Homeward Bound? Expats Feel The Pinch

[The Masked Tulip]

Good article in The Times about Brits heading home from the likes of Spain. A good quote from the article.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article7051520.ece

He adds that those who do decide to return to Britain should consider renting here for a few months before buying. He explains: “I expect to see a wave of repossessions and further house price falls after the next government brings in austerity measures.”

[Tonkers]

Good article in The Times about Brits heading home from the likes of Spain. A good quote from the article.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article7051520.ece

They advise that if he can't sell his Spanish villa, he should just rent it out instead. Is it really just that easy?

[TeddyBear]

just been over to the continent myself for the first time in a few years and I certainly felt a lot poorer travelling with Pounds.

Just wondering when is a person who goes to live abroad an immigrant and when are they an expat?

[The Masked Tulip]

just been over to the continent myself for the first time in a few years and I certainly felt a lot poorer travelling with Pounds.

Just wondering when is a person who goes to live abroad an immigrant and when are they an expat?

Under UK Law you are a subject and not a citizen - bizarrely we now indeed now citizens of the EU - and hence you cannot give up your British subjegation. You can become a citizen of another country but the Crown still believes it has your obedience.

[Georgia O'Keeffe]

Good article in The Times about Brits heading home from the likes of Spain. A good quote from the article.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article7051520.ece

Skint brits >>>>> blighty

blighty >>>>>> Wealthy brits

You dont need to be a mathematical genius to work out the the economic implications of this equation

[campervanman]

Maybe they could swap with tose wanting to escape:

http://www.sodbritain.com/

Still thousands wanting to leave despite Zimbabwe money.

[Buccaneer]

just been over to the continent myself for the first time in a few years and I certainly felt a lot poorer travelling with Pounds.

Just wondering when is a person who goes to live abroad an immigrant and when are they an expat?

My definition

Immigrant - in the country for the long term. Takes citizenship*, passport*, draws social security - a permanent resident.

Expat - in the country to work. Moves on when work is finished.

* Not necessary for Europeans living in the EEC but the effect is the same.

[TeddyBear]

My definition

Immigrant - in the country for the long term. Takes citizenship*, passport*, draws social security - a permanent resident.

Expat - in the country to work. Moves on when work is finished.

* Not necessary for Europeans living in the EEC but the effect is the same.

but Brits who retire abroad tend to be called expats rather than immigrants/emmigrants?

[repetitive bleats]

Maybe they could swap with tose wanting to escape:

http://www.sodbritain.com/

Still thousands wanting to leave despite Zimbabwe money.

Haha. You have to laugh at the irony of people moving abroad to get away from all the 'foreigners'. Reminds me of some of the NF muppets on here.

[Einstein71]

They advise that if he can't sell his Spanish villa, he should just rent it out instead. Is it really just that easy?

Well we bought our villa in 2001, moved back to the UK in 2003 due to a work opportunity that arose and decided to rent the villa out. Within 3 hours of putting an advert on the internet I received a call and started letting it long term to a retired couple from Cardiff. Had been renting long term to various Brits until November last year when we decided we wanted to start enjoying some holidays at the place and changed it to make it available for short term holiday lets. We are already booked up for 18 weeks this year at 600 euros per week in July/August and 400 May/June/September. A further 5 weeks are booked for family who we let go there for free.

It all depends on location. Our villa is no more than a minutes stroll from the beach (It is called "beachfront" but is about 2 rows back). We were also realistic and rented it out for 850 euros per month which at the time was about 150 euros less than others. We are also in an area that is a popular resort for Spanish, Dutch and Germans as well as Brits. As far as I can see letting potential is still strong but you have to be realistic.

For me this article is another non article. So some currency exchange place after a bit of cheap publicity interviewed how many people exactly to get the 70% figure. The question asked is who was thinking of returning to the UK? Not how many were actually making plans to move. These non stories are like the land grab stories which have only affected about 30 people on the costas but get more column inches than any other story regarding Spain. Of course the falling pound has affected a lot of pensioners paid out in sterling whether they live in Spain, Ireland, Thailand, Australia, Canada etc but probably the same amount have been effected in the UK who relied upon interest on savings/investments. What these stories do achieve is bags of shadenfreude to readers, the fact that the whole story is based on a handful of publicity hungry moaners and a dodgy survey is cheifly ignored.

[Einstein71]

Haha. You have to laugh at the irony of people moving abroad to get away from all the 'foreigners'. Reminds me of some of the NF muppets on here.

What is just as amusing is that many parts of Southern Spain have more people with English as their first language than many parts of London.

[You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet]

What these stories do achieve is bags of shadenfreude to readers, the fact that the whole story is based on a handful of publicity hungry moaners and a dodgy survey is cheifly ignored.

I've been in expat forums where these newspapers have come in fishing, trying to find the expats who have lost it all, or who found a change in culture that wasn't for them and then try to give the impression people are coming back to the UK in their droves. There's always going to be a reasonable percentage of people coming back to the UK based on a number of factors. I'm not sure why they have to make stories out of non-stories, so that others can gloat.

[CviewUK]

A shortage of "funny money" to support the market?

A pensioner laundered millions of pounds for criminal gangs while posing as an estate agent.

John Maurice led a double-life that saw him run a property business selling homes abroad while also smuggling bundles of cash to the continent in used notes.

But the 68-year-old was caught after a sniffer dog found wads of pounds and Euros worth £60,000 stuffed in his pants when he was stopped by Customs officials as he boarded a ferry from Dover to France.

Now he has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of laundering money totalling £3,828,000. He is expected to serve half the sentence in jail.

A Customs investigation revealed he was using a Worthing money exchange bureau to launder millions of pounds for criminals.

Maurice was known as “Spanish John” in Worthing and ran firms selling overseas property, with registered addresses in Station Parade, Tarring, and Church Road, Hove.

Between April 2005 and June 2008 he used a single foreign exchange bureau about 180 times.

He would change sterling into Euros before crossing the Channel.

When questioned he claimed he was changing money for clients who wanted to buy furniture for their homes in Spain.

But he could not produce any evidence of this and refused to reveal the identities of his clients to Customs officials.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/5043914.OAP_money_launderer_hid_cash_in_his_pants/

[huw]

but Brits who retire abroad tend to be called expats rather than immigrants/emmigrants?

I'd call them expats if they still think of the UK as "home".

[Cogs]

Under UK Law you are a subject and not a citizen - bizarrely we now indeed now citizens of the EU - and hence you cannot give up your British subjegation. You can become a citizen of another country but the Crown still believes it has your obedience.

This is a myth.

[stormymonday_2011]

This is a myth.

And has been since at least 1948

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Nationality_Act_1948

[LuckyOne]

And the other side of the story ......

http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=138248

[OnlyMe]

In the decade following Labour's rise to power, more than 1.5 million British citizens moved abroad, with around 200,000 leaving each year.

Right.

If Brown get re-elected the exodus may intensify.

But many are already trapped holding Sterling assets

Brown re-elected - there would be a massive rush to exit - the prospect of another 5 years - say 1/4 of their retirement under that arshole would be too much for many.

Or hung parliament - currency chaos.

or Tory - maybe a prospect of common sense and probity - but then again maybe not.

[The Masked Tulip]

There are millions of public sector workers who will vote for him - :angry:

[Cogs]

There are millions of public sector workers who will vote for him -  :angry:

Tax credits for working mothers. Seriously. That is what the election will be decided upon.

[Cygnus Alpha]

Brown re-elected - there would be a massive rush to exit

Excellent! It would certainly help the HPC and make housing more affordable. Problem is a lot of these people come worming their way back when they need hospital treatment.