Tavigal

It sounds as if using a broker, is the way to start out with our best foot forward then... I'll share any helpful tips I gain during the application process, as you never know, these may be of help to others on the forum who are, or will be, in the same/similar situation. Cheers all

Hi all, We have been back living in the UK for just over a year. We had a mortgage in AU and an excellent credit history, however none of this is taken into account when applying for a mortgage or for a rental property in the UK it would appear, as there are no reciprocal credit checks agreements (unless you've returned from living some place within the EU). Even if you were both born here and used to have mortgages here and have citizenship,it's like starting from scratch financially. We managed to secure a rental by paying 3 months advance rent each quarter, however when we initially applied for a mortgage we were told 'computer says no' as we had not lived in the country for the previous 3 years and did not have a recent credit history here (we did not keep UK bank accounts open when we lived in the UK, which with hindsight, would have been a good idea). We are thinking of trying to apply for a mortgage once more as our landlord will be selling our rental property in Spring and we'd like a place of our own to call 'home' now that we're beginning to settle in the area we've chosen. We have registered in the electoral roll, I have a full-time, permanent job but the issue we're potentially concerned about is that my husband is self-employed. He will have 1 year's accounts soon (and had 5 years worth in AU). I'm just wondering therefore what your overall experiences have been in trying to secure a mortgage after returning to live in the UK (especially when one applicant is self-employed) -since the 2014 onwards tightened lending rules and how this affects returnee expats. Have you found a particular lender or broker helpful in this regard? Cheers/thanks

Hi all, thanks for all your responses. The bank clerk seemed adamant we do not meed the requisite residency criteria and even started to do a 'soft' credit check/application on the computer just to make his point - i.e he would not be able to input data into the required field of a UK/EU residential address covering the past 3 years for us and therefore he would be unable to perform a credit check on us. He said it would not be possible to continue the application without this field being populated on the application... Has anyone else recently (this year) returned to the UK after >5years of living in AU and successfully applied for a mortgage here? Thanks again for any feedback/wisdom offered

Hi, We have recently moved back to the UK/have a UK bank account/are British citizens/have a UK address/are on the electoral roll etc, however upon speaking to our bank about applying for a mortgage, we have been informed that we must be resident in the UK for 3 years before we can even APPLY for a mortgage, due to new EU ruling that apparently came into effect quite recently. As we don't want to wait in limbo for 3 years before we can apply for a mortgage (to purchase a family home closer to work opportunities to live in, not an investment home of any kind), does anyone know of an offshore facility or similar that might offer a practical working solution for us and for other expats who may encounter this situation? I was aware of the 3 year rule re: Having to pay the international student rate of fees for Uni courses as an expat coming from AU, but was unaware of the mortgage situation...

Hi folks, we are moving back to the UK from Brisbane next month and will have a 2002 Holden Astra 1.8 City for sale. 100% reliable. In good order. Smooth ride. Rego and safety certificate. Paintwork is shiny black and there are matching dark tinted windows. No hail/sun or accident damage. 165k on the clock. A cheap, reliable runaround at only $3250 ovno. We are located at Indooroopilly. If you're arriving into Brizzy international airport, it's possible to catch the air train to Indooroopilly to come take a look :laugh: PM me for further details/to arrange an inspection.

Hi, we are having problems with an Ipswich/Banyo-based removals company in Qld. We have paid them $13,000 for a 40ft sole use container (household goods plus a car and 2 motorbikes). Our agreement has always been for a sole use container, however now they want to change the gameplay on us and tell us that our container will be shared- this is after they now have our household goods at their storage facility. Also, on the day of the uplift they only sent 2 people to pack/load, no permanent markers to write on items they bubble wrapped, not enough numbering labels, they ran out of time and my husband and I ended up running around like headless chooks lifting boxes and calling out labelling numbers and sticking them on boxes for them (which has hurt my husband's back). They have mixed up paperwork, 'forgot' to correctly note on the paperwork that our items would be insured whilst they stored them for 2 months at their facility (I had to point out the error/we've paid $3k for insurance). My husband couldn't find his glasses and the lead Removalist on the day of uplift, instructed him to sign in the 'goods delivered' section rather than the goods uplifted section (they have still not bothered to contact us to correct this with new paperwork, despite promising this).On top of this, the lead Removalist, whilst packing up items at our house, had offensive lyrics music playing (swear words). He also insisted that the 5 additional items we had put aside as 'optional' could be fitted into the container easily and he advised it was ok to load them, yet this has led to the shipping company now demanding more money from us (even though everything actually fits into the container). My goodness we feel stressed out. Does anyone know of a consumer protection agency/ombudsman who may be able to help us pull them into line? Thanks

Thanks, that seems to be the way to go (using the VIN). Thanks for the tip about what phrase to use on Google. It looks as though we'll find the info we need

We are looking for a short-term rental from the end of September to mid-December for a family of 3. Willing to consider any location commutable to Brisbane CBD (Northside/North West preferred). We are in the process of selling our family home and are looking for a short-term rental to stay in after settlement (prior to flying to the UK). We have professional jobs, are clean and tidy, and have no pets. Looking for 'bills and wi-fi included' type accommodation. Please let me know if you know of anything available. Thanks!

Hi all, Does anyone know which insurance companies insure vehicles from the point of arrival (shipping from AU to UK) before the vehicle is registered/MOTd and has been issued with a registration plate? Seems like a potential catch 22 situation, so I'm keen to learn from other people's experiences before we get to this point in our moving process later this year what your experiences have been/potential problems that can be avoided with guidance. Many thanks

Hi, sorry to hear you're feeling a bit lonely at the moment. Don't worry though, I'm sure there are plenty of other friendly mums-to-be who would love to meet you (and who may also be feeling a bit isolated too on the QT).

Thanks for both of your replies. We have sought a couple more quotes since my original post and they are all in the same ball park. Apparently, December and early January are the busiest/most expensive months (if this info. helps anyone else?) Lots of people are currently planning on moves back to the UK and New Zealand the international removalists are saying: A bit of a quiet exodus going on...

Hi folks, We have received a shipping quote of $12K to ship a Landie Defender, 2 motorbikes and about 15 boxes of possessions (no furniture) back to the UK from Brisbane - Is this over-the-top, or does this sound about right to your knowledge? Thanks!