Settlement Visa Unmarried Partner - Accommodation Question

[samuzza]

Thanks in advance for any replies.

My Thai partner is applying for an unmarried partner visa for the UK. Confident that the application should be okay, but one little concern - accommodation.

We're both currently living and working in Bangkok, so don't have any accommodation in the UK. Our plan is, once we get the visa, fly to London and stay in a hotel for one or two weeks while we find a one-bedroom apartment to rent. I have family in the UK, but they live in Manchester and we're planning to move to London (for work).

I've read some posts on here that seem to suggest accommodation is a problem area. But I can't see what else we can do in addition to the above as we're not millionaires who can afford to rent multiple properties ahead of applying for the visa. Already started researching areas and looking at letting agents' websites to get an idea of rents, etc.

I've done a detailed budget estimating rent, bills, and all other outgoings to include with the application. We'll jointly have over £20,000 in savings. My mother has offered to be a guarantor to help us secure accommodation.

Should this be enough information? Any advice will be much appreciated. Cheers.

[torrenova]

You can use http://www.gumtree.com/ http://www.primelocation.com/ http://www.rightmove.co.uk/ amongst others to find out about properties you can rent. As it is government, then beat then at their own game and use the resource they use to determine what were Housing Benefit amounts (now called LHA). This is here: https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx You can select by council or by post code.

Their argument can only be that you have enough to meet rents in your chosen area for a period certainly no longer than one year. You already have the rent covered from the resource above. You can assess the personal expenditure again using their calculations here: http://www.entitledto.co.uk/

Now you have the financial amounts they say you need to live on. If you can cover that, then they cannot argue that you have insufficient support.

I suggest a serviced apartment if you cannot get a cheap hotel. I cam across this one late last year when looking myself: http://www2.somerset.com/uk/london/st_marks.html At that time, it was available for around £70 per night. At the moment it is showing around £110 per night. The beauty is that it is not a hotel room with zero facilities and I promise you that if you go for an Ibis, Jury's Inn, other cheap hotel then you may well pay £100 per day and there are no facilities. I know, I did it !

There will be other serviced apartments but this one was near Angel where I needed to be and thus it suited my purposes.

As for London in 2010, the price of a 1 bedroom place totally depends upon your location and your budget. It could range from £175 to over £500 per week. I would gather evidence nearer the lower end.

One thing you can do to assist immigration is to show them that you can put down 8 month's rent in advance, being 2 month's as deposit and 6 month's rent in advance. That will satisfy almost all landlords and I cannot envisage immigration having a problem with that amount either.

PM me if you want any London specifics.

[7by7]

Explain the situation as you have above, and show what steps you have taken to find accommodation and employment once in the UK. Remember that you will need to show that you can support and accommodate yourselves in the UK without recourse to public funds.

See Maintenance and accommodation.

[samuzza]

Torrenova and 7b7

Many thanks for your replies - greatly appreciated. Good advice which I plan to follow.

Applying this week. Will post the outcome and what I evidence I included.

Cheers again for any more replies.

[joninthailand]

Torrenova and 7b7

Many thanks for your replies - greatly appreciated. Good advice which I plan to follow.

Applying this week. Will post the outcome and what I evidence I included.

Cheers again for any more replies.

Hi ,

Ive done this many times in exactly the same situation as you have outlined above, and you'll be happy to know that every time we have been successful.

The way I went about it is that in my opening letter defining our intentions and plans I outlined the savings and plan to find rented accommodation when in the Uk.

I then had my parents right a letter stating that we can stay with them until we are ready and find a place, also including a copy of their council tax bill and a floor plan showing that there is enough room for us to stay and photographs of the house.

( space is something that has pulled someone else up so if your mothers place has less than 1 spare bedroom, get a friend with spare rooms to offer up the same documentation. )

let me know if you need any more specific info.

regards

Jon.

Edited March 8, 2010 by 7by7
Question removed as member has started a new topic to ask it.

[d0om4gloom]

Be interested to hear the outcome of this one. I think your saying your only accomodation is going to be a hotel room and then your going to rent something once your there. I'd be surprised if this is acceptable the way that I read the MAA pages but you might convince them that since you have decent savings you can afford to do it that way especially as you are providing detailed living expenses. On the downside they might say that there is guarantee you could find anything so application refused. Please do let us know.

Personally I think a safer bet is to have family offer you accomodation. Even if thats not where you'll ultimately end up it would satisfy your need to live somewhere when you arrive.

[samuzza]

Settlement visa approved without accommodation in the UK

Admittedly I was most worried about this issue (having read through previous posts on this forum), but as we are both living and working in Bangkok I didn't want to secure any accommodation till we got the visa. (Waste of money if it had been refused!)

In my sponsor letter I gave a detailed plan to secure accommodation once in the UK. Basically book into a hotel for a week, and spend that week viewing properties. I included a print out from a hotel's webpage (to give an idea of the cost for a week), print outs of some properties we'd been looking at from estate agents, and a timetable for arriving in the UK and securing accommodation in a week. I highlighted that we could pay 6 months' rent in advance.

Also, had a letter from my parents inviting us to stay with them till we secure accommodation (and copy of their land registry document as proof of ownership, plus photos of their spare bedroom), even though we don't intend to stay with them and stated this in the application. They live in Lancashire, we're moving to London. But still thought it might help.

Also, provided evidence of £32k in savings. And a detailed monthly and yearly budget. And some job offers for both me and my partner.

Anyhow, got the visa without having accommodation secured, so it's possible.

Thought I'd post this to show the accommodation issue need not be a worry if you're not already living in the UK when you apply for a settlement visa.

Edited May 6, 2010 by samuzza

[7by7]

Glad to hear the news; enjoy your life together in the UK.