Relocating to another part of UK- anyone done it?

[cheekymonk]

Hi All,
DH and I have ummed and ahhed about relocating for ages and we have made the decision to move from our current area (Portsmouth) to maybe Worcester or surrounding area. We have 9 year old ds and 3 year old dd. Portsmouth is all the kids have ever known and I am very worried about uprooting them but dh and I are very unhappy here. We both have good jobs. I am with DWP and can transfer as far as i am aware but he needs to get new job. There are plenty of engineering jobs it would seem so I think that will be ok. We plan to sell our house and rent in new area, saving the equity from this house ready for new one. We've had debt probs so it also gives chance for our credit file to repair and solves our problem of too small house that we live in now as it is only 2 bed and we are well aware that kids can't share from Jan next year as ds will be 10. We want to move nearer our families so that on a Saturday ds can go to my Mums for the afternoon or evening rather than the 3 hour journey it is now. I think family is so important and I think the kids would really benefit from being closer. Its all so scary though, literally packing up and starting a new life somewhere else and the order in which to do things is mindblowing!!!! Any thoughts/advice??

On Leominster was thinking droit which possibly or Shrewsbury direction too...

Yes Ross is nice don't really know Monmouth

I love Worcester! prefer it to Ross I must say. although I like all the market towns of Herefordshire and worcs.

move up here; its great!

we moved, but not far - from birmingham to Bromsgrove but before that I moved from Wales to Hereford to Worcester to Birmingham. all good. living here for a while now I hope .

We have just moved from outer London to Wales. It's not all plain sailing but it's definitely the right decision for us.

Worcs is cheaper than Pompey from what I can see

Oooh just had a phone call for dh re job in new area! He has spoken to them at length and we have said he would move to new area and rent then we follow as need to sell house sort schools etc if need be. It's all mindblowing really but I so have a slip on my step about it all thanks again for all your input

Celtic - we recently moved from south London to Cardiff. Where in Wales are you?

We're in Gower near where DH grew up. It's glorious

How are you finding Cardiff?

@cheekymonk did u go ahead with your move in the end? We are now umming and arring over the same dilemma... dh is also with dwp but not sure he can transfer at all 🙁 so we will both need to find work. Our biggest concern tho is ds who is 8 and dd who is 4, switching schools, leaving friends, making new friends etc... looking to see how others have managed x

Hi there, yes we did it, moved to the Midlands. We don't regret it, we are happier and children settled quickly into new schools, but 3 years later DS still connect with old friends over Xbox and it affected him a bit more than I first thought.
I had to fight to transfer and was told to consider demotion at one point. It was only emailing regional manager that got me anywhere. It is do-able and for us was worth it in the end. Best of luck

Hey I know this is an old post op but just wondering about the logistics of it all? We are looking to relocate next year but my head is spinning with it all 😬 we have three children one nursery age one primary and one secondary there’s plenty of schools to choose from but with renting and job finding how did it work? From previously renting they want you in employment first etc so how would interviews work? Especially when it’s so far away! Don’t know if I’m making much sense sorry 😐 just confused about what order it all goes in I feel like we can’t rent a house without giving them work details but can’t find a job until up there having interviews
Any help appreciated 😊 hope you’ve settled well

Absolutely go for it. I used to work in Portsmouth and would never have considered living there. I moved from Hampshire to Somerset - years ago - and it worked out really well. Then last year we moved again to be near my daughter and son-in-law who have a new baby. We love it here, rural forested area near the Welsh Border. People are friendly and we ended up with a detached house rather than our previous semi (albeit it was a big cottage with some land) and still made a profit of over £50k.
As someone else said, look at other areas around Worcester - it pays to be open minded. We originally thought we'd be buying in a commuter type area near to Gloucester very near to our daughter and were actively looking there for several weeks. A random drive in the other area through the forest changed our minds and we're so glad we did. Still only half an hour from our daughter. Maybe when lockdown is over go and stay with your parents for a few weekends so you can thoroughly research the area. We did drive-bys of houses we were interested in and were able to discount so many that way. In the final event we only viewed the one house we ended up in. Also just a final pointer, don't be put off by the whole situation at present - there's always something going on - last year it was Brexit. So definitely - good luck - it sounds an exciting prospect!!!!

I’ve done it a few times (all before children though). I always found it so exciting to have a fresh start and discover a new area. Go for it!

How have pps found relocating primary dcs in particular? We're mulling over a move from London to Sheffield, but it's the primary school shift that seems the most complicated / bureaucratic bit!

renting with credit troubles is going to be difficult. Contact letting agents in the area and discuss. There are always ways round, particularly if you are employed, but check first. You may need guarantors.

offering big chunks of advance payment doesn't work so much now as that is a drug dealer tactic and you don't want to give that impression!

and read the how to rent guide on gov.uk to get clued up on your rental rights.

if round Shrewsbury, check for the north-west relief road; with luck the pandemic will kill it but maybe not.

Hi
I know this thread is a few months old, but I am thinking of relocating with primary-aged kids and I wondered how the OP found it? Or other people. My concern is the kids and how they would settle into a new school. I worry that in this day and age of phones/Skype/zoom/Xbox that they would still be in contact with their old friends and it would be very unsettling for them.