le petit roi

Good luck finding a small apartment that is pet friendly. Many blocks of units have Body Corporates to manage the properties and its normal for there to be a 'no pet' rule. You might get lucky but for 2 cats, 2 dogs, while it may still be difficult, I think a small house will be easier to find than an apartment and your $2200 rent will just about do.

Normally I would have no issue with putting down a few points and highlighting my concerns but I've had enough of being constantly screwed and having to listen to all of the BS by the UK and Oz Govts hence I'll let others fight this one without me. Although there's not just me to consider, I'm thinking I'll probably sell up during the summer and wait and see what develops.

Its a bit early to be too concerned until more is known but is this a case of double dipping taxation policy on the same property eg CGT applied by UK and CGT applied by Oz?

Westpac are the only Australian bank in the Global Alliance but its not quite correct to say they have free ATMs. Their fees are hidden in their currency transactions and conversions; can't really expect anything different from an Australian organisation. It may be better to make one or two withdrawals at an ATM and pay for the privilege than suffer a loss of exchange rate and other surcharges.

Some of the fees being charged and exchange rates offered by the overwhelming majority of these ForEx companies are quite ridiculous. A common Euro currency with UK and the rest of the Eurozone countries makes very good sense on some levels. Thanls for your replies; I'll check with my bank on their charges for using the ATM with my bank card in Europe. It would be the most straight-forward. If my friend and I do it right, we should be able to halve the fees.

A friend and I are going on holiday separately to the UK and a couple of parts of Europe later in the year. I've got a UK account I can tap into for GBP so accessing cash in the UK is no problem however my friend doesn't have this option. Neither of us though have access to a Euro account for when we are in the Eurozone. Are there any suggestions on what is the best secure and cost effective method of having access to Euros (or in my friends case, Euros and GBP) when travelling? Thanks

This is what I received to my enquiry in May 2012 on the type of info they require. However, in the first instance, I found this in a search and I would have a look here: http://search.hmrc.gov.uk/kb5/hmrc/contactus/view.page?record=OLul3tPejl4&titleindex=0. I note though that the address at the bottom of my reply is different to the one in the website link I provided; I'd go with the website link since it is current. I believe applicants are limited to the number of years to which you are permitted to backdate payments for; it didn't affect me so I can't remember how many. I also got frustrated on the phone and email...I found it difficult to prove who I was and ended up going round in circles hence although it was slower, it got it done fairly easily and quickly by using the outdated methodology of simple regular Auspost and Royal Mail services. Hope this helps a bit.

I should perhaps also have mentioned that I fly into the Uk and then straight out to attend a wedding, some fishing and visit friends in Ireland....hauling a bike about will be a pain nor I can imagine, cheap. Having looked at the cost bicycle companies charge to send a bike to Aus (90 quid), I was hoping for a cost of under $200 to ship the bike direct from Aus to the uk.

Has anyone experience of shipping a single item back to the Uk? I'm heading back for a 2 months holiday later in the year and planned on the one way shipping of my bike in advance so that I can get about when I'm there. I don't intend to bring it back and most probably, leave it for my nephew. I've had a quick look and 2 online quotes I've had are eye watering...cheapest is $430. Its a decent bike but that won't be far from its used price. I'm prepared for it to arrive by early June so speed isn't a huge factor hence I don't understand why the high price. Any suggestions appreciated. Cheers

Fair point; even without the reminder of the pic I see I did write it so I am losing it....but in 8 years here I still have never heard cooked meats referred to as small goods. I may conduct a straw poll at work tomorrow and see what the masses have to say about it but if they look at me as though I'm mad I'll be blaming this forum:biggrin: Thanks for the info on the package marking; never knew that and useful to know.

I'm not losing it, I did state a parcel in my OP...no mention of small goods :biggrin:

Yes, I mean a small parcel. Nearly 8 years here and I've never heard of the colloquial term 'small goods' wrt cooked meats. Maybe it's Brissie terminology.

I'm investigating getting a parcel sent to Oz from the Uk which weighs around 2 Kg. Are there any recommendations on a relatively inexpensive courier I could use or should I just stick to the Post Office? The value of the goods will be about $200. Anywhere between a 1-3 week delivery time would be fine, maybe a little longer if it was cheap or convenient enough but don't want to wait 2-3 months. Cheers

Usually plenty on gumtree

You haven't got much time!! I haven't been through it myself but from reading the newspapers, etc. most industrial disputes and wage discrepancies appear to be settled by Fair Work Australia (http://www.fwc.gov.au/index.cfm?pagename=home). If you don't get much joy from phoning your old company (and get it in writing if they are refusing), you could do worse I reckon than call Fair Work Australia and ask for their advice on what to do next. Do it now though!!!!

Its not that easy opening a UK account from overseas....at least one which doesn't freeze the account until you arrive in the UK and verify your personal details. If it is, please enlighten me, particularly if the interest rate is above 0.1%.:biggrin: I've had RBS accounts for 20+ years and have current credit cards registered in my name with an Oz address and they won't open a new interest paying account (or any account) for me.:sad:

Only difference I noted once was that my CV was 3 pages and despite me having 10+ years more experience, my aussie mate had 5 pages on his!!!I did suggest he cut his down but I think that is just good practice. If I can hijack this thread a little because it is closely related; can anyone recommend an experienced person in writing good resumes? I am in the middle of doing one for my aussie friend but between one thing and another, progress has been slower than I had wished and it might be better for her sake if I get it done sooner rather than later.

I've got 2 questions (if anyone could give me pointers in the right direction): Q1 Can anyone recommend an Aussie online broker with low fees to buy shares through? I'm not looking for any advice, only simple execution purchases. Q2 I understand that I cannot invest in UK ISAs but is it possible to invest in UK unit trusts while living in Oz hence not a UK resident. Cheers

:arghh:My bad!!! I'll repost in the other section.

I've got 2 questions (if anyone could give me pointers): Q1 Can anyone recommend an Aussie online broker with low fees to buy shares through? I'm not looking for any advice, only simple execution purchases. Q2 I understand that I cannot invest in UK ISAs but is it possible to invest in UK unit trusts while living in Oz hence not a UK resident. Cheers

What's interesting about it? This thread contains more information on the subject than the article. 'Money for old rope' springs to mind if the articles author received payment.

This is the acid test!! If the answer is no, the only thing for debate is when to leave. I reckon the housemates I have had over the years could give this particular 'housemate from hell' a run for their money and it's never fun. I've moved into my own rental after 3 years of house-sharing. It was sort of forced upon me to some extent by the actions of a housemate and I wish now that I had made the move sooner. When you move into a new area/city it has its advantages but there's also a lot to be said for your privacy, relaxation and piece of mind. Maybe if its affordable, moving into a small 1 bed unit would give you the time and space to make a more considered decision; it won't be forever, 6 months would probably be enough time.

Something else to consider. You do need to consider this for planning the date of the transaction; when you move the money from your account into the account of whichever Forex company you decide to go for, you will only be able to move your maximum daily bank limit at any one time. This means that if you are transferring a larger amount, it may take several days. If you wish to move the money from your bank account in a single transaction, you will probably have to make the request to your bank and they may make a charge for this.

haha....and perhaps it would have been better for you to have read what I wrote on page 1 instead of a smart ass reply. I've got existing accounts but considering my circumstances, need/want an account paying more than 0.1%. You might also liked to have read this part from the link you supplied: Effectively you have a frozen bank account....not really any good is it?

I understand completely where you are coming from and share the frustration but the acid test is: do you think if you had presented your Australian address along with your brothers UK address you would have got the account opened? You don't think so otherwise you would have used the Australian address. You did what you did and I'm not knocking you but the way you did it I don't think you really needed to go into the bank. Personally I find it a bizarre and unfair rule where there are circumstances that a person can have existing accounts registered to overseas addresses and simultaneously be subject to UK tax returns yet not be allowed to open a new account.