Keith5588

Wow, thank you. I actually never thought of changing my address associated with my Thai Driving Licence. I will also ask about that.

Yes I tend to think it is fear mongering, Thailand usually have a way to resolve matters. I have made a note to change my car number plate and then able to change address. I will do that. Can I ask what is a PITA?

I bought my car in Khon Kaen 3 years ago. After that I relocated to Hua Hin in Prachuap Kiri Khan province. I went to the Transport Office in Pran Buri (the closest one to Hua Hin) and asked to change my address that is in my registration book. They said that they cannot do that because I have Khon Kaen number plates, and that I would have to first go to Prachuap Kiri Khan town to have my car number plates changed. I also have a scooter with Khon Kaen number plates. I left it with the thought that I might have my car number plates changed in the future but I’m not riding my Honda Scoopy all the way to Prachuap Kiri Khan town, nor paying to have it transported there and back. My Khon Kaen address in my car registration book is just an apartment I rented so if ever I had a speeding fine to pay I would never know. I thought this was not important as I am very unlikely to be speeding but even if I was I thought that when I next go to renew my car tax they would / maybe say I not pay the fine and so then I need to pay double. I can live with that. This morning a friend said that it has changed in that if I not pay a speeding fine I would have to pay more but also they would refuse to issue a tax disc, basically not allow me to drive the car for 1 year! Can anyone please confirm if that is the case? If not paying a speeding fine means not being able to drive my car for 1 year then I will have my number plate changed (probably a good thing to do anyway as I like Hua Hin) and then my address, so that I would know I had a speeding fine and so would pay it. Thanks in advance Keith

After you start your UK state pension if you then live in Thailand it will be frozen at the start amount. There are many discussions about this, some do not inform them they live in Thailand, a personal choice.

@Polar Bear Thank you so much for the very informative reply. I think I have seen very good information from you before. Thank you for the great advice on CGT. I like to do most things myself. I have never used an agent in Thailand for immigration. Also I did write my own Wills, one for Thailand and one for the UK, it was during Covid lockdown but I must admit I spent a lot of time researching. But as I become older I am not so sharp and it seems more like an effort than a challenge. So this time I might look for help from an accountant, hopefully find one that has also delt with British citizens living outside the UK.. Also you give very good advice concerning estate agents. I hadn’t even thought of the now obvious fact (after you wrote it) that almost all buyers will look on RightMove and so no need to have multiple agents. Also very good advice about negotiating a sole agency for a limited period of 6 months. That would also give them the incentive to put effort in early to sell it quickly. Thanks also for the information about the scam. My house is in Norwich and if I pick an established local agent it is probably less likely to happen than in some other areas. But having said that things have changed a lot in the UK and I might be thinking of the past. So thanks for making me aware. I was raised in a small UK town and I am still finding it hard to understand that there are people who have no problem lying to scam others, they must have no morals. Thanks again for the very detailed message

@stoner Thank you for your comments. I have thought about keeping my house but at age 71 I now think it best to sell. I don’t know your age. I am not wealthy but I have not needed to start my state pension, I have full contributions and I intentionally deferred it. I’m glad I did as I have locked in the last 2 large increases plus the deferral increases. I have already tidied up most of my finances. If I sell my house then my finances will be very simple and accessed online. So totally relax in Thailand knowing that everything has been simplified will be better for me. If I did need to return to the UK then I am lucky and could afford to rent a small place. If I ever needed a care home then my house would be a complication. And Hey I have seen Youtubes of fantastic care homes in Thailand for about half the UK cost.

Thanks for the good advice @DaLa. You seem to have thought things through as I hope I have. A good comment about how would Thailand know if the money comes from savings or income? When I make a transfer I don’t even know if it comes from my base savings or from interest earned on the savings. Unless of course it is a pension direct transfer to a Thai bank, then just possibly they may know, but I don’t think they would have any authority to obtain any of your UK financial details. I think in the end the way Thailand will enforce the tax will be much simpler than a lot think at the moment. I also believe the tax change is not being done to tax farang, it’s mainly being done to close a loophole that very wealthy Thai people were using to avoid paying any tax. Again off topic so I will not write too much. Yes if I buy a house in Thailand it would be a nice thought that it would eventually benefit my Thai gf’s children. I do think about such things and have already written my Wills. I’m pleased that your wife’s business and property are doing well. Good luck to you too.

Thank you all for your helpful replies. @DaLa Good advice about choosing an agent. Can I ask, do you know of an easy way to find the agent that has the most penetration in the price and area of my property? I have looked on Rightmove recently, would it be down to me to filter so that I see only houses similar to my house in the same area then for me to note down which agents added the house to Rightmove? Concerning whether it would be best to sell my house or to continue to rent it out. At age 21 I was engaged to be married, I was lucky that it did not happen, long story. I had relationships but never married, I have no children, my parents are both deceased, my one brother died in a tragic accident. So I am similar to @DaLa in that I have no children. I also have no immediate family. I have been with my Thai girlfriend 24/7 for 7 years and we get along very well. I have thought about continuing to rent out my house but I am now 71 years of age and the older I become the less I would want the aggravation involved in selling a house. So I am leaning towards selling it now, if I just leave it and I die before my Thai girlfriend then it will be much more difficult for her. I am renting a house in Hua Hin Thailand, but I am now also considering buying a house as long as I am able to rent it first for a period of time. I would have my gf buy the land and also a Usufruct contract to give me some protection, but I do fully trust her. Sorry I am going off topic. Thanks @DaLa for your other comments about the Thai tax changes etc. At the moment we do not fully know and there is a lot of scare mongering. I pay any UK taxes that are due and the UK has a double tax agreement with Thailand. As a thought how would Thai tax authorities get involved with me transferring money to my gf’s Thai bank account?

I am a 71 year old UK citizen. 7 years ago I signed for a letting agency to manage the renting out of my house and I came to Thailand. I love living in Thailand and now know that I wish to stay living in Thailand but I have to return to the UK to sort out some financial matters and to sell my house. It has worked out quite well having my house rented out but recently there have been problems and so I have just instructed the letting agency to give the tenants notice to leave. So in about 3 months from now the plan is I will be back in the UK living at my house and wanting to sell it. I bought my house in 1980 and always lived in it except for the past 7 years. It is my only home, but as I have rented it out for the last 7 years I might have to pay some capital gains tax, another thing I am not sure about. In 1980 if I remember correctly you had a choice of using only one estate agent, that is sole agency, and they would then charge you about 1% of the selling price. If you put your house for sale with several estate agents then you would pay about 2% of the selling price. I imagine things have now changed, selling your house yourself on the internet for instance? So much I do not know. I will start to investigate and post if I find anything interesting but I would love some advice from people on here. Thank you in advance Keith

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.

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

Thank you @NanLaew

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.

Thank you @roo860

@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.

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

Thank you @hotandsticky for your replies, you are very knowledgeable. I am not overly concerned at the moment as I do have a UK bank current account but reading this and another thread caused me to think of my options if my bank current account was ever closed. I am planning to visit the UK next year but not to sell my house. I want to do a bit of work at my house and to show my gf/partner some places in the UK. I do use WISE to transfer money and will open an account with them in the future. Thanks again.

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 advanceKeith

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