Kinnock

It's the MTL Elite plan.

THB

Smoking and vaping .... weed or tabacco. The smell in bars that lingers in your hair and clothes, the smell in the street, the drifting stink from balconies, the lingering smell in hotel rooms. Smokers and vapers who feel they have right to commandeer all the outside tables in restaurants, smokers who ignore the law because they feel their addiction is more important than the the rights of others. Edibles and oils are a different matter, and I've eaten a few weed brownies myself, although the effect was so mild I assume there's more effective alternatives to smoking. And yes, it's a cannabis forum, but that does not exclude views about smoking/vaping cannabis in communal areas, just as the political forum has opposing views. And if the OP uses alternatives to smoking or vaping, no-one will care.

Condo living requires compromises, you wouldn't want your neighbours to play the drums, take up the trumpet, have a noisy dog, and they don't want you to smoke weed. There will be a smoking area somewhere in the building, smoking anywhere else will be against the condo rules. If you want to smoke at home, rent a house.

I wasn't referring to drinking.

Man up and stop being a nuisance to other people just because you can't kick a nasty habit.

She needs to provide evidence that she will return to Thailand after the trip to UK. So ideally property in her name, a job, dependents etc. Plus show she can look after herself financially in UK .... so money in the bank.

My own experience of Homepro is that they are good for fitting specific items bought from the store, but I'm not convinced they could manage a more general refurbishment. I've used them to fit a new circuit board, install kitchen units and for curtains, but I used a local contractor for the general painting, repairs and alterations.

The Mate Tricks

Nope, not in Phuket or anywhere outside of Bangkok. If you're lucky enough to have advance knowledge of a future BTS extension, maybe you can get an increase in value. Apart from that, there's always a newer, shinier condo building going up nearby, with finance deals and a free iPhone, making older condos difficult to sell. You'll see crazy asking prices based on the sellers outstanding debt, but actual selling price if often lower than the original buying price. Older condos tend to be bigger and often with 2 or more real bedrooms, so can be good rental prospects, but capital value is unlikely to increase.

Good one! And strangely appropriate. But maybe he thinks she's The One.

I think the term 'bar girl' is a spectrum rather than a single type of person. Sounds to me like she's not that different to a classical bar girl in her financial expectations. A real partner would know your current financial situation and not ask for money. Long distance relationships are challenging with a trusted partner, and near impossible with someone you need to keep in their place.

As you mention Council Tax etc in the OP, I assume you're in the UK and the 'girlfriend' is in Thailand? So this is an on-line relationship? You're probably one of several sponsors, so your current cash flow issues are just a minor inconvenience for her. A real, exclusive girlfriend would already know your financial situation and would not ask for money, at least until you had some spare cash.

I definitely got a bargain ...... much better looking and she helps run our business so I get an ROI.

I suspect my health insurance is not going to be good value, but it's a gamble either way. When I left my job in Thailand, my company insurance stopped and as I was travelling to Korea for a new job (during COVID) I needed insurance. As I planned to retire in Thailand I took a Thai/International health policy from MTL. It has good coverage, no pre-existing exclusions and will run until I'm 90 .... if I live that long! But it's costly at over 100,000 per year. I'm reasonably fit, and have not used the policy once in 5 years. To claim you need to be admitted, and I've not needed that. So if I'd saved the premium in a decent savings scheme I'd now have a pot of 600,000 THB to cover any medical expenses.