A
female
age
41-50,
anonymous
writes:Hi there. Been married for 23 years now.My husband told me he wants us to go and live in London for 6 months as that's the length of time we can stay in the UK on a tourist visa.He wants us to get a tourist visa, go there for 6 months and live like a local.He doesn't want us to move there for good or anything like that./.. just be tourists basically.But living like a local only goes so far... he wants to bring our huge Japanese SUV with us, says somewhere someone can fix it, and that it's a good reliable 25-year-old vehicle. He says "If I can drive it in the city limits of Phoenix, I can damn well drive it around London. I use the car around Phoenix and it's lasted well."He doesn't want to take the other car we've got, and said "No way am I gonna take public transport in London, it's not for me, and owning a car is easier for most people when you know how to drive."The only problem is, his car won't be ULEZ-compliant, of course, being an American model never sold in England, and its age as well.Money isn't the issue; we can well-afford the move and can afford not to work. Technically, I'm retired and he's semi-retired. Yes, despite our ages!My worry is how we'll fit in. We're both very brash, outgoing types with a good social circle.Starting from scratch is the problem; we can't just limit ourselves to American expats.What are the pros and cons of living in London for 6 months as retirees?He told me how he wants to enjoy London's unique restaurants and bars, see the Tower of London, also visit some historical things, and maybe enjoy Thanksgiving there.We've been to London, but the last time we went was nearly ten years ago; our last vacations pre-pandemic were Portugal and Singapore.He ain't talking about moving there full-time, just staying within the law which says visas only last 6 months.Ideally, he wants to visit for a full year, meaning renewing it for another 6 months.We both enjoy our life, have no kids, are DINKs.I'm open to it, but wondering what problems we have.We're discussing it tomorrow nite so I want to know what to research etc. and talk about.Already figured out the visa part, well, he has.I'm just wondering how to deal with the whole thing.Good idea or bad? Am I good for being open and accepting or not?Not sure how to tackle this topic! Reply to this Question
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female
reader, RitaBrown  +, writes (28 May 2022):
This is perfectly doable if you've got the cash. So perhaps your first conversation with hubby should be working out your budget. Sit down together with your computer and find out the following....
1) How much will your visas cost?
2) How much will your airfares be?
3) Cars can't travel by plane so how much will it cost to ship a large car to the UK? Include in this how much money you'd have to spend getting the car to the port Stateside for shipping and how much will it cost to get the car from Liverpool or Bristol to London.
4) Will you have to pay any tax or duty on the car once it arrives in the UK? What paperwork will you need to bring with you?
5) Will you need to pay for any additional driving permits in the UK? What paperwork will you need.
6) How much will your accommodation cost? Can you afford central London or will you stick to outer London?
7) If you're set on central London where will your car stay? Most central London properties don't have on-site parking so you'll have to look for nearby parking garages. How much will that cost? How long will it take you to walk there from your accommodation. Outer London properties may have parking on the street outside the house but it's likely that you'll have to buy a parking permit so budget for that too.
8) What do you plan on doing during your stay. If you know some of the places you want to visit check their admission charges and check where the nearest car park is. How much will it cost to park there? Bear in mind that London attractions usually have no parking facilities at all and you will have to get used to walking.
9) The car is old and will likely need some repair. How much do you anticipate that would cost?
10) Are you planning to drive every day? Then you will have to budget for the daily congestion charge. (Currently at £15 per day)
11) Finally look at petrol prices and agree on a weekly or monthly fuel budget.
Now all that sounds terribly expensive to me. Why not splash out on something different instead. Leave the old banger behind and spend the money you save on hiring a British car. Who could resist an Aston Martin or Jaguar..... or even an iconic Trolls-Royce! (Ha)
A
reader, anonymous, writes (28 May 2022): You cannot live anywhere as if you are locals if you have just moved there knowing it is only for six months. You never settle in and get to know the area, the neighbours or make friends in that time, so you are really on a long holiday and everything about your stay is far more like a holiday than living there.
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (28 May 2022): As you have no children I think you could assume that your husband's car is his baby.I
Therefore it wouldn't be easy to get him to agree to garage his beloved car and either hire or buy a little run around car.
Your partner may be loathe to use the public transport network and you may be able to find/rent a property with a garage nearby for parking.
If you rent a car you won't be liable for the cost of repairs.
I expect your husband enjoys the full kaboodle of owning a car.
He will enjoy locating little out of the way roads and parks and be able to get to the faster moving transport arteries for trips out of town.
If it means so much to him you can guarantee he will be very preoccupied with finding best routes and parking and paying fines as quickly as possible before they escalate.
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (28 May 2022): I live in London. Don't even consider bringing an SUV over. Pointless. Locals use public transport. Nobody drives in London. Its expensive, congested. You will get around the city quicker, cheaper and more enjoyably using trains, buses, and the occasional taxi.
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (28 May 2022): Part of being a local in London is being smart enough to use public transport ie, the tube. You'll be stuck in traffic everyday if you choose to drive. The tube helps you move around the city quicker and is more efficiently
Would you be renting a place in London or staying in a hotel? Accommodation and travel are the most expensive thing when wanting to live here. I pay £1525 a month for a 2 bed maisonette and I live alone in Highbury. That's not with bills included. After the rent and all the bills are paid it's around £2500.
Travel ticket from zone 1 to 2 is £1466 a year. That allows you to use the entire travel network including the buses within your chosen zone.
This also depends on where you will live. Zone 1 and 2 is central London, anything outside of that then travel cost will be more to travel in to the city but the rent is slightly cheaper.
Then you have to think of your entertainment. The app Today Tix allows you to buy great theatre tickets at cheaper prices. I visit the theatre at least once a week. Eating and drinking out on average for 2 people who like the finer things, you're looking at 3-500 an evening. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area where I can walk 20 mins to soho/ westend or a 5 min bus ride.
This is what you have to think about when you come to London. You want to live somewhere that has great network connections so you can get to where you want to go quickly.
Good luck.
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