13 hours ago, falangUK said:

I chose to sell and invest, totally get it!.

Christmas was a disaster: dealing with a boiler issue while the tenants were away, replacing a fridge that "wasn’t good enough," and then the new one being “too small” even though the contract clearly states only two people living there.

I’m leaning towards selling too. It’s a shame because it’s a lovely area, classic British charm, but it's changed completely due to migration.

Letting agents just make things worse. Instead of managing tenants myself, I’m paying over 18% and still having to guide them through basic tasks. Honestly, the government should be regulating letting agents, not punishing landlords.
 

my last RE deal in the USA, I caught the agent in 17 lies - - and I was there too. 

I rented out my London flat for 4 years after moving to Thailand and, while the income was great, the hassle of dealing with tenants and agents remotely was a nightmare.  I ended up selling it which was easier to do from Thailand than I expected.  I didn't pay CGT.  

1 minute ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I rented out my London flat for 4 years after moving to Thailand and, while the income was great, the hassle of dealing with tenants and agents remotely was a nightmare.  I ended up selling it which was easier to do from Thailand than I expected.  I didn't pay CGT.  

 

 

Nor should you be liable for CGT as it was your 'main residence'.

I just closed on selling my rental in April then stuck 2/3 of the proceeds in a five year annuity. I am now getting more in interest alone than I was getting in rent, I have no taxes/maintenance/rent collecting headaches, and in a medical emergency I can draw out as much as I need without paying a penalty.

7 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I rented out my London flat for 4 years after moving to Thailand and, while the income was great, the hassle of dealing with tenants and agents remotely was a nightmare.  I ended up selling it which was easier to do from Thailand than I expected.  I didn't pay CGT.  

I had a rental for 20 years that was a great cash flow up until two years ago, then the renters from hell moved in. The house is gone and so are my landlord headaches.

6 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

I had a rental for 20 years that was a great cash flow up until two years ago, then the renters from hell moved in. The house is gone and so are my landlord headaches.

 

I had a similar situation, everything smooth for 3 years then a troublesome tenant. That experience accelerated my decision to sell.

Age is a major factor too, whether its worth having revenue over time you may or may not have or the lump now
i had a villa i did plan to rent out, but in the end just sold it as seemed better than waiting 30 years
and i could do more with the cash as moved to new land etc (put most into gold)
property expenses will always increase
if you pick a date you think you will live to or a date you do not want to concern yourself with such matters
then you can calculate where the line is where you are better to sell

I had a limited company in the UK specifically for holding rental properties.

 

I sold some of them 20 years ago when I retired here and the remaining ones 10 years ago.

 

It's extremely stressful when thing go wrong and you have to trust your agent for repairs which they are probably inflating the cost of.

 

The main reason I think you should sell is tax.  The government are making it more and more difficult for smaller landlords.

 

If you haven't been paying tax on your rental income, you are playing Russian Roulette.  Your mortgage payments as a private landlord are no longer deductible from your income for taxation purposes.  If they catch you, they will go back all the way and you will have to sell the property just to pay tax.

 

If you haven't been paying tax, make sure HMRC have that address as your home and sell it now and hope for the best.

2 minutes ago, patman30 said:

Age is a major factor too, whether its worth having revenue over time you may or may not have or the lump now
i had a villa i did plan to rent out, but in the end just sold it as seemed better than waiting 30 years
and i could do more with the cash as moved to new land etc (put most into gold)
property expenses will always increase
if you pick a date you think you will live to or a date you do not want to concern yourself with such matters
then you can calculate where the line is where you are better to sell

 

 

Age is a huge factor - or rather, the desire for contentment as one gets older. The money becomes less important (especially if you have enough) and peace of mind becomes more important.

 

I have reached the stage where I am happy to be able to control most of the factors that affect my life - I don't want 'outside' factors impacting on that contentment. 

20 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I had a limited company in the UK specifically for holding rental properties.

 

I sold some of them 20 years ago when I retired here and the remaining ones 10 years ago.

 

It's extremely stressful when thing go wrong and you have to trust your agent for repairs which they are probably inflating the cost of.

 

The main reason I think you should sell is tax.  The government are making it more and more difficult for smaller landlords.

 

If you haven't been paying tax on your rental income, you are playing Russian Roulette.  Your mortgage payments as a private landlord are no longer deductible from your income for taxation purposes.  If they catch you, they will go back all the way and you will have to sell the property just to pay tax.

 

If you haven't been paying tax, make sure HMRC have that address as your home and sell it now and hope for the best.

There is still a section on the tax return stating residential property finance costs, which is where i enter (or did) the annual mortgage costs.

 

Are you saying these are no longer deductible, i have filed tax returns for the past 16 years and always entered an amount in this section with no comment from HMRC.

 

Sorry for going slightly off-topic, i have a 2 bed, was my home, now mortgage free.

 

I had a family friend as a tenant when first moving here which turned into a nightmare and have since used an agent which i am generally happy with and only charges 10%, only annoying thing is the annual requests to increase the rent, have a good tenant and don't think it's a great idea to keep increasing the rent when they are not getting anything extra.

 

No plans to sell, but need to do some research as have a daughter and not sure of tax implications when i pass.

14 hours ago, falangUK said:

Almost 95% decided to hold onto the mortgage, mainly because it supposedly helps your credit profile?
£200K for a two-bed bringing in £1,300/month is solid. Mine’s just a one-bed, probably worth around £210K or more if I’m patient and leave it on the market a bit.

Aren’t you concerned about the Renter’s Reform Bill though? Evictions could become a drawn-out nightmare, no more ASTs, just a rolling tenancy with two months' notice, plus you can’t refuse pets. It’s getting ridiculous.

Here are four options I’m considering for what to do with the equity if I sell:
    1    High-Interest Savings Account (UK or offshore)
– Simple and safe
– Around 4–5% interest
– Zero hassle, just park the money
    2    Premium Bonds (UK)
– Safe cash storage
– Monthly prize draws instead of interest
– Fully liquid
    3    Stock Market (low-cost index funds like Vanguard ETFs)
– Potential for higher returns
– More risk, but very hands-off with auto monthly investing
– Can use platforms like Interactive Brokers or a UK ISA (if eligible)
    4    UK Government Bonds (Gilts)
– Low risk, fixed interest
– Good if I don’t need the money soon
– Held in an investment account
 

 

Yes re: renters reform bill........the upside might be landlords selling off in frustration and, possibly, driving rents up even further???

 

Just involved in a forced eviction at the moment......when it is finally free.....I will have a look again at the market and might sell.

 

One reason for hanging onto it is to stop be having access to capital and dipping into it....555.....unless you're a multi-millionaire you can't live off capital....only ever live off income.

10 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   I got more bedrooms and receive more income, probably in a better location as well 

 

 

Hahaha....you are strange.

15 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Tenants can be very annoying - especially if you are an out of town landlord - - you can give it to an agent or property manager but they are notorious for scheming,,,

 

i chose to sell and invest... 

 

After a couple of decent tenants, I had a sh1tty one.

 

Seemed fine at first.

 

Then he had a deep fat fryer & it absolutely stank.

 

Needed redecorating. 

 

Sold it.

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Nor should you be liable for CGT as it was your 'main residence'.

 

Sadly, not true.

 

Even it is his only property, as it has been rented out, you are still liable for capital gains.

 

 

33 minutes ago, Bangkokhatter said:

There is still a section on the tax return stating residential property finance costs, which is where i enter (or did) the annual mortgage costs.

 

Are you saying these are no longer deductible, i have filed tax returns for the past 16 years and always entered an amount in this section with no comment from HMRC.

 

Sorry for going slightly off-topic, i have a 2 bed, was my home, now mortgage free.

 

I had a family friend as a tenant when first moving here which turned into a nightmare and have since used an agent which i am generally happy with and only charges 10%, only annoying thing is the annual requests to increase the rent, have a good tenant and don't think it's a great idea to keep increasing the rent when they are not getting anything extra.

 

No plans to sell, but need to do some research as have a daughter and not sure of tax implications when i pass.

 

Mortgage costs gave not been tax deductible since 2017.

 

HMRC will normally accept anything you put on the form unless it's flagged for a human to review it.

 

https://www.ukpropertyaccountants.co.uk/mortgage-interest-tax-relief-implications-of-the-change/

21 minutes ago, faraday said:

 

After a couple of decent tenants, I had a sh1tty one.

 

Seemed fine at first.

 

Then he had a deep fat fryer & it absolutely stank.

 

Needed redecorating. 

 

Sold it.

 

 

 

 

My last one: A very nice single mother struggling w/a low wage job. 

 

One morning the neighbor called me and told me there were 5 police cars in front of the house. I drove down and identified myself as the landlord to an undercover narc in the doorway. He told me the kid was safe and in a back room with her mother. I am thinking, 'why didn't you just flush?' - - and the answer to that was that her father was using the basement as a grow room. Over 700 pot plants.

 

And of my last 3 tenants - she was far and away the best. 

I sold up. Tenants are a pain. 

 

Sell and buy bitcoin. You will thank me in 5 to 10 yrs. 

The only bad tenants I have ever had were in Pattaya

 

For example, renting a condo for a year which discounted the rate for 6 months and then wanting to move out after 3 months and expecting their deposit back.

16 hours ago, CallumWK said:

I moved to Thailand more than 30 years ago, and left my flat in my home country unoccupied for about 15 years, as it was handy for when I travelled back.

 

Not as long here as you but I'm currently doing this (UK based).  I thought about renting it out but advice from mates who are landlords in the UK said don't do it as it's such a pain.

 

I justify it to myself by saying that what it costs me to keep it empty would be outweighed by hotel/hire car/eating out costs for the time I spend at home (usually a month at a time twice a year).

15 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

my last RE deal in the USA, I caught the agent in 17 lies - - and I was there too. 

British estate agents are probably even worse! They lie constantly and don’t even seem embarrassed when you call them out on their blatant lies.

15 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I rented out my London flat for 4 years after moving to Thailand and, while the income was great, the hassle of dealing with tenants and agents remotely was a nightmare.  I ended up selling it which was easier to do from Thailand than I expected.  I didn't pay CGT.  

Did you have to go back to the UK to sign anything for the sale? I guess if you’ve got a good selling agent, it all runs fairly smoothly.

 

When I first moved to Thailand, I kept my flat empty for the first two years — back then there was no council tax on empty properties, not the case anymore. Totally agree with you about letting agents and tenants — such a pain to deal with, especially from abroad.

 

How did you manage your money after the sale? I’m still not sure where to invest. One big worry is that my Thai girlfriend might burn through the money from the sale on pointless stuff, so I’m really trying to stay two or three steps ahead.

15 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Nor should you be liable for CGT as it was your 'main residence'.

I think the rules changed — if you're non-resident, NRCGT applies and you could be liable. But you can rebase the property's value to 2015, or potentially avoid it if you’ve lived in the UK for at least 90 days in each tax year.

15 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

I just closed on selling my rental in April then stuck 2/3 of the proceeds in a five year annuity. I am now getting more in interest alone than I was getting in rent, I have no taxes/maintenance/rent collecting headaches, and in a medical emergency I can draw out as much as I need without paying a penalty.

Thanks, that sounds great. Do you think you’ll ever move back to the UK?

I’m not really sure how to manage the proceeds if I sell, so this sounds like a solid option,  appreciate you sharing it. Are there any downsides to an annuity?

How was the whole process? How long did it take? Did you need to go back to the UK at any point? And did you sell with a tenant in situ?

 

15 hours ago, patman30 said:

Age is a major factor too, whether its worth having revenue over time you may or may not have or the lump now
i had a villa i did plan to rent out, but in the end just sold it as seemed better than waiting 30 years
and i could do more with the cash as moved to new land etc (put most into gold)
property expenses will always increase
if you pick a date you think you will live to or a date you do not want to concern yourself with such matters
then you can calculate where the line is where you are better to sell

Absolutely , I’m 48, and while I don’t want to save everything for the end, I also don’t want to blow it all or let my Thai girlfriend spend it all the moment I sell.

Is investing in gold still a good idea these days?

I’m not really sure how to work out the balance between age and whether to sell or rent — I guess that’s more of a complex actuarial calculation?.

15 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

I had a limited company in the UK specifically for holding rental properties.

 

I sold some of them 20 years ago when I retired here and the remaining ones 10 years ago.

 

It's extremely stressful when thing go wrong and you have to trust your agent for repairs which they are probably inflating the cost of.

 

The main reason I think you should sell is tax.  The government are making it more and more difficult for smaller landlords.

 

If you haven't been paying tax on your rental income, you are playing Russian Roulette.  Your mortgage payments as a private landlord are no longer deductible from your income for taxation purposes.  If they catch you, they will go back all the way and you will have to sell the property just to pay tax.

 

If you haven't been paying tax, make sure HMRC have that address as your home and sell it now and hope for the best.

My accountant has been handling the tax returns and making the payments. The upcoming renters' rights bill is really pushing a lot of small landlords out of the market.

 

15 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Age is a huge factor - or rather, the desire for contentment as one gets older. The money becomes less important (especially if you have enough) and peace of mind becomes more important.

 

I have reached the stage where I am happy to be able to control most of the factors that affect my life - I don't want 'outside' factors impacting on that contentment. 

Absolutely. I don’t want to deal with all this anymore — it takes up so much mental space. Living here or in the UK doesn’t feel any different when you’ve still got tenants to worry about. I just want a simpler, more peaceful life.

14 hours ago, Will B Good said:

 

Yes re: renters reform bill........the upside might be landlords selling off in frustration and, possibly, driving rents up even further???

 

Just involved in a forced eviction at the moment......when it is finally free.....I will have a look again at the market and might sell.

 

One reason for hanging onto it is to stop be having access to capital and dipping into it....555.....unless you're a multi-millionaire you can't live off capital....only ever live off income.

So sorry to hear that! are you using a professional eviction specialist? Just another headache and more costs on top.

That’s exactly my worry too LOL dipping into the capital myself, or worse, someone else like the girlfriend doing it.

14 hours ago, faraday said:

 

After a couple of decent tenants, I had a sh1tty one.

 

Seemed fine at first.

 

Then he had a deep fat fryer & it absolutely stank.

 

Needed redecorating. 

 

Sold it.

 

 

 

 

Sorry to hear that! I had a similar experience — nurses from the Indian subcontinent. Nothing against anyone personally, but they completely trashed the place. I ended up stuck in the UK for 8 months fixing it up.

14 hours ago, advancebooking said:

I sold up. Tenants are a pain. 

 

Sell and buy bitcoin. You will thank me in 5 to 10 yrs. 

I’m definitely looking for investment options, but isn’t Bitcoin at its peak right now? I don’t know enough about it — I studied the cryptographic algorithms for my PhD, but I’ve never actually used Bitcoin.

Is it still considered a good investment? I assume I can start small and just buy a fraction of a coin instead of jumping in all at once, right?

14 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

The only bad tenants I have ever had were in Pattaya

 

For example, renting a condo for a year which discounted the rate for 6 months and then wanting to move out after 3 months and expecting their deposit back.

Thai or farang?

Happened to me in the UK — Indian nurse moved in, then her husband and kid came along. They fought, the husband and kid left after 3 months, and eventually she left too, leaving me to find a new tenant. Thanks to government rules, I couldn’t even charge her extra. Ended up wasting a lot of time looking for a new tenan