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Living overseas

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Original poster

moving back to the UK - should i get evidence of no claims for house and car insurance etc??

20 replies

AlohaMama · 01/07/2013 23:06

I'm moving back to the UK this summer after nearly 5 years in the US. I've read other forums that have suggested getting copies of evidence of no claims for car insurance and house insurance, safe driving record (evidence of no traffic violations), credit reports and things like that. My question is, has anyone done this and found them to be useful? When we moved out here, we bought with us copies of our credit reports but they counted for nothing even from the same credit agency - the banks/stores etc would only consider your credit history within the US. I'm wondering if insurance companies in the UK will even take into account evidence of no claims if they are from overseas? I'll get them if they're useful but don't want to waste my time getting these if no UK companies will look at them anyway. Thanks!

OP posts:
ripsishere · 02/07/2013 06:58

I took mine with me from Belgium to the UK. The insurance companies couldn't have cared less.
Going the other way was different. We got 60% off immediately in Oman, Bangkok then Switzerland.
England/UK seems not to be bothered.
Although, don't take my word as gospel. Knowing my luck they've changed the rules in the past year or so.

ProbablyJustGas · 02/07/2013 11:50

You could try and see what happens, but I reckon the rules have not changed much. It took me three years living in the UK (from USA) before I could get even a debit card. DH and I were able to get a joint mortgage in 2011, but we had to settle for a higher interest rate than was on offer at the time - some of the banks refused to lend to us because I was an immigrant with a short credit history.

Maybe a financial adviser would be able to help once you're here?

IwishIwasRiverSong · 02/07/2013 15:14

Funnily enough I have been today to get a certificate of no claims for my car here in Qatar. I was hoping that it would mean I could get my million year no claims discount reinstated in the UK, but from what you say it may be for nothing!

Original poster
AlohaMama · 03/07/2013 02:33

river Yeah I was wondering if anyone had had success. I may as well get the car one as its worth a shot, but am thinking house would be a waste of time.

probably I'm hoping I'll be OK on credit as I've maintained my British bank account and credit cards while I've been away. I'm expecting credit rating may have dropped from lack of activity (if that happened) but hopefully won't have to start from scratch.

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SquinkiesRule · 03/07/2013 03:58

I'd take them anyway, we are. There are some that did get their no claims but they moved back from Canada You have to go in person not try the online applications for them to take more notice of your no claims evidence. Our insurance is AA here in the US so I hope they will accept it when we get back.

Wibblypiglikesbananas · 04/07/2013 19:37

Well, I had the same experience as you moving to the US - was a waste of time bringing no claims info. etc in this direction. Might be worth giving a couple of companies in the UK a call first to check though?

Interestingly, a US friend and her British DH moved back to the UK last week and she just emailed to say she'd been rejected when it came to credit for a mobile contract - hilarious really as she'd lived in the UK for 10 years, back in the US for 2 and owns property in the UK. She's also a British citizen now and - to top it all off - her husband is a multi millionaire (which means, by default, so is she).

I think there's a huge gap in the market when it comes to living in a world without borders, as so many of us do now.

Good luck with the move and sorting everything out.

FlipertyJibbert · 05/07/2013 22:08

When we moved to the UK from South Africa both our new home insurance and car insurance DID take account of our previous no claims bonuses.

This was 3 years ago.

Original poster
AlohaMama · 07/07/2013 00:52

hmm doesn't sound too promising for me then wibbly if your friend had that much trouble.

thanks fliperty - at least that is one positive story! Do you mind saying which company it was?

OP posts:
NatashaBee · 07/07/2013 00:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

13loki · 07/07/2013 06:55

I found 1 insurance company that took my no-claims into account when I moved from Australia to the UK 9 years ago. I think it was Churchill, but I can't be sure. They were more expensive, but I then swapped the next year and they showed the 7 years no claims I had built up, so over the time I lived there I did actually save.

fussychica · 07/07/2013 13:39

When we came back from Spain we got a copy of our no claims from our Spanish car insurer and we got full no claims record & discount with Direct Line. No experience on the house insurance though. This was 2 years ago.

TNETENNBA · 07/07/2013 13:46

Hi, I was flipertyjibbert but have namechanged after realising there already was a correctly spelt flippertyjibbert Blush

Our car insurance company was/is Admiral

And our home insurance company is Sterling Insurance.

papalazaru · 07/07/2013 13:51

We just moved back and I would say its worth having the NCD evidence if its easy to get. It might help. One useful thing I found out was that although we had maintained credit cards and bank accounts we failed some credit checks for things like mobile phones etc. Apparently it was because we weren't on the electoral roll - so get yourself back on it ASAP so everything correlates. Good luck with your move.

Wibblypiglikesbananas · 07/07/2013 19:06

Papal - that would make sense in my friend's case as her old place was rented out. So, maybe the electoral role is the way to go!

Original poster
AlohaMama · 08/07/2013 01:36

ok thanks for the info on the insurance and the electoral roll. i'll add it to the to-do list!

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papalazaru · 12/07/2013 18:41

Just an add on and nothing at all to do with cars but I found out this week that ink cartridges for printers are regional. Now I already knew about DVD players etc and we have got round that problem. So I am gobsmacked that I can't use the printer I bought in the US unless I have US cartridges. So IF you're bringing your printer stock up on unopened cartridges - our movers insisted we took out the old cartridges so I can't even get them refilled here. Grrrrr - off to buy a new printer......

Original poster
AlohaMama · 13/07/2013 06:05

Interesting to know papalazaru though I'd just assumed my printer wouldn't work in the UK so we'd already promised to sell it to someone. It's so annoying (not to mention) expensive having to sell all the electrical appliances only to have to buy them all again in the UK.

OP posts:
papalazaru · 14/07/2013 21:09

Yes it is a complete pain - we have a few transformers to convert US to UK so we thought that would work with the printer but no.... Lamps are fine though. Just change bulbs and plugs and they work a dream. Some modern electronics have an auto switch internally - worth checking before you have to give stuff away.

MelanieCheeks · 14/07/2013 21:12

You.l need them if you want to get no claims discount on car insurance

Original poster
AlohaMama · 15/07/2013 01:13

papalazaru we know our computer and monitors will work (we hope) but on the basis of your post I've just checked my table lamps and at least one of them I can take with us. So thank you!

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