Keith5588

To those that feel I am doing something wrong.

I am only trying to sort out very difficult old investments and pension funds. 

I worked hard for 40 years in the UK, I retired, I came to Thailand and met a very good Thai lady 7 years ago ....... so I now live in Thailand and love the life here.

I have not yet started my UK state pension and I am not trying to defraud the UK government.

On 4/2/2024 at 7:03 PM, OJAS said:

 

Could you not get the originators of the letters in question to send them directly to your friend?

 

Thank you OJAS I might do that, but I am now on top of the older investments and pensions, my friend has been so very good. After another year I think I will have all transfered to accounts I can manage online. Maybe the 1 or 2 left I will give my friends address. Thank you

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

I apologise for the confusion. I have used mail forwarding and redirection in other countries, and some differentiate between (temporary) forwarding and (permanent) redirection.

 

For the UK's Royal Mail service, it is ALL called redirection.

 

Once again, my apologies.

Thank you @NanLaew

42 minutes ago, topt said:

They have a limit of 4 years in one go.

I am on my second 4 year stretch but did have a gap of less than a year in the middle so definitely worth trying again.

Thanks @topt I will also try to start another redirection with Royal Mail to my friend, I think in the last year of redirection there was a total of only about 20 letters, so not too much work for Royal Mail for about £60 per year.

1 hour ago, roo860 said:

Probably non of your business, the guy asked a reasonable question. 

Thank you @roo860 

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

UK Royal Mail mail forwarding and mail redirection are two totally different services.

@NanLaew  I don't understand I thought there was only 1 Royal Mail redirection service? 

Thank you @Chomper Higgot but as @Upnotover said Royal Mail refused to continue the re-direction to my friend. That was Aug last year so I do wonder if I reapply they may start again. Re-directing to Thailand is not good for me as I am still renting in Thailand.

6 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

There are several Mail forwarding companies available that will open and scan, email to you and then forward or destroy as per your instructions. They are not expensive, some have fixed annual other have Pay as you go, which is better if just a small amount of mail each month etc.

 

Google search " Mail forwarding Uk" 

Thank you @CharlieH  I will do a Google search.

Hi,

I am a UK citizen. After retiring from work I put my house in the hands of a rental agency to fully manage and came to Thailand. That was over 6 years ago. All has gone very well, I love life here in Thailand, I have no family in the UK so have no reason to return.

I have done my best to stop letter post but there are a few letters each year that I would like to see and sometimes take action.

I initially had my letter post re-directed to a very good friend in the UK but last year Royal Mail refused to renew the re-direction.

The rental agency for my house will collect my letters when they do a house inspection and deliver them to my friend, but that is only once per year.

Maybe I could pay for more house inspections but it all seems to be a bit messy.

I would like something more permanent, to pay a company to receive my re-directed letters and for them to process them, basically send me a secure copy (password protected) by email.

Does anyone know of such a company or have any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance

Keith

@sungod  Thanks for the suggestion. I have made a note of Irwin Mitchell.

I am a UK citizen, came to Thailand 7 years ago and love it here.
During Covid lockdown I was luckily in Thailand, I had time so I researched details and wrote 2 Wills myself, a Thai Will and a UK Will.
I have since updated my Thai Will and this time paid a Lawyer to do it and to also keep one of the originals.
I now plan to visit the UK in about 2 months from now with my long term girlfriend.
Some things I am not sure about, for instance in my UK Will, do I mention my Thai Will? Would the UK want to know my assets I have in Thailand? Do I need to tell them?
So I would like the Will writer / Lawyer to be familiar with what is needed for expats living outside the UK.

Thanks in advance

Keith

5 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Open a Revolut bank account.

They have virtual and real debit cards.

Pal of mine just opened one using a UK address he lived at more than 30 years past.

Thank you @BritManToo I have added to do just that just before I go to visit the UK next year, much appreciated.

Hi,
I am from the UK but now retired and living in Thailand.
I still have a UK bank current account. My main assets are still in the UK, savings, house that I rent out, pensions, and I pay UK tax.

I think most of us need to still have a bank/building society in our home country mainly to have money paid into and to make transfers from. We may or may not need a debit and credit card.
 

I have used building society Fixed interest accounts, sometimes they insist on opening an instant access account but I have never actually wanted to use the instant access account.

I still have some fixed interest savings accounts and I think a couple of instant access accounts.

So my question is assuming a debit and credit card is not needed would a building society instant access be adequate for a UK expat living in Thailand? 

Or is there a reason why they would need a bank current account?
I am wondering when withdrawing money from a building society instant access account can you pay any external account or do you have to transfer the money out to your nominated bank current account?

Thanks in advance
Keith

Hi,
I am from the UK but now living in Thailand.
I have read threads on here concerning UK banks closing peoples accounts when the banks know that the person is not living in the UK.
I think most of us need to still have a bank/building society in our home country mainly to have money paid into and to make transfers from. We may or may not need a debit and credit card.
I have only used building society Fixed interest accounts, sometimes they insist on opening an instant access account but I have never actually wanted to use them.
When withdrawing money from a building society instant access account can you pay any external account or do you have to transfer the money out to your nominated bank current account?
So my question is assuming a debit and credit card is not needed would a building society instant access be adaquate for a UK expat living in Thailand.
Thanks in advance
Keith

Wow thanks for the very good fast replies.

@Eff1n2ret thanks for the info and the link.

@Polar Bear thanks a lot for the very good detailed explanation.

I am now happy as I was hoping that I would only pay a proportion of tax for the years I have had my house rented out as that seemed to be fair.

So thanks to you both I realise that is the case.

Thanks again

Keith

I renewed my UK passport last year, I think for the larger passport + courier fee it was £138 payable by CC.

I made an appointment Trendy building in Bangkok. So I had to travel to Bangkok for this with all the necessary documentation, photo copies of every page of my old passport, photos of myself, the filled in form.

They notified me when they had my new passport ready for collection. Luckily a very good friend had to go to Bangkok so I just gave him a note giving my consent to collect it.

It's everyone's personal choice, I have never used an agent but maybe I will need to one day.

Personally I would not wish to risk my old passport being lost by an agent, I have read that this has happened.

Hi, I bought my house in the UK in 1980, was working and lived in it as my only home.
5 years ago I retired, rented out my house and came to Thailand.
I now wish to return to the UK, live in my house for about 6 months while I sort out a few things as well as selling my house.
So I lived in my house as my only home for 37 years, then rented it out for 5 years.
Does anyone know what the rules are for me paying Capital Gains Tax?
Thanks in advance 
Keith

Hi,
I now live in Hua Hin, about 3km inland of the centre. I do have a car and scooter so not need taxis often. 
We will need a taxi in near future to pick us up at home and then drop us at the Bus station on Petchkasem road not far from Bluport. Also very occasionally when out to take us home or possibly home to a hospital.
I would love to have two or three contact details of taxis companies based in Hua Hin suitable for such short journeys.
Also I have never used Grab or Bolt, can you phone these or does booking need to be done via their apps?
Thank you I'm advance for any help
Keith
 

18 minutes ago, FriendlyFarang said:

There is no need to change the address.

If you do it you will get new plates.

To change the address you definitely need the green book, a certificate of residence, and your passport.

I'm not certain if you also have to bring the bike, I've never changed just the address. If you want to change the owner as well the bike itself is definitely required.

Thank you @FriendlyFarang very precise good information. In the past I also concluded that I will not change the address in the registration books. I think the only small problem is that if you get an automatic speeding fine it will go to the wrong address, then when renew the tax you will pay more. That's the way it should work but knowing Thailand it doesn't and it may be an advantage in not paying any fine.   
I will very soon be moving to a rented house that I think I might stay at for a long time so thought it would be nice to have that address in the books.
I will try to phone again today as going to PKK by car would be OK but not by our small Honda Scoopy. 
I am starting to feel that doing nothing might be best. 

Hi

I bought a car and also a scooter when myself and my Thai girlfriend were living in rented accommodation in Khon Kaen so both vehicles have Khon Kaen number plates.

We relocated to Hua Hin just over 1 year ago. The addresses in both registration books are just rented appartments in Khon Kaen and so totally wrong.

A couple of weeks ago I felt that I wanted to change the ownership of both vehicles into my girlfriends name.

We went to the Transport office in Pran Buri which is about 24km away, so not far from Hua Hin.  They said that they cannot change ownership because the number plates are Khon Kaen and that we would need to go to the Transport Office in Prachuap Khiri Khan (PKK) town to have the number plates changes to Prachuap plates first.  PKK is about 100km away.

OK so now I know that Prachuap Transport offices can only change ownership of vehicles with Prachuap plates.

I have now decided not to change ownership but I do want to change my address which is in the registration books.

At the moment the Transport offices are not answering their phones.  Can anyone please help.

Can I change my address that is in my car and scooter at the Transport Office in Pran Buri while still keeping Khon Kaen number plates?

I am getting the feeling to update anything in the car or scooter registration books whilst in Hua Hin I will need to make two trips to PKK to have the number plates changed.

If I go to PKK to have the number plates changed + change of address what documents do I need to take other than the registration books?

Cert of Residence?

Photocopies of the registration books?

Thanks

Keith

Thanks a lot @lukkrungand @KhaoYai

5 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Others have answered your question.

 

However, from my point of view, looking outside the scope of the question, if you were, for example, thinking of investing such an amount, you would want to be able to recoup it entirely as you would any investment, over time of course, after all, buying a dwelling is a long term investment, i.e. under normal circumstances.

 

The above said, buying land in your wife's name and then building a house on it in my opinion is a waste of money, i.e. unless the land is hers already or is cheap  enough and the build is a good price.

 

I will use my situation as an example, purchased a 1,000 square metre block with a 20 metre frontage over a decade ago just outside a village for 120,000 baht and we built the house some years later when I retired, the entire outlay was under 2 mil for a single level rendered 6 bedroom house with 3 bathrooms.

 

If I walk away tomorrow, it's hers while the other 4 mil for arguments sake would be invested outside Thailand earning a tax free return.

 

In other words, why would you want to go all in, especially when there is no return on your outlay, I won't call it an investment, because it's not, it's hers, best case scenario, you would get 40% back if and when it was sold after expenses, and that 40% wouldn't be on the 6 mil outlaid, it would 40% of whatever someone was prepared to offer you depending on where it is.

 

Perhaps a condominium with some nice ocean views in your name would be a better investment, you could will it to the wife, if married ? 

 

I prefer to keep things simple, I have heard of these Usufructs and the like, but to me, if it ain't "fee simple", i.e. title is in my name suffice to say, then it's not mine and a loss I would have to consider before I went into it.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you @4MyEgo  for good information and advice.

5 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

Note, as far as I know - a Usufruct does not have a term. A Usufruct is in force for the life of the holder and it dies with him/her. I am not saying the a Usufruct cannot have a term - I don't know on that point but it is not normal for there to be a fixed term.

 

If the regsitered land owner dies, the Usufruct and all its terms and conditions passes on to whoever the land is left to.

 

To have any legal authority, a Usufruct must be registered and noted on the title deeds of the land at the Land Office - preferably Chanotte title. When registering a Usufruct, the holder should make sure that their name is on the entry and that the entry on the deeds is duly stamped and dated.

 

My Usfufruct is constructed that way and I've never heard of one having a fixed term.  My lawyer suggested that if I wanted to leave something of value to my family after I died, I could form a new Usufruct that also included my son's name and thus would last for his lifetime.

 

Again, as far as I know, a Usfruct is not covered by the 30 year limit on leases - in essence because it is not a lease.  I know that its difficult to understand what it is, if its not a lease but its not and is not defined as such under the law.  That is of course, until the Thai courts come across a dispute at which time that could change.

 

In general, a Usfruct is far stronger than a lease. It gives the holder the right to fully enjoy the property and even make money from it through letting it out. It gives security to the holder in that the registered land owner cannot sell the property or raise a secured loan against it without the holder's permission.

KhaoYai, thank you for the very good information, it's much appreciated.

7 hours ago, Stevemercer said:

For most foreigners, the land would be owned by their Thai wife/relative (e.g. someone with whom you have a close and continuing relationship). Because the foreigner doesn't own the land, they may want greater certainty they can continue to live on the land for the rest of their lives if the marriage breaks down, or something similar.

 

A foreigner can take a 30 year lease/usufruct/lien on the land, meaning that the land can't be sold without the foreigners permission. The usufruct maust be stamped onto the original chanoot (land ownership) to be enforceable. The land offices in some provinces will not do this.

 

You can pay for the land (but it is owned by the Thai national) and you can build a house on the land with a 30 year lease (if allowed by the Province local land office). The land, if sold, would be sold with the house on it.

 

You would only do this as a lifestyle choice, because there are too many uncertainties to consider this an investment route. You must be 100% certain the land has clear freehold title, the Thai national is trustworthy, and the land office will allow the lien to be placed on the land. In the longer term, you should be prepared to walk away from whatever costs incurred if the relationship falls through or there is some reason why you don't want to live in Thailand anymore.

 

In Thailand, if married, you are entitled to 50i% of assets obtained after the marriage. So make sure you marry first before buying the land and building a house. If you are persistent, you may be able to recover 50%, but it won't be anything like the original 6 million baht spent.

 

The land, purchased for 2 million, may increase in value if in a township area or with direct road frontage. The house will not increase in value and a 4 million baht house might be worth only one or two million, particularly if the location is somewhat remote.

 

A Thai family, with 6 million baht to spend, would typically have their heart set on building their own new home and not buying somebody elses house. This is doubly true in rural Thailand where fewer people would have that sort of money freely available.

 

So, a best case scenario would be to be married to a Thai national, with the land in her name, and a 30 year usufruct on the land. You both live happily ever after for the rest of your lives. After you die, the family might sell or live on the land. 

 

If you got divorced, and the ex-wife is agreeable, you could continue to live in the house as long as you want. Just bear in mind that no decent Thai lady (e.g. if you want to marry again) will want to live in a house/land owned by your ex-wife.

 

Alternatively, and if the ex-wife is agreeable, she could sell the property/house and give you 50%. Assuming the land is still worth 2 million, and the house is in excellent shape (maybe 2 million in the best possible outcome), you could get back 50% of 4 million baht, or 2 million baht.

 

If the ex-wife is not agreeable, and uncooperative, you might want to walk away and save yourself all the aggro.

@StevemercerThank you so much for the very detailed, informative and helpful information and the very good advice.