simon43

Easy! He was wearing a big sombrero...

Some weird trolling replies to the OP...... I live in a rural area in south Thailand. I spend about 20,000 baht/month on renting a detached house 10 minutes from a beach, $400k meecical insurance, internet, electricity and food. That's all I need to spend - I don't need to spend any more than that for a healthy and enjoyable life as a single person. My neighbours are village Thais, very friendly, always say hello. They know that I'm a retired teacher and no doubt assume that I'm poor (which I'm not!). I only need 1 pair of shoes - I only have 2 feet 🙂

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

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 🙂

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....

^^^ 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.

Because I spend most of it on my educational charity in Myanmar (I've mentioned this before).

I do not need the housing benefit in order to rent a property - I have enough income myself. But as a state pensioner, I will receive housing benefit also, so that's a bonus...

Well, that would work if Thailand doesn't have such ageism 🙂 Zero chance of teaching in Thailand, which is why I've always taught in Myanmar.

If you haven't got anything useful to day, don't post! You're adding nothing useful to this thread which has generated a number of interesting comments and questions.

I visited the UK (Blackpool) about 2.5 years ago and found it quite reasonable 🙂 Perhaps my standards have dropped! In any case, I plan to return to the West Country (Minehead/Exmoor region). I seriously doubt that Exmoor is awash with Syrian immigrants! These types of immigrants tend to stay in the cities where they have more chance of scamming and stealing (harsh but true!). Looking at various YT videos, the rural villages of the West Country are still relatively unchanged. I can still walk by the River Lyn and still go horse-riding on Exmoor. I don't think the riding stables that I used before has signs in Urdu nowadays..... Many thanks for all the suggestions for Thai visa agents, but after 23 years living here, I miss the UK countryside. Because I live alone, the main advantages of Thailand (for me) is the sun and the sea, nothing else). The kind of food that I eat daily (fruit and vegetables and a little chicken) is the same price in the UK. I've done the maths and having hit 66 years old, the UK welfare system/benefits means that I will be better off living in a Somerset village, and with no visa requirements 🙂

I recall the post, but was he a pensioner and receiving a monthly state pension? I don't have to be homeless because I currently receive $1100/month in state pension and $2,000/month in online teaching income. I can rent a property and then drop/reduce the online teaching... (since that income will reduce my housing benefit)

I plan to live in the West Country, where I previously lived. I have already checked many properties on Rightmove. Remember that I am a single person, living alone. So I require a 1-bedroom flat or a cheaper rural small house. In the West Country (but not in the tourist hotspots), there are properties listed from about 450 pounds/month (not a house share). Remember that I'm not trying to live rent-free 🙂 If I rent a small house for 900 pounds/month, then I will only have to pay about 325 pounds from my pension income, and of course no Coucil Tax to pay. If I wanted to live in a big city or near London, then rents are much higher. But a modern flat near to the sea and Exmoor etc is still reasonably priced.

Thanks, but in view of my age and potentially-worsening health issues, and also because I have no support network in Thailand (divorced etc), and also in view of the likelyhood of stricter visa rules, I think (realistically) it's time to return to Ol Blighty!

Yes, a single person gets a 25% discount on their Council Tax. But in my own financial circumstances, with a slightly reduced state pension (I only paid 29 years), and with no savings more than 10,000 pounds, I qualify not only for my Council Tax to be paid in full by the local authority, but also 132.33 pounds/week of my rent. That means if I rent a property at 573 quid a month, that rent will be paid in full. (The exact amount will vary a little depending where you live - this is for West Somerset, a rather rural region which I prefer). Personally, I also think the benefits system is crazy, but I'm not going to deny myself what I'm legally entitled to! Here are the details from the Age Concern calculator. (If I were not receiving a state pension, then the benefits available would not be so generous...)