Phil & Vikki Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 We have moved to Sydney and have been here for 6 weeks now and loving it. Must admit that there is not much that we miss about the UK and that even means family, which I am sure some people will think is bad. We decided to rent our house out and was lucky enough that a family member wanted our house and we are hoping that they will look after it. They have been in the house now for a month and there has not been any issues and we have had our first payment, which is good. However, we are starting to worry about how our house is and what they are doing to it. We were in the house for 9 years and have fully paid for it, so we are finding it hard to say that it is not ours now and that we are not living there. We have said that when we go back to the UK we do not want to stay in our house even though the family members said we could stay there. Not too sure if anyone is thinking of renting out their house, but this is something that we never thought we would feel. Strange really how you feel about a place that is yours and where you built up some memories. Hope that this is of help to someone thinking of renting their family house out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikci Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi There... We also rented our house out before heading Down Under. At first we had the property rented out through a letting agent as we felt that this would be the best idea, a professional looking after our interests etc.. oh how wrong we were.... it was an absolute nightmare in the end we evicted the tenants, fired the letting agent and let ur beautiful home to a very close friend. I must be honest I was a little reluctant as business and friends is never a good mix, but we agreed between ourselves to legalise it all (helped that I am barrister) so we did and they have been in the house for almost a year now. We went backto the UK for Christmas last year and I must be honest the day we went round to our home for the first time since leaving it was a bit strange but as soon as we got inside it no longer felt like it was our home, nothing was the same and it just didn't feel the same. I do know of others that have not had good times with fri9ends andfamily rentingtheir homes but thus far we have been lucky... and as for feeling strange about returning to the house .. nope nothing!! Hope when u get back t your home in the UK it will be the same for you.. All the best, Nikci Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SunshineSmile Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 We have moved to Sydney and have been here for 6 weeks now and loving it. Must admit that there is not much that we miss about the UK and that even means family, which I am sure some people will think is bad. We decided to rent our house out and was lucky enough that a family member wanted our house and we are hoping that they will look after it. They have been in the house now for a month and there has not been any issues and we have had our first payment, which is good. However, we are starting to worry about how our house is and what they are doing to it. We were in the house for 9 years and have fully paid for it, so we are finding it hard to say that it is not ours now and that we are not living there. We have said that when we go back to the UK we do not want to stay in our house even though the family members said we could stay there. Not too sure if anyone is thinking of renting out their house, but this is something that we never thought we would feel. Strange really how you feel about a place that is yours and where you built up some memories. Hope that this is of help to someone thinking of renting their family house out. Hi Phil and Vikki, I rented out my house in Ireland as I didnt want to sell it, plus I had raised my 2 children there by myself and it was always our "safe place" so yes, it was a huge emotional pull for me to rent it out. I went through a process of letting go of the family home it was.. plus I painted the whole house in neutral colours before we left for the new tennants, and by the time we had moved out our personal effects I had begun to detach. The hardest part was for my daughter as she had her room her way, and she was upset to leave it. But, we all wanted the move so we stayed focused. The way I put it to her (and to myself!) was that its our house, it will always be our house to take back if we choose, and make it our home again if we want. It still belongs to us, we just choose to let someone else live in it and take care of it for us, and hopefully be as happy there as we were. Nothing stays the same. Hope that helps, and anyone else thats finding it hard! Steph x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderingaloud Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 We are moving to Brisbane in just over a couple of weeks, and have let our house out to tenants who have been in since January. They are lovely people, having met them on two or three occasions and feel they will look after our house well. We have also chosen a reputable letting agent who so far have been really good also. At the moment I have no regrets whatsoever about letting the house. It was weird when we first emptied it, i was quite sad but then once they started to move their furniture in, it seemed like somebody elses anyway and I found I didn't have that 'pull' anymore. It's still nice to know that when I drive past I think 'i own that', and I know I will have my own piece of England when I'm thousands of miles away in oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mapster Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 This is a hard one. We have only just applied for skilled Assessment. Then applying for state sponsorship to WA But hope to move to Perth and rent our house out here in the UK but we been here 12 years and have spent alot of time and money on it................... Hope that renting works for us. But worried as we too want someone who will look after it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Ropey HOFF Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 My mate at work is lined up to rent our house, we own it outright as well and we have lived there 20 years, it is a good sizes 4 bedroomed detached modern house and i will miss the luxury of it, bit we know just how fantastic the houses are in Australia and i can't wait to live in one. We will be upset because its where our kids were brought up. I have offered my mate it at a cheaper rent, so that he will take care of things when we are in OZ, all i need now is for the wife to agree to go. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wickers69 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I think I know how you feel - well my wife does! We are due to fly in the first week of May and are trying to let our house but my wife cannot bring herself to like any viewers. We had a couple round today who were both doctors from the local hospital - still not good enough! I think I will be quite sad because we've got some good memories and I was hoping that once we were out, the feelings would fade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aiken Drum Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 We're hoping for a 457 visa to magically appear alongside a job in Sydney later this year. We've been told that, if we're lucky, the house will sell for just about what we owe on the mortgage - not ideal! Coming round to the idea that we'll have to let it out but, to be honest, I think the rental income (especially after letting agent fees) will only just cover the mortgage. Buggered either way I reckon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarvalentine Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Hi There... We also rented our house out before heading Down Under. At first we had the property rented out through a letting agent as we felt that this would be the best idea, a professional looking after our interests etc.. oh how wrong we were.... it was an absolute nightmare in the end we evicted the tenants, fired the letting agent and let ur beautiful home to a very close friend. I must be honest I was a little reluctant as business and friends is never a good mix, but we agreed between ourselves to legalise it all (helped that I am barrister) so we did and they have been in the house for almost a year now. We went backto the UK for Christmas last year and I must be honest the day we went round to our home for the first time since leaving it was a bit strange but as soon as we got inside it no longer felt like it was our home, nothing was the same and it just didn't feel the same. I do know of others that have not had good times with fri9ends andfamily rentingtheir homes but thus far we have been lucky... and as for feeling strange about returning to the house .. nope nothing!! Hope when u get back t your home in the UK it will be the same for you.. All the best, Nikci I would rather say that business and friends is the best mix on the market, for it shows you who your real friends are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest destinationoz Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 We moved 3 years ago but the day before we moved the sale went thru the chain broke down... We had to make a choice to either not move or remortgage and get the capital to buy the new one and rent the other - it was hard because we wanted to move but felt uneasy at renting as we loved the house, had lived there 12 years, had our son there etc but decided to take the plunge .... An agent found the tenant and we vetted them and have just had a new couple move in. Although it was strange at first Very soon after I didn't feel any of the old emotional attachment as it wasn't our home anymore ... But is still our house .... It's bricks and mortar and one day we'll sell but for now it's just an investment. It's probably a little harder for you as you're in Oz but if you focus on your new life and think your house is your house - not your home - and not matter how well your tenants look after it it will always be an investment.... Hope it works out for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shusselmann Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Hi, We rent our UK property out via a letting agent and since being in Australia (just over a year) have had two sets of tenants. It's all running smoothly and so far things have been looked after. We lived in the property for over four years and had our children there so I was very sad when we left. I think it's normal to feel emotional about other people living in your home, especially if you're not totally immersed in life here yet. During our first weeks and months here, I really missed our old home, I think everything is so new here that you long for the familiarity of your property in the UK. Over time though it gets easier, and you start seeing it as a financial investment rather than an emotional tie. These days, our rental property in Australia is starting to feel like home and I rarely think about our property in the UK. We haven't been back to the UK yet but when we do, I expect we'll inspect the property and it will feel wierd to see it with other people's stuff! All the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanda&wayne Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Hi there, just wondering if anyone knows about capital gains when letting your house out and then come to sell ?? Had the estate agent round to value for letting and he told us about the capital gains, has anyone done this without informing the revenue, as the estate agents said they have to inform the HMRC. Does anyone know the percentage you have to pay ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpkin Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I thought I would be very unhappy about renting out our house. We had only been there two years, but it had been a renovation that I worked on so I was very proud of it. We used a reputable agent and she helped me get into the right frame of mind, she firmly told us, that we had to let go, that this was not our home anymore, it was an investment and it would help us to try to see it that way. We have had tenants in, a teacher and an actuary, they are always moaning about something or other, the agent even had to get a handyman out to change a lightbulb in the pantry. I found it very annoying at first, but I have said to myself, well at least it shows it is being looked after, because any tiny little thing and it is attended to immediately. We have decided, should we ever return to live in it ourself, we will redecorate it, put new carpets down if needed etc. Just to make it ours again. On the whole, I do not think about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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