Giving it up & going Back

[HIDDEN]

hi,

I thought I'd start this topic given the posts on : The Goal Posts have Moved

Of course, those folks that have surrendered the MM2H visa are unlikely to be on this site. But is anyone thinking about it, re-assessing their situations and thinking of going back to ?

I'm considering changing my base from Malaysia to, well currently the only thought is the UK. I'm still thinking. What holds me back is the cost of living in the UK - not food etc. but electricity, rates, taxes. I'm still working it out.

[HIDDEN]

Scott

My advice for what its worth.

1. Don't go back and live in the UK
2. Don't go back and live in the UK



'You don't know what you've got untill its gone'

[HIDDEN]

I only have one question to ask you, Scott:

Have you gone troppo?   

[HIDDEN]

If we were looking at the MM2H visa application now and purchasing property in Malaysia then in terms of the £/RM exchange rate it would not be a viable option but we looked last year and basing our costs on £/RM of 5.30 and decided to go ahead and will follow that through as we still believe we can make it work.

The UK has a huge incentive in terms of the NHS plus there is the inflation linked pension and no concerns re the exchange rate. 
But the NHS appears to be at bursting point, the cost of living is expensive - inflation was 3.7 last month, taxes are due to rise,  there is a lot more aggression and unhappiness/negativity around now than before, people are often incredibly rude, older people are not treated with respect, the weather is unpredictable - glorious sunshine last weekend/ pouring with rain and cold today etc.

I see the suggested housing purchase costs and there are properties available for such sums, especially in Lincolnshire, where property has always been very reasonably priced but on  a number of housing estates in the UK  ASBO's (anti social behaviour orders) have been served on teenagers and new developments  require an element of social housing which means you pay for your home but your neighbour may not have done so, so if you are looking to buy please be careful as to the location.

Scott whatever you decide to do may I wish you the very best.

Jac

 

[HIDDEN]

My wife & I have just spent our 4th winter in M/sia, it will probably be my last, for various reasons including the health service available in Spain (where we have lived for the last 27 years) I´l just be content to visit Penang for 2- 3 weeks next winter for us to visit my wifes relatives.
One question though, If I give up our MM2H visa to release the FD (at the moment its a good time to buy Euros) what happens to our tax free car?.  Regards Robert

[HIDDEN]

UK also keeps changing the rules. I decided to come back to London around 18 months ago.
Taxes have only gone up. Loopholes have only been closed. The latest is that capital gains tax will go up to 40%.

Everywhere keeps having rule changes these days. No where is getting more flexible.

And currency fluctuations? I only lose money. EURs? GBPs? USDs? it's a race to the bottom. Only thing going up is JPY and CHF.

Malaysia still is a good deal. Where else? PH is dirty, more overcrowded, and you can't but landed property. Thailand is in revolt. Oz has shut the door temporarily and has it's own Western Expensiveness. USA doesn't work for a someone on fixed income with 2% and more property tax per annum on houses in some cities like Miami or Austin, TX.
Spain? That game was downgraded yesterday.

UK? Surely you jest. Everyone wants out. Here we idolise Kate Moss with her cocaine habit and seek to drag down anyone who sticks out by actually achieving. It's cold, windy, and rainy this bank holiday weekend.

Forget about it

[HIDDEN]

hi,

Great comments.

I only have one question to ask you, Scott: Have you gone troppo?   

You see, I've been here for 26 years so I don't know what it's really like in the UK anymore. Family and friends still live there and they seem to manage. Lots of complaints though and I've often thought it was my family/friends rather than the situation. They're not civil servants, bankers or MPs so it's state pension, honesty, plus some savings. The complaints are usually about benefit cheats, and immigrants, energy prices, council taxes and the weather.

With such a time difference all things look rosy. I thought it was a bit grim when I was there in 2008 but maybe it was all the rain. Just collecting opinions. I gave up Portugal because of the language amongst other things so I don't fancy Spain although I think that it's more cosmopolitan than the Algarve, and Seville is a wonderful city, well at least for a holiday. I can't afford Italy, and again the language is a difficulty.

And OZ and NZ are non-starters as I don't have the cash, or I'm too mature, (old) and I can't see that I'd get an approval. Thailand is too up & down for me, as is the Philippines. Indonesia is just a more chaotic place than Malaysia. Where else.

Weighing the pros & cons.




PS : hi, Robert,

I think that you sell the car and pay the residual taxes which are assessed on an "as seen" basis.

[HIDDEN]

Scott, I´d like to keep the car, my wife would probably visit more than me.
A place that I think I´d move to is Barcelona!. Cosmopolitan, good food & wines, great football team but maybe a little bit pricey for someone moving back to Europe.
Steve Hall on another forum is also getting itchy feet, asking the same questions. important for him are =  (Climate, football, access to libraries/theatre/"culture"/chess clubs/quality hospitals/ wifi/vegetarian food)  I think most of that applies to us all. Regards Rob 

[HIDDEN]

Scott,

As the one who started the thread The Goal Posts Have Moved, I would advise you to think long and hard about returning to the U.K.  A lot of people have already made some useful comments on this subject, so I shall try to avoid covering the same ground.

As a former expatriate working for a few years in some bloody awful places like Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, I used to count the days until I could return to the U.K.  Now, as I approach retirement, I spend my time scouring the planet for somewhere else to live, just like my late parents who retired to Spain.

I could cite you countless reasons to explain why I feel driven to abandon my country of birth, for example high crime, a shattered economy, an education and health service that is buckling under the strain of unfettered immigration, a dysfunctional society where everyone knows their rights but not their responsibilities and the sheer expense of trying to maintain a decent, modest standard of living.

Finally, you must know Singapore better than me, so perhaps you will understand when I tell you that Singapore, for all its limitations, stands as a microcosm of the values once associated with the U.K.  Trust me when I say that the weather is the least of our problems in the U.K.

[HIDDEN]

Well said TC, i agree with everything you have said.  We left the UK 5 years ago.  the village we lived in had sheltered communal housing for the old opposite, the only grief we had from them was taking up the bar stools at the local So to come to the point, the council slowly and quietly moved out the 30 or so old folk, claiming it needed a revamp so in keeping with EU rules, "yup" you guessed it, when it was cleared of the old folks and sorta  revamped all right, they moved in the new tenants, drop outs, resettlement for ex cons, a mixture from everywhere in the world that had no money.  over night we had house break-ins, needles left in the park, theft in the shop, loads of police activity, they even set fire to the place one night, sounds like a war zone, it wasn't, this went on over a period of time, you just get used to it, hoping that you are not the next target .   I did manage to sell my house, however well under the market value.  This was a very quiet picture post card village in Kent, maybe a bit to close to the Tunnel A    
Ha Scot, why don't you rent back in the UK for 6 Months or where you fancy, see if you can settle before you fully commit, that is what i always advise to friends and family that say they want to relocate when they retire. 
I for one "selfishly" don't want to see you go, you have been a real gem and a wealth of information from the WEB, so a big thank you for all the hard work you put in. (in case you do a moon light flip  and we don't get a chance to say byezzzz) I am sure others feel the same.
Hey Girls and Guys  ,  lets have a vote, YES or No to Scots move .  me "NA"
Seriously, good luck if you decide to move on.
Bruce
Bruce

[HIDDEN]

hi,

No problemo, a moonlight isn't on the cards. Captain Slow on Top Gear is super fast compared to me.

I'm sure all of us do a re-cap of where we are etc. For me, I need to do the sorting-out this year, maybe not for the rest of my life but for a fair proportion of it.

For the UK, there's the low rate of sterling, and the slight drop in property prices. I've been spending some time on checking UK house prices, and those in Lincolnshire are about the cheapest. Especially if they need a bit of work. It's feasible.

But I'm also aware that I can't apply for another MM2H as I no longer qualify with the increased financial requirements. I've always thought that I was very lucky to apply when I did.

There's also the tied-up FD money. I'm thinking that I'll need some of the FD for living expenses in a few years time. The alternative is to re-start earning a living, and it's something that I'm also thinking about.

I don't have any pension, and as I didn't really contribute anything to a UK pension when I as working there I don't feel comfortable applying for one. And if I went on welfare my dad would turn in his grave. Both mum & dad thought HP led to the workhouse. Dad never owned a car, and I remember him saving up for 2 years for a garden shed for the canaries. Times change, huh.

Like many folks I've be at the low interest rate end of things for longer than expected so capital gets used up and it's a downward spiral. I imagine others are in the same position.

The comments on the UK have been instructive to say the least. I must admit, even here in Singapore, and more so in Malaysia, I've always sensed that there's still a lot of respect for those getting on in life.

A lot to ponder, thanks,

[HIDDEN]

Have a look at this article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1282553/Bill-Bryson-British-culture-self-absorbed-greedy.html

I think if I had been away for the amount of time you have I would be tempted to have a look at old blighty

but  when I retire I want to live - not survive -  and considering that I want to see a bit more of the world, Asia seems a good jumping off point

Cheers

JJ

[HIDDEN]

Hi Scot

we are thinking of selling our apartment in London ourselves at the moment and buying in a less expensive part outside.

We have found a great WEB page, gives you up to date feed back as it happens, shows you the history of how long the property has been on the market and the reductions as they are lowered and how long.  plus once you click to a property that you are interested in , you can save it through the WEB page via your account. (having an account is free), i am tracking 12 at the moment

the web page is,     
Globrix properties.com

Bruce

[HIDDEN]

Like many folks I've be at the low interest rate end of things for longer than expected so capital gets used up and it's a downward spiral. I imagine others are in the same position.

That is true but not everyone likes to admit it.  Good on ya for being honest.  I know of a few Brits who are up **** creek without a paddle.  Current times are not good.  But things will turn around eventually.

My two penneth worth.  I cannot see the point in returning to the UK unless you envisage getting some help from friends and/or family, in the event that funds get really low.  Costs are high in the UK and taxes are rising, and so many different taxes.  It's got to be cheaper to live in Malaysia even with the current fall in Sterling.  If there's any major health issues and you're on the NHS register, then I guess that would be a different story.

Are there any places in Malaysia that are cheaper than where you are currently living?  Can you cut costs a bit that way?

I've noticed that you go down to Singapore a fair bit.  You have said you were an architect before.  How about a little consultancy business registered in Singapore?  Not sure if that would be tax-free income into Malaysia, probably not, but taxes are low in Singapore.  Just a thought.

[HIDDEN]

hi,

Thanks for the article link JJ. And thanks Bruce for the Globrix lead. I've signed up and it's a really good property search site.

When I first posted on this thread I thought that quite a few folks would be looking at returning to home countries given the strength of the ringgit. In the UK's case there's significant appreciation. Same with the euro.

Not so, huh?