Should I return to the UK - difficult decision!

[scubascuba3]

4 minutes ago, simon43 said:

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.....

Which agent?

[simon43]

11 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Which agent?

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 🙂

[CHdiver]

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

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 🙂

There are others still capable to do it. Now doing it in Bangkok. Price went up a couple of 1000 Baht. AFAIK the one on Post Office (Manerat) would be a good start.

[Celsius]

2 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   You were always going on about earning US $ 3000 a month and putting $2000 a month away in savings .

   Was you exaggerating your income ?

 

I think he has savings. Probably a bunch he'll keep in a foreign bank account far from the dirty tax man so he can get extra benefits and that is okay.

[simon43]

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?

[GanDoonToonPet]

25 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Rent paid up to 600 pounds/month

 

Rent must be expensive in Somerset. The Local Housing Allowance for Teesside is £94.36 per week or about £400 a month. A decent 1 bedroom flat, not in the ghetto, costs £500+ a month.

 

I didn't know about the utilities and broadband discount...have to look into that.

[jori123]

On 6/30/2025 at 3:25 PM, simon43 said:

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 infree hearing tests plus hearing aids free 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?

these things are true,hearing tests/aids are free   after retirement ,get sick,450 quid tax free,plus another 400 taxable,500 quid here and there thrown in.   Jobs all over the place   13 quid an hour,food to die for  and England this time of year is beautiful,truly outstanding,Thailand is good,but it ain't that good,charity shops in uk,  just bought top of range TV,  43 quid,few months old/merino wool coats   2 of em 10 quid each,loads of the stuff  at give away prices..........any way back to Th next few days 580 quid return  stay for couple of months,then back to blighty.........off to Tommy Robinson themed rally on Saturday..... good for bit of whatever.pint of Guinness  3 pounds 20 ,...not bad

[jts-khorat]

On 6/26/2025 at 12:36 PM, xylophone said:

My 10 penneth for what it's worth: –

Would your lung condition improve if you were by the seaside, either here or in the UK?

 

I think this is the most important consideration; will moving back actually improve anything?

 

You do have insurance, so finding out if it would pay in Thailand for your condition would be an essential first step before any decision.

 

I had to, after 15 years in Thailand, move back to Germany for work reasons, and as others have reported, the reverse culture shock was very severe. I also moved into a region far away from mountains, large lakes or the ocean, so it made it very difficult for me at first to find good hobbies outside. In my case it was necessary and unavoidable, but I would give my right arm to be back in Thailand if I could simply choose and not need to care about my dependents.

 

You seem to have that covered, but I would at least as a thought experiment widen the potential places to "go back" to: does it really have to be the UK, or is another place nearby not also possible, which has benefitial weather for your sickness while at the same time offering a quality of life not much different to Thailand (Cyprus, Malta?).

 

And maybe you do not even need to go that far; I lived in Phuket, as you did before as well, and never even noticed burning season; so maybe Laos climate is not good for you, but moving back to Phuket or Krabi might just do the trick, if even just for a few more years (close to hostitals, air not as bad).

 

In the end it is necessary to have a well-thought out Plan B, so moving back before becoming immobile or too frail to handle the stress of resettlement, but from all your posts I have read, this seems not quite the age or state you are in yet. You seem however, just my impression, to be in a financial situation that reversing your decision might be difficult, so I would not hasten any decision unduly, until you are really 100% sure it is the right step.

 

Edit: @simon reading further down the thread, of course you came to much the same wisdom as I; still, I ölet the post stand as is, because you might not be the only one in a similar istuation.

[simon43]

^^^

Thanks for your thoughtful comments!

 

Right now, I live at Khanom Beach in south Thailand, and the healthy salty air is excellent for my lungs.  So my present location is good, the house rent is cheap and so on.

 

But as a single person, I have no support net, and so I am considering the worst case 'what if?" scenario, if my physical or mental health gets worst, or if the means to legally stay in Thailand (long term visa etc), becomes more difficult.

 

Of course, such a scenario might never happen, and I'm worrying about nothing.

 

As far as moving back to the UK is concerned, there are good points in respect of costs and discounts for retirees.  But one factor which might hinder my return is rented accommodation.  No, not the rental price, but the availability of accommodation.  My investigations over the past few weeks indicates a great shortage of suitable accommodation, with 'basic' properties being rented at crazy rental rates.  I can afford this, but I know that I would not be getting value for money.  I had forgotten how 'boring' most UK properties actually are in their design, with bland exteriors and no individuality.  It seems that for every property that is advertised for rent, there are literally dozens of people queuing to rent it!  no wonder landlords are converting garden sheds into rented accommodation...

 

I'm at the end of the queue for renting these properties because I have no credit score.  This is because the credit agencies only keep records for 6 years....  I would have to return to the UK, rent an Airbnb, rent a car to visit properties, and then try to persuade the landlord to rent to me.  Difficult but not impossible of course.

[BritManToo]

15 hours ago, jts-khorat said:

In the end it is necessary to have a well-thought out Plan B, so moving back before becoming immobile or too frail to handle the stress of resettlement, but from all your posts I have read, this seems not quite the age or state you are in yet. You seem however, just my impression, to be in a financial situation that reversing your decision might be difficult, so I would not hasten any decision unduly, until you are really 100% sure it is the right step.

My plan B is death.

[simon43]

Were I to move back to live in the UK, and were I to find it totally unsuitable, a move back to south-east Asia would be relatively easy, since I know the ins and outs of living here.  If I were unable to afford a Thai visa, then there is always Cambodia or Laos.  Realistically, no destination is perfect and I must accept compromise.

 

The UK rental market is relatively unregulated and there is always a risk that rental prices in the UK might rise so much that I'm forced out....

[Bannoi]

Could you not try it for a few months maybe get a winter let in the South West Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall.

 

There are a lot of holiday apartments and houses that may give you a decent price for a few months out of season, that would give you a chance to see if you really want to move back it would also let you look for something more permanent and register with a doctor, start building a credit score get on the electoral register get your pension up to date even get pension credit if applicable.

 

Maybe even go to the local council when the lease is up and tell them you are about to be made homeless I may be wrong but I think they have to find accommodation for anyone about to be made homeless if you were lucky you could possibly get a council property which would  alleviate your concern about the UK rental market.

 

I live on the sw coast now and like do a bit of sea fishing I can't remember the last time a bought fish in a shop and there are plenty of very cheap flights to Europe Spain, Portugal, Malta, Canary Islands, Morocco, Balearic  Islands, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey etc. from local airports Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth if you fancy a trip for a few days or weeks some are as little as £30 return.

 

If its any help I'm pushing 80 and moving back was one of my better ideas I don't regret it.

 

 

 

 

 

[simon43]

39 minutes ago, Bannoi said:

Could you not try it for a few months maybe get a winter let in the South West Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall.

 

There are a lot of holiday apartments and houses that may give you a decent price for a few months out of season, that would give you a chance to see if you really want to move back it would also let you look for something more permanent and register with a doctor, start building a credit score get on the electoral register get your pension up to date even get pension credit if applicable.

 

Maybe even go to the local council when the lease is up and tell them you are about to be made homeless I may be wrong but I think they have to find accommodation for anyone about to be made homeless if you were lucky you could possibly get a council property which would  alleviate your concern about the UK rental market.

 

I live on the sw coast now and like do a bit of sea fishing I can't remember the last time a bought fish in a shop and there are plenty of very cheap flights to Europe Spain, Portugal, Malta, Canary Islands, Morocco, Balearic  Islands, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey etc. from local airports Bristol, Exeter, Bournemouth if you fancy a trip for a few days or weeks some are as little as £30 return.

 

If its any help I'm pushing 80 and moving back was one of my better ideas I don't regret it.

 

 

 

Thanks for your comments!  Actually, I did return to the UK (Blackpool) 2.5 years ago in the winter for a few months.  I stayed in a cheap hotel.  Despite the 'horror stories' on You Tube about Blackpool, I found it quite reasonable, nice beach, healthy walking, healthy food at the same price as Thailand 🙂  So I'm fairly confident that were I to return permanently to the UK, all would be fine.

 

I'm already registered with a GP and on the ER in Blackpool, and with a basic UK bank account, but I prefer to live permanently in the south-west where my family comes from.

 

I already receive a UK pension, and legally will also receive about 550 pounds/month as Pension Credit.  Financially, I don't need this to be able to afford to rent a property, so I'm not being restricted by financial reasons - it's more to do with the lack of rental suitable properties for a retired single person.

 

To sort this out, I do need to return to the UK and to bite the bullet and stay in an expensive Airbnb and rent an expensive car for transport while I find a suitable property to rent.  But once rented, and with the pension credit as well, things will get much easier 🙂

[Bannoi]

5 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Thanks for your comments!  Actually, I did return to the UK (Blackpool) 2.5 years ago in the winter for a few months.  I stayed in a cheap hotel.  Despite the 'horror stories' on You Tube about Blackpool, I found it quite reasonable, nice beach, healthy walking, healthy food at the same price as Thailand 🙂  So I'm fairly confident that were I to return permanently to the UK, all would be fine.

 

I'm already registered with a GP and on the ER in Blackpool, and with a basic UK bank account, but I prefer to live permanently in the south-west where my family comes from.

 

I already receive a UK pension, and legally will also receive about 550 pounds/month as Pension Credit.  Financially, I don't need this to be able to afford to rent a property, so I'm not being restricted by financial reasons - it's more to do with the lack of rental suitable properties for a retired single person.

 

To sort this out, I do need to return to the UK and to bite the bullet and stay in an expensive Airbnb and rent an expensive car for transport while I find a suitable property to rent.  But once rented, and with the pension credit as well, things will get much easier 🙂

Best of luck if I can help in any way PM me.

[simon43]

24 minutes ago, Bannoi said:

Best of luck if I can help in any way PM me.

Where do you live in the south-west?  Got a spare room? 🙂  (or know someone with a house to rent)?