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Living overseas

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Original poster

Anyone in the process of moving home?

195 replies

KobaniDaughters · 28/04/2021 05:20

Looks like we’re more than likely moving back to the U.K. - maybe end of the year for DH but summer for DC and I. Feeling pretty overwhelmed and wondering if anyone else was planning to head back from abroad in the next few months for shared hand holding?

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RandomUsernameHere · 07/03/2022 17:21

Oh no! That sounds stressful. Can you give him lots of things to get excited about for when you move? Even small things, like you've found a really good golf club near where you're going to be living (if he likes golf) for example.
Maybe the fact that you're dealing with the move means that he doesn't see things all coming together.
For me, I was originally quite reluctant to move so soon. I wanted to eventually but I was thinking more a year or two further down the line. I'm finding the more things get sorted, the more excited I'm getting and I've really got my head round it now!

Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 11/03/2022 14:35

I think we need some time together to just chat, no plans or panic or ulterior motive just chatting about it. And I think I prob need him to start doing stuff towards it so it feels more real to him

D.C. have started telling friends so we have too, but of a race to do it as there are one or two people I’d hate to hear through kids than from me!

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Hearmeroar2 · 13/03/2022 04:16

@KobaniDaughters

I think we need some time together to just chat, no plans or panic or ulterior motive just chatting about it. And I think I prob need him to start doing stuff towards it so it feels more real to him

D.C. have started telling friends so we have too, but of a race to do it as there are one or two people I’d hate to hear through kids than from me!

Do you get quality one on one time with DP and no DC to talk about it? I know DP and I can only really talk freely about it when there are no DC listening in. As someone else said, maybe getting him into exploring any hobbies you have as a family, or want to have, will help? I say all this, my DP is blissfully sitting back letting me do all the work so I envisage this being my exact problem at some stage. Hmm
Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 28/03/2022 14:50

How is everyone doing? Things ratcheting up here, house goes on the market on 4th April so am frantically clearing as much as possible and the landscapers are making the garden look beautiful.

Need to book the cat’s flight home having done hours of research into the best way to manage it, def DIY rather than using an agency to save thousands of dollars. Mum will have him until we get there which helps massively.

Told almost everyone here we want to tell so now the rumour mill can do it’s thing and we need to book our own flights and plan in times with friends. Just booked a camping trip with a close family for memorial weekend which is something to look forward to

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ZebraTrot · 01/04/2022 19:02

I joined the facebook group mentioned on this thread (ex pats returning to the UK) and it was really helpful (i'm just thinking about returning at this stage) but it's now been archived so you can't ask questions. Do you know of any other groups that are active?

ZebraTrot · 01/04/2022 19:04

Also, just curious, how did you tell everyone you are leaving? I'm wondering how you manage to tell everyone at the same time so that no one is upset that someone else knew before they did!

Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 02/04/2022 02:16

@ZebraTrot I know I’m so annoyed they just suddenly archived with no warning and I haven’t found another like it

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ZebraTrot · 02/04/2022 03:29

@KobaniDaughters yes, i noticed a couple of posts from an admin sounding like they were annoyed about people asking the same questions and then all of a sudden the group was archived!
Well please post on here if you find another one and I will too!

Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 08/04/2022 17:33

House is up for sale!

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ZebraTrot · 22/04/2022 13:13

@KobaniDaughters have you had any interest/offers on your house?

Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 22/04/2022 15:01

@ZebraTrot yes! Accepted an offer so now we’re in escrow. Really hope it goes through as they seem a lovely couple and our next highest offer was from a builder who would tear it down and build a house twice the price in its stead, LA is already desperately unaffordable so I don’t want to be a part of that problem.

hopefully escrow closes end of May and we have a lease back until end of June, still haven’t found anywhere to live in the U.K. but looks like there might be two rental options coming up we can put offers on….

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ZebraTrot · 06/05/2022 02:16

@KobaniDaughters that's great news! And how are your children feeling about it at the moment?

RandomUsernameHere · 26/05/2022 19:55

How is everyone getting on? I've been so busy with everything, it's been like having another job! @KobaniDaughters any progress with the sale? We are in the process of selling our old house and our current one and buying a new one, so three transactions to deal with!

Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 27/05/2022 18:35

Well this week has certainly made me glad I’m leaving. It’s been horrible.

our final walk through happens today, house officially belongs to the buyers on 31st but we have leaseback until 29th June. Flights booked, shipping booked, cat booked, house to rent ready at the other end!!

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londontonyc · 01/06/2022 00:53

Hi! Coming back to this thread as, just as we were comfortable with the idea of being here for another two years, we've been told we're relocating back to London. So, we have six weeks to sell a house, sell a car, and make arrangements to take the poor cat back with us. Any tips there @KobaniDaughters? My friend is also moving home and was able to take her dog back to Germany in a basket under her seat but I don't think the uk allows this?
Also, I'm very nervous about school applications. Our tenants have been served notice to 2nd August. I wondered if we could offer to pay the last bills in order to get them in our name and make the application in advance of actually living there. Anyone heard of this?

Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 01/06/2022 00:59

first of all get in touch with Petdesk asap as Heathrow Reception Centre for animals is backed up a few months, you might have to fly your cat into Manchester or another airport. No, you can't take pets in the cabin if you fly directly into the UK, I do know people who have flown into France and then got the train or ferry across to the UK

Where are you moving to? Call the LEA as they all differ wildly in terms of applications. We will be applying for our daughter's primary school place before we actually move as Hampshire has. tight window of 1st May - 13th June for September applications, but we have a tenancy agreement stating we will be in the house from 9th August and when I spoke to them they said this was fine

Hopefully your house will sell quickly, you could try for a quick escrow? Ours sold within days and we had a normal 40 day escrow but have leased it back for the final 3 weeks we are here

I highly recommend joining the Expats Returning to the UK facebook group - a wealth of information and help!

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Wasabiprawns · 01/06/2022 01:46

Glad to hear that you found a rental. We're taking 2 cats with us too and doing it without an agent to save a fortune. I had a bit of a panic last week when we found out the BA had cancelled all the night flights that cats were authorised to fly on throughout August! After a couple of discussions with the cargo co, they opened up an earlier flight for animals.

@londontonyc We used an eviction/end of tenancy letter from our letting agent who are managing the let on the UK house as evidence for school applications. Also included our TOR approval and flight tickets if this helps.

Agree with @KobaniDaughters , you need to book in with the PetDesk at IAG Cargo ASAP as it was an eight week wait for booking a place at the HARC in March.

Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 01/06/2022 01:52

When are you leaving @Wasabiprawns

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Wasabiprawns · 01/06/2022 01:56

Flying 16th august, house is being packed up the week before. We in Colorado for 2 weeks in July for our final holiday so trying to do a lot of the legwork now...involves lots of trips, dropping things off to the thrift store.

Wasabiprawns · 01/06/2022 01:59

Just seen that you're arriving the week before. Kids are booked in to a camp for the week following our return to acclimatize them to the Uk stuff and just keep them entertained while I do the mundane stuff. (Plus the camps are sooo cheap compared to here!)

londontonyc · 01/06/2022 02:13

@KobaniDaughters thank you that's all very helpful, I'll get in touch with PetDesk tomorrow and get the ball rolling.
Re the schools, we're in London borough of Redbridge. Massively oversubscribed primary schools and a large but popular high school. Crossing fingers others are moving over the summer! All applications need to be resent after 1st August anyway as waiting lists etc are reset. It was so easy coming this way!

londontonyc · 01/06/2022 02:22

Thanks @Wasabiprawns that's good to know, I'll try and get in touch with the council tomorrow to see if they'd accept that. All applications are done online and very officious so not expecting any flexibility.
I'm panicking now about the cat. A friend has sent me correspondence from when she moved in 2020, they paid $3500 in total for a door to door courier service. Slightly longer timescale. I can't wait any longer for our moving service to contact me so will take this on myself. Will have to keep him in for a few days I think as he's prone to picking up tics this time of year and that would throw a spanner in the works!

Wasabiprawns · 01/06/2022 02:49

I think the cost of pet transport increased quite a bit...there was a halt during Covid and they are still catching up. Our most expensive quote was $11k for 2 cats and I think the cheapest was $4k although we had to do a lot of the work for the $4k quote anyway. This is from the east coast so similar distance to you.

Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 01/06/2022 03:20

@Wasabiprawns we leave on 27th June but going to Canada on the way so land in the U.K. on 8th July - I hadn’t even thought about putting my kids into camps in the U.K., that’s quite a genius idea!

how did you manage to get your cats on a flight so far in advance though? Pet desk told me they couldn’t book ours more than 13 days before his HARC booked date

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Original poster
KobaniDaughters · 01/06/2022 03:22

Ooof @Wasabiprawns thats a lot! We were quoted $2-4K for our one cat but decided like you that it was worth saving money and going DIY, especially after a friend recently used a service and paid $6.5K and on day of departure discovered the service hadn’t got all the right paperwork - dog was stuck in LA for 2 months after my friends left!!

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