Looking to buy a house abroad to live permanently......worried about Brexit.....anyone else in the same situation

[user1497997754]

As stated above. Have been looking for a couple of years and found the right property now so looking to buy it in the next couple of months. It's within our budget and is a good buy.....but Brexit worries me and the implication of still a No Deal scenario. If we don't do it now then it will be put on the back burner and I don't want to wait anymore. What are your thoughts please

Brexit (if it ever happens) won't stop people buying property in the EU, but it will make owning/living in it more difficult even if there is a deal.

You need to check out any specific taxation rules for non EU second home owners.

Bear in mind that you would only be able to visit for 90 days in any 180 day period - if Brexit happens then the days of spending winter in the sun are over.

If Brexit happens then the days of spending winter in the sun are over.
That is simply not true.

If it will be your permanent home and you satisfy the basic rules for whichever country you are thinking of then there should be no massive problem. There may well be more paperwork and depending on the way Brexit goes there may be some restrictions/rights but many will not have a great impact.
Bear in mind that the UK has a Flextension, so Oct 31st is the last day for the UK to leave (if it does) and that the UK may actually leave before then, with May/June being possible, so you need to make the move if you really want to.
The Pound is also doing quite well at the moment (or at least is not very bad) so getting your money into Euros might be a good plan.

If Brexit happens then the days of spending winter in the sun are over.
That is simply not true.

In what sense is that "not true"? Non-EEA citizens without a residence permit are limited to a 90 day stay in the Schengen area in any 180 day period. They must then leave for 90 days.

Of course it may be possible to get round this (illegally), but you'd probably find that insurance would be an issue.

I might add that staying for more than 3 months would make you an illegal migrant ... something that you'd think Brexit fans like Lucy would get all hot and bothered about ....

Non-EEA citizens without a residence permit are limited to a 90 day stay in the Schengen area in any 180 day period

So the OP would need a residence permit. I don't know what the requirements for that are, but may not be insurmountable especially if they have a private income of some kind and therefore don't need a job locally.

So the OP would need a residence permit. I don't know what the requirements for that are, but may not be insurmountable

Not insurmountable with an independent income + private healthcare, or a working visa. But the OP would have to apply for a visa before travel if intending to stay more than 90 days.

Also would have to consider the impact of double taxation, assuming that they retained assets or income in the U.K.

It will be much harder without question

There was a tv show about benidorm i think, a caravan park was full of residential caravans. Lots of British people had retired there on not much income at all because it was much cheaper

One imagines that a lot of them will have to come back to britain if what misti is talking about comes to pass

Shame, it looked like a lovely life

The OP said living permanently somewhere in the EU and buying a property. It was not stated as being a 'second home' and presumably would either be working in the EU or has sufficient funds. Obviously residence permits and so on would need to be sorted out, as well as healthcare etc. The OP was a bit light on details.

Didn't Greece have a rule that non-Greeks could not easily buy property in Greece? They had to relax that to allow any EU citizens to buy but if/when the UK is no longer a member of the EU, it could become difficult/impossible for "ordinary" UK citizens to buy there . The super rich always seem to have their own rules

Other countries may have similar restrictions, but it will depend on their local laws as to how they treat a 3rd country (which is what the UK will be)

The OP said living permanently somewhere in the EU and buying a property. It was not stated as being a 'second home' and presumably would either be working in the EU or has sufficient funds

If OP buys the home while still living in the U.K., there will be a period during which it is a second home, which introduces complications regarding taxation, residence etc. Most of the non-EU citizens I know who live in the EU have moved first and bought later (or have just carried on renting). It's a lot easier that way round.

If the OP moves permanently to the EU after Brexit s/he may need to apply for a visa before travelling. It's not a dead cert that she'll get one either: an Australian friend of mine was recently turned down for a long-stay visa for France even though she had formerly held a residence permit and was travelling with her two children who are both French nationals.

During transition, if we get a transition (requires May's deal to be accepted), there may be a window of opportunity to get residence before full non-EU requirements kick in. But don't assume it will be easy. There are already stories of Britons living legally in France being turned down for residence permits.

I would check what the immigration requirements are for non-EU immigrants. If we get No Deal then we may overnight become a third country. Do you meet the requirements to move there? Many countries are strict. Eg you would need to be recruited to a job they can't fill from EU, or have substantial savings.

If we sign the withdrawal agreement then freedom of movement continues for two years, so you would likely have time to move there and gain residency (although check their current policy towards granting residency to UK citizens).

Alternatively you could try and buy it, move there and gain residency by 31 Oct... Although UK could choose to leave with no deal prior to that, say if new brexiter prime minister comes in, it could happen quickly.

Ultimately there is a lot of uncertainty and you could end up owning a house in a country you can't get permission to live in.

Personally I would not buy until I had residency, and if you want to move there I would move, rent until you gain residency and then buy if you want to.

My parents had planned to do this but have put it on the back burner. There is way too much uncertainty at the moment and you could easily end up with a property which you cannot use as planned.

Is this going to be a second home or are you selling up in the UK? If the latter just be aware that regardless of Brexit several people that I know have done this and enjoy their new lives in Spain/France/Germany. But they are aware that it will be very hard to afford to be able to move back to the UK now. House prices in the UK being so high.