Help me move to Scotland!

[StrippingTheVelvet]

Myself and DP are moving overseas to Scotland in like 8 weeks. Both of us are working full time until then and pretty much as soon as we touch down. All I've done so far is get a quote for a removal company and discover we have a council tax to pay on top of rent.

We're sitting down tomorrow to figure out what needs done and who is going to do what. My brain is now moosh -as the stress is about to break me- so please hit me with all the things that we need to consider that I haven't thought of!

Where are you moving from and which part are you moving to? I moved to an island which had it's own set of issues!

Do you have somewhere to rent yet?

Moving from Belfast to Dunfermline and I should say we've two dogs and a cat .

Do you have children? Jobs to go to? Where are you moving to?

No place to rent because it's feels a bit too far in advance yet. We'd ideally like to start a rental contract 01/09/19 and tbh I'm not sure even how to go about that . We're on a really tight budget as well so we want to keep unnecessary visits to a minimum.

No kids and one of us has a job confirmed but fingers crossed the other will have one before we go.

You will need to sort out
internet connection
Phone utilities companies to give them your details and confirm meter readings
Council tax will mysteriously happen all on its own (well, at some point soon you'll get a letter through the post about it)
Do you need a dog walker?
Schools?
Transport - car / bus pass /train srason ticket?

Oh, just read last post.
You need acomodation finding before any of that!

Assuming you have accommodation sorted, and have bank account & credit card sorted
Assume phone sim/contract is same from NI to Scotland? If not, get a phone plan in place.
Plan for car & parking permit
Or, get train app for times
Get the Tesco or Sainsbury's app & book an initial delivery including store cupboard stuff and pet stuff.
Download offline Google map of the area, check out potential dog walk areas
Dog walker? Or whatever your plan is while working
Go on the council website and find out how to find out about bin collections etc etc
Find a broadband supplier and see if you can sign up now, if not sorted by landlord.
Plan what you will wear for your first few days at work :-)

Why Dunfermline? Do you have family or jobs in the town.

If you are going to rent, then do some research on Rightmove, see what the price range is for what you need, see if there is a location that would be best for the confirmed job/transport links if important. If you end up renting through an estate agent it can take a few weeks to do the references etc so don't leave it too late

Forget all that - find some accommodation first! Ring round & register interest with local letting agents now, saying what you are looking for. If you don't want to visit beforehand, consider booking a holiday rental for first week or two? Scottish school holidays are finished by mid August (I think Dunfermline probably go back week of 20th).

You might find Rosyth cheaper than Dunfermline?

Because one job is in Dunfermline and we don't want the cost of two commutes .

I think we do need to start looking at getting a house soon... I'm sounding more stupid with each post but how would I best do that? There's no way I could see something and then travel the next day to view but they don't seem to be available more than a day or two. At this rate, I think we can only really view on the internet and organise a contract without visiting first.

Phone some local agents, don't just rely on Internet. Explain the situation and the kind of thing you are looking for - they will know what is coming up and also advise on how to go about handling the timing.

Honestly, I'd see if I could find a fortnight caravan rental near Dunfermline?

Also post on Dunfermline Facebook groups (I'm sure there will be some, eg selling pages) saying what you are looking for and timing etc.

You can also take a rental without viewing - I had to do that once (many years ago). Agent/landlord could send a video tour, and Google street view is your friend.

I agree with caravan for a month.
I would find Scottish removals company that have storage facilities. Put your stuff in storage for a month. View properties. Rent somewhere.

Do you have a car. I would look at Dalgety Bay, Rosyth maybe Cairneyhill area too. Commute would be a 10-15 min drive.

Caravan for a few weeks is a great idea. Lots of caravans out by Burntisland.

I live near Dunfermline. Pm me if I can help with anything. Do you have school age children?

One good thing about Scotland (okay, one of the million fantastic things about Scotland) is that water and wastewater charges are in the council tax bill and from what I remember of living in England, the water charges are so much cheaper too. If you pay it by direct debit you can opt for paying it over 10 months so you get two council tax bill free months a year (March and April)
Other than that it's not hugely different to Belfast. Same shite like gas and leccy suppliers needed. Scotland has laws against estate agents/landlords charging fees for tenancies so there's good news if you're going to be renting.

Definitely start putting out feelers now for accommodation esp re pets!

Facebook group is mum & dad's in Fife - I've seen posts looking to move to Dunfermline & asking for advice.

Google "rent in dunfermline" - all the main listings will come up.

zoopla
s1
ESPC
right move
gumtree

Once you've got that, everything else will fall into place. There are worse places to live than Dunfermline!

You should definitely start looking now as you will be v limited when renting with pets I'm afraid.
It might be worth considering a pet friendly air bnb - some offer longer term rentals...?