands holding company. Wether you are a non-dom, non-resident, resident, company, partnership, fund... whatever. You have to now pay HMRC the capital gains tax. Legislation drawn up a few years ago comes into effect as of now: http://www.nabarro.com/insight/briefings/2014/april/consultation-capital-gains-tax-for-non-residents-disposing-of-residential-property/ As for the paychecques courtersy of nondom status.... once the money enters the UK it has to have tax paid on it... doesn't it?

I've been trying to buy a home in Munich for several years now. I have a very specific postcode I want to live in and flats rarely come up for sale here. It seems most of the properties are owned by professional landlords who are not selling, so you have to wait until an owner occupier wants to sell... The annoying thing is that prices here are comparable to London, despite the fact that London has a lot more prestige.... admittedly this is not the case in the rest of Germany. I visited my sister in Singapore and prices in London seemed cheap in comparison.... It seems clear to me that rediculous housing costs are not limited to London, not by a long shot. So... where do you live and what are house prices like where you live.... especially compared to local wages.

Ok. So I am a brit living in Munich and just a few points I would like to add: It's not exactly a renters paradise. Tenants have so many rights here that landlords are EXTREMELY fussy who they will rent to. I know people who complain about having applied to 20+ properties and still not being accepted for a place, despite having a stable job. At least when we moved here 4 years ago, there were a lot of applicants per property and the landlord had his pick. Fwiw, my landlord is a professional landlord who owns over 100 properties, but he is happy to come over and fix the plumbing when we experience a problem. It's common for flats to be unfurnished and that usually means you have to install your own kitchen. So, it makes sense that tenants tend to not move once they have personalised a property. However, we are looking for a flat to buy and it is a completely different market to the UK. We have a huge post code area that we are interested in and we will get a property come up for sale maybe once a month or so in that area. Most of the professional landlords are not selling so only owner occupier flats come onto the market. It's not unusual for people to offer above asking price in the current market... Prices have been going up like crazy. We were too late with our offer to buy a lovely f/f flat with amazing views for 360 euros in Nov. In Jan an identical flat but with no views, no furniture, a much smaller celler and in really bad condition came up for sale for 390 euros. It is now sold.