simon43

Hi, the housing costs are the least of my concern. If one has reached state pension age, and if one has savings of less than 16,000 pounds, the local authority is obliged to contribute about 572 pounds every month towards your costs of renting a property. They have no choice in this matter - it's called Housing Benefit and is means-tested, so the amount might be less if one is living with a working partner etc. But for a single person such as myself, the online government calculator indicates 572 pounds that will be paid every month within 2 weeks of claiming online. Oh, no Council Tax either 'cos that's waived for a single pensioner. Therefore, if one finds an apartment to rent for say 600 pounds per month, one will personally have to pay only about 28 pounds a month in rent! I know this sounds somewhat unbelievable, but the policy of the social welfare system in the UK is to reward those who have not saved money during their working life!!

Yes thanks. I have already contacted them to see what the requirements are etc. But it doesn't change my concern about extending my visa in future years, especially as I live alone with no support network in Thailand.

Although I am sure that I can use an agent to obtain a new visa, the more that I look at the situation re visas and my finances in Thailand, and the more that I look at all the benefits that a UK state pensioner can legally obtain in the UK, I'm of the mind to return to the UK, (as I mentioned in another thread). Living in the UK on a budget prior to reaching state retirement age is no fun, but once one reaches that retirement age, all manner of benefits are available, such that I will be financially better off living in the UK. The downside is the weather (although to some extent I miss 'seasons'), and the lack of swimming in a warm sea! As I get older, I do not want to rely on using an agent to provide the 800k, because Murphy's Law tells me that the requirements to get a retirement extension will only get more arduous, and I don't do 'arduous' as I get older and older 🙂

I wasn't sure if the details were OK on the open forum, (not just using an agent, but using an agent to 'bypass' the 800k requirement!)

I am at a decision crossroads, as explained in another thread in the UK forum 🙂 For the last few years I have had an O visa/extension, provided by an agent in Pattaya for a 'fee' because I did not have 800k in my bank account. I utilised this method because although I had this visa to allow me to come and go from Thailand, most of the time I was working in Myanmar. Since the earthquake, I have not been teaching in Myanmar and have been staying in Thailand. Well, now that it's coming close to extend my O visa again, but this time my trusted agent says 'no can do'. She tells me that the rules have been tightened up at Jomtien and she cannot help me. That is what got me thinking about possibly returning permanently back to the UK... However, maybe someone has the details of an agent who might be able to help me 🙂 If so, please don't post the details on the open forum, but send me a message. Thanks - Simon

A plus point about being a pensioner in the UK is the number of discounts that are provided. I did a quick check of what discounts are available if I were to live in the Somerset locality: - Rent paid up to 600 pounds/month - Council tax fully paid - Free optician checks, discounted glasses - Free NHS dental - Free prescription medicines - Free off-peak bus travel in Somerset - Discounted train travel - Wessex water and Bristol water pensioner discount - Broadband discount - Possible electricity discount and winter payment (maybe!) I think the biggest possible utility bill would be for electric heating. Private medical insurance (UK cover) is cheaper than what I pay now.... Something I checked was the price of food in Tesco's. Similar to what I experienced when I stayed in Blackpool a few years ago, the prices for healthy food are comparable to Thailand. Healthy food means vegetables, fruit, salads, grain bread etc. The price of processed krap was more expensive than Thailand. I only eat healthy food! Now what other expenses would there be?

The one near Big C, with letters K and V, owner died some months ago. This may mean that I would need to jump through hoops to renew my visa, (since I don't have 800k in the bank). Quite honestly, I can't be bothered to jump and would either move to Cambodia/PI or go back to the UK 🙂

One issue that has suddenly raised its head today is an email from my trusty visa agent in Pattaya, who has explained that although they have been able to provide O 'retirement' visas for many years, tighter IO rules at Jomtien mean that it is now very difficult. (In other words, please buggar off 'cos we can't help you now...) I understand them very well - doing 'tricks' to get an O visa without 800k in the bank is a precarious way to stay in Thailand. But it is another thing for me to consider in my decision-making process. Move to the PI or Cambodia etc, or move back to the UK. Hmm.....

I don't recall saying that I saved that extra money. I recall explaining that I spent most of it on my educational charity in Myanmar, buying books, printing posters, paying for Android app development etc.

I corrected that typo many posts ago 🙂 I get about 880 pounds per MONTH!

I'm a country lad - lived in Dunster (Somerset) previously. One point to consider is that while UK rent is high, I would receive (no ifs and buts - it's a means-tested benefit) about 600 quid a month in housing benefit, because I'm a pensioner and I have bugger-all savings. Therefore, I could reasonably afford to rent a flat for say 800 quid a month, which gets a nice 1-bedroom rural property in Somerset near the sea. This is the benefit of having no savings.....

Yes, not good for Ozzies... the UK pension guys know that I live full-time in Thailand, I never tried to mislead on that. It will only make a substantial difference in my frozen payments if I live to 90 or something, (which with my lung illness I don't expect to reach lol!). Anyway, I can always move to the PI if I want my pension to be index-linked.

I received a part-payment for the balance of june, so I need to wait until the payment at the end of next month to check that the amount is correct - my final NI contribution for 25/26 doesn't show on the gov website, so I need to check that it's been taken into consideration.

I reached 66 years old on June 16 of this month. Today (the 30th), I received into my Wise account the balance due for this month's pension payment. I'm very happy with the online claims process - everything has gone well. Glad that I kept up my voluntary NI payments as well 🙂

Based on what happened to Lucy Connelly, we should expect that idiot rapper to be in jail in a few days, sentenced to several years. Of course, this won't happen in 2-tier Britain.... Every person in the audience who joined in with the death chanting should also be jailed. Of course, this won't happen in 2-tier Britain...

There is also the issue of the UK state pension. This is frozen in Thailand, but that can be resolved by relocating to the Philippines. But what if some future UK government tries to reduce expenditure by stopping state pensions for all expats. (Don't think it won't happen - it's one big pozi scheme...). I still have other income sources, but I don't expect to be teaching science online when I'm 80 years old.... If my state pension were stopped, then I would be forced to return to the UK, whether I wanted to or not. So many unknowns and 'what ifs'....

See my amended post above. 1 business was 'stolen'. 1 business was sold for a healthy profit and the 2 other businesses were gifted to my thai ex'es (not a divorce settlement). 1 of those hotels is still trading just fine 🙂

About the only thing that you can own 100% in your own name are condos/apartments. You could buy a few and lease them out etc. Whether that is a money-maker I don't know 'cos I've never done it. But your initial investment is still all yours. As for setting up tourist accommodation, I have done this 4 times in Phuket (I built the original Phuket airport hotel, then Phuket Airport 24/7 Hotel, Phuket airport Overnight Hotel and Phuket Airport Bed & Breakfast). But on each occasion I leased the land long-term, rather than trying to do some 'fiddle' to own it! Additionally, I 'lost' one of those businesses when a Thai drug-dealer, aided by the local police (his customers), chased me off the business at gunpoint and I had to flee Phuket for my life. The only karma that I could apply was to stop paying the land rent, causing the landowner to reposses the land and hotel. But I lost about $60,000 in that venture... I'm not involved in any of those businesses nowadays (sold up or gave to Thai wife etc), and I would rather walk on hot coals than involve myself in such a venture nowadays 🙂

It's what '7/11' sounds like when you are as plssed as a fart....

This is a press release that I wrote about an event that just took place, concerning 2 of my young students in Myanmar: " Myanmar students receive their own space pictures - from space! In a first for the country of Myanmar. 2 young students submitted pictures that they had drawn for a space project organized by the Russian Space and Satellite Centre in Moscow. From a large number of pictures submitted mostly by young students throughout Russia, 2 pictures submitted by the Yangon students were chosen to be transmitted down to the Earth from the Russian satellite 'UMKA-1', orbiting about 450km above us. The pictures depicted the students' ideas of astronauts and planets in space. During the period of June 28th, these images were transmitted and many enthusiasts were able to receive these pictures in countries such as Thailand, Greece and Brazil. For successfully taking part in this project, the Russian Space and Satellite Centre will award the young students with special electronic certificates. Their names are Ju Ju Thaw Tar Linn (Year 4) and Kyawl Wathan Linn (Year 3A), both from the International School of Education (I.S.E.) in Yangon. The project was made possible with the help of British science teacher Simon Luttrell, who runs his own educational charity in Myanmar called TeacherSimon.org, which provides assistance to young students. Although a teacher now, Simon previously worked for many years as a space and satellite engineer in Europe, and has fostered close contacts with the space engineers in Moscow. "These 2 young students should feel very proud" he says. "As far as I know, this is the first time ever that students in Myanmar have participated in an international space project. Well done to them and their school!" "

If departing from Suvanabhumi, ask the airport staff where the re-entry office is before you go to the immigration counters. The office is located at the end of a row of 'standard' immigration counters. There is usually no/little queue, so don't waste time queuing at the standard counters.

Yes I'm old and I do recognise it! That's why I started this thread 🙂

As others have said, I blame the benefit system. If the government is stupid enough to hand over money to someone who says that they have mental problems, then what can you expect. Someone with real mental problems should be in a mental asylum, not out in the community. (Harsh but true).

Lol, read my previous comment! At some stage early this century there were death duties to be paid and which my ancestors couldn't afford. Therefore the castle was given to the taxman in lieu of death duties and then handed over to the National Trust. If you ever visit the castle, have a look at some of the paintings of my ancestors - they look just like me 🙂 (well maybe not so blue!!) Although I was born and bred in Leicester, when an adult I lived at Lower Marsh, just by the Dunster Steam Railway station.

I lived in Stoneygate! Maybe we went to school together 🙂