VERYSTORMY Posted January 25, 2016 Share Posted January 25, 2016 Well, it is looking more and more likely we will be moving back and it may happen very quickly as I am in the running for a few jobs. So, in preparation, I thought I would ask all those who have done it to offer any practical advice for the move. I am am making this open to pretty much any form of advice and it will hopefully also help others in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallyman Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 No advice but wish you all the best as you have being doing it tough here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 No advice from me either but very best of luck with the job situation in the UK Stormy :hug: You deserve some good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 (edited) Sorry no advice either, but wish you the best of luck, fingers crossed you have success on the job front. ps Does your wife have the right of abode in UK? Can't remember if she is British? Edited January 26, 2016 by ramot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Um, just do it! We arrived with backpacks and stayed and it's been pretty straightforward really. Good luck on the job front, you deserve good things after all the troubles you've had! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 (edited) Bank accounts Do you still have bank accounts in the UK? If not, then it will take weeks or even months to get one in the UK, unless you can establish a UK address ahead of your move. What I did was notify my Australian banks of a change of address, and I used my sister's address. I then requested some paper statements and warned my sister to hold on to them till I arrived. I was then able to go straight to Barclays on arrival and open an account using my Australian bank statements as proof of a UK residential address. Of course this involves telling a bare-faced lie if they ask you - but the alternative is a long wait. My oh didn't get around to it, so he had to wait until we got an electricity bill and rates bill for our flat before he could do anything. We were in temp accommodation for the first month, then of course it was almost a month before we got any utility bills (turns out the bank won't accept letters confirming you're connected, it has to be an actual bill). So it was over two months before he could get an interview, and the whole process of opening a bank account and getting cards etc took another couple of weeks. I was also able to use my "proof of address" to get a UK mobile phone. Credit Rating Check whether you have any credit rating in the UK. If not, some banks won't accept you at all - and others will accept you but won't give you a debit card. Barclays will give you a basic account with a debit card but no overdraft, and they also have a basic credit card which you can get without a credit rating. Without a credit rating you may struggle to get a rental property unless you pay six months upfront. Proof of a job may help. Edited January 26, 2016 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukepom Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Hang on for citizenship, if you've already got that, go home and enjoy being back in the motherland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Best of luck with your move if it happens. We found it very straightforward as far as registering with a GP and NHS dentist, getting car insurance, opening a bank account to etc so I'm not really sure I can think of anything that might cause a problem. I will add to the thread as things occur to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Best of luck with your move if it happens. We found it very straightforward as far as registering with a GP and NHS dentist, getting car insurance, opening a bank account to etc so I'm not really sure I can think of anything that might cause a problem. I will add to the thread as things occur to me. We found everything straightforward EXCEPT opening a bank account and getting credit of any kind. The banks were very apologetic and staff told us it's all due to very recent rule changes, but there was nothing they could do about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 We found everything straightforward EXCEPT opening a bank account and getting credit of any kind. The banks were very apologetic and staff told us it's all due to very recent rule changes, but there was nothing they could do about it. That may be, I haven't heard anything about any rule changes though. We found getting credit very easy. We started quite small to get a foot in the door but no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 (edited) That may be, I haven't heard anything about any rule changes though. Now, don't start calling me a liar again! When did you open your bank accounts? Rules do change without the banks making a big song-and-dance about it. The tightening of credit started after the GFC. Our experience is recent - we opened our accounts last June/July. I went to Barclays first because I'd been told it was the easiest place to get an account as a new arrival. Even so, the only account they would give me was their most basic offering which has no overdraft facility. I subsequently tried to get an account at a few other banks (Santander, TSB etc) which were advertising better deals. All said they were very sorry, but as a new arrival I had no credit rating and therefore could not be accepted for any of the advertised accounts. They said that they had no wiggle room as all applications are now vetted by a separate security team who applied the rules rigidly with no exceptions. I can assure you I am not making that up. Edited January 26, 2016 by Marisawright Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Now, don't start calling me a liar again! When did you open your bank accounts? We opened ours last June/July. I went to Barclays first because I'd been told it was the easiest place to get an account as a new arrival. Even so, the only account they would give me was their most basic offering which has no overdraft facility. I subsequently tried to get an account at a few other banks (Santander, TSB etc) which were advertising better deals. All said they were very sorry, but as a new arrival I had no credit rating and therefore could not be accepted for any of the advertised accounts. They said that they had no wiggle room as all applications are now vetted by a separate security team who applied the rules rigidly with no exceptions. I can assure you I am not making that up. Don't be getting all defensive again At no time have I called you a liar, I merely said it isn't something I have heard about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Car insurance can be a hassle - take evidence of your Aus NCB but, even so you might not get an equivalent discount. I think that's the only thing I had trouble with. Ive had a bank account in UK for years so no issues there and my DH got one at Barclays no problems but we haven't asked for credit at all so no idea what happens then. I would imagine you will be more challenged by things like renting/selling your Aus home given your recent issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanga Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 I did have a bit of a problem with credit rating, as it turned out I didn't have any at all in the UK. I managed to open a bank account with HSBC but think this may be because my brother who is resident in the UK had a long standing account with them. I did stay with my brother and sister-in-law when I first arrived back in the UK so was able to use their address at first. I didn't get a credit card for 3 months. The Banks are very concerned with money laundering now, so are much more cautious, even though I had proof of a good credit rating in Australia. I didn't have any problem with car insurance, used Direct Line. They weren't interested however in my previous Australian car insurance records but again luckily my brother had a policy with them and they gave me a decent rate. Tesco wouldn't give me a mobile account until I had been in the country for a certain amount of time,but again my brother came to the rescue and opened the account in his name and I pay him back by direct debit. Not too bad really, just a matter of being a bit patient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 I have a house in the UK and a bank account - will I have to wait to set up broadband/mobile phone until I get utility bills? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 we are at the start of our journey to try and move to WA so no idea about your direction really, I can say there is a new free credit check scheme called clearscore which may give you an indication of how your rating is. Other then that we live in Lincolnshire, if theres anything we can help with from this side of the pond just let us know. steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 First, thank you for the well wishes. It does mean a lot. It has been a hard couple of years. But, onwards and upwards. Hopefully, I will have a job to go back to and this should help a fair bit and will also eliminate some of the hassles as all the ones I am in the running for car and phone and also a fairly good salary which will help with the credit rating side. I will ill take you advice Marisa about getting some things set up in a UK address in order to open a bank account. Though I will also check if we still have an account there. If not, I will use a family members address. Hopefully, getting a rental won't be too big a headache with a decent job contract. Keep the advice coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 I have a house in the UK and a bank account - will I have to wait to set up broadband/mobile phone until I get utility bills? Also any advice about council tax, electoral and TV licence? Will I get badgered to get a TV licence even when we wont initially have a telly? And another thing.. (sorry to be so needy..) If we need to book car hire when we get there for a few weeks - Is it OK to do this on our Aussie licences? Cheers for any replies.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingbacksoon Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Hi there Stormy - good luck with your move back to the UK. Looks like you've got some of the main things already sorted, so your move should be fairly straightforward. I did the same as Kanga and set up two accounts with HSBC, one in Australia and one in the UK, about six months before moving back. I used my Australian address. They gave me a Visa debit card for each account. They have details about this on their website in the International Services section. We moved back to the UK in May 2015 and I changed my address at the local HSBC branch to my sister's place when we got here. I was approved for a mortgage, credit card and overdraft with HSBC straight away - I was on long service leave from my job in Australia and I got offered a job in the UK fairly quickly as well. I was going to rent for six months first, but I am so glad that I was able to buy a house as it has saved me so much money in rent and reduced the hassle of packing and unpacking. I bought a car and also insured it through Direct Line insurance who weren't interested in my NCD from Australia. They offer good discounts for multi policy holders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 I believe you have a little dog? Any advice from dog transporters? Good luck mate. You have done it tough. No one can say you didn't try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Also any advice about council tax, electoral and TV licence? Will I get badgered to get a TV licence even when we wont initially have a telly? And another thing.. (sorry to be so needy..) If we need to book car hire when we get there for a few weeks - Is it OK to do this on our Aussie licences? Cheers for any replies.... I believe even if you intend to watch TV via your laptop or via other methods, you still need a licence - so a bit of a sticky one! You need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record programmes as they're being shown on TV or live on an online TV service. This is the case whether you use a TV, computer, tablet, mobile phone, games console, digital box, DVD/VHS recorder or any other device. It costs £145.50 for a colour TV Licence and £49.00 for a black and white TV Licence. Source: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbirdmoose Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Hi All. I'm completely new to this and by this I mean forums in general. Joined the forum after I can across this thread. I moved to AUS in 2007 and am currently packing to return to the UK. Things have not gone well for us in the "lucky Country" to say the least and we're looking forward to going 'home' finally. I have always kept my bank account in the UK going and will be moving to a house I partly share ownership of. Any / all guidance welcome. Sounds like we aren't alone in are struggles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Hi All. I'm completely new to this and by this I mean forums in general.Joined the forum after I can across this thread. I moved to AUS in 2007 and am currently packing to return to the UK. Things have not gone well for us in the "lucky Country" to say the least and we're looking forward to going 'home' finally. I have always kept my bank account in the UK going and will be moving to a house I partly share ownership of. Any / all guidance welcome. Sounds like we aren't alone in are struggles. Hi and welcome to the forum. No, you are far from alone. I know many who have returned recently. In fact my last friend in oz returns next month. Look ok forward to hearing more about how the move and planing goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 I believe you have a little dog? Any advice from dog transporters? Good luck mate. You have done it tough. No one can say you didn't try. Inam probably going to post something in that section. Fortunately prices are by size of dog and he is about as small as it gets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Also any advice about council tax, electoral and TV licence? Will I get badgered to get a TV licence even when we wont initially have a telly? And another thing.. (sorry to be so needy..) If we need to book car hire when we get there for a few weeks - Is it OK to do this on our Aussie licences? Cheers for any replies.... My bil recently booked a hire car on his Australian licence. I don't believe there were any issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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