Retirees returning to UK

An interesting thread. I've done allot of work around protecting vulnerable adults and spent allot of time looking after my elders who are/were in their 80's and nineties.

One thing I do say is that 'People plan for their retirement, but not for their old age' Those lucky enough to retire in good health may have 20 or so good years in the sun but when mobility and health deteriorate there may be good reason to move closer to home and family back in the UK.

MFraiser’s post is good but he describes the UK property market as having it’s ups and downs. Sorry it’s ups only – it house prices are and will still continue to increase, the major reason for not giving up a property in the UK.

Downsize, find a retirement property, rent it out then rent in Spain is my opinion. My daughter and his son in law have to rent in the UK because prices are too expensive due to demand, as does my son-in law’s sister and her husband. But her husband employs a Romanian who can afford a build a detached property on a large plot subsidised by the UK taxpayer on his minimal UK wage. 

Frills, there seems to be a trend - first off you are suddenly concerned with what you see is an increased risk of developing melanoma, now there is no-one knocking at your door asking if you want to rent their flat.  I'm beginning to wonder if you are yet to convince yourself that the move to Sucina is really for you.

I don't mean this unkindly, but you can only benefit from other folks opinions/experiences when you consider these with an open mind.

PS I happen to think MikeandHelen's comments are far more realistic than those of Roberto, but one size does not fit all!

Not arguing with you, Acer, but I think MikeandHelen's points are not that much different from mine really. I emphasised hassle with bureaucracy and language / cultural differences, M&H emphasised health issues. The two are very much related. Detiorating health is undeniably one of the main reasons retirees think about returning. As we have seen, the Spanish health system is excellent in most respects...but it's not always what we're used to, and it's mostly in Spanish! Getting old sucks, getting ill even more so. If you have your partner or other family members here with you, it can be manageable, but how many times do we hear of one half of a couple passing away and the other half high-tailing it back "home" ASAP? Sadly, however, I've come across too many who simply left it too late; they all too quickly became too old, infirm or ill to travel, or simply had nowhere to return to and/or feared they could not afford to, and ended their days lonely, scared and depressed.  

M&H and I are basically saying the same thing: do not buy in Spain if you have to sell up in the UK in order to do so; keep the door open for an easy return when/if things change. If you're lucky enough / have planned well enough to be able to do this, then go ahead and enjoy Spain for as long as you can!

Having said all that, of course, one size doesn't fit all, as you say, and for some (probably those better off than average) will happily see their days out in Spain. I'm just offering up some of my thoughts and experiences in the hope that some may find it useful / interesting!

Has this gone off topic a wee bit? It was supposed to be about returing to the UK, and now seems to be about advice on moving to Spain. My fault perhaps.

I'm not arguing either Roberto, just expressing my opinion.  To me I thought your comments were decidely more negative and I must admit that I get fed up with comments about the need to speak Spanish, as I don't see it as a problem.

We Brits tend to beat ourselves up about our perceived inability to speak other languages.  I struggle to put a sentence together in Spanish, but in reality I don't need to.  I've communicated thousands of times with Spaniards whose English is worse than my Spanish without a problem.  I know enough grammar and that's all you need, with perhaps a smile too.

On many occasions I've been in restaurants when other Europeans are trying to communicate in English to Spanish staff - often they struggle because both parties English isn't too good.  But it's not just us who are challenged.

I suppose you might reasonably say that my limited ability will ruin any chances of communicating with ordinary Spanish people.  But to be honest I have no great desire to do so.  We are in an area of Murcia where there are lots of folk from all across Europe - lots and lots of Brits, but also most Germans, Dutch and Scandinavians speak English fluently, so there is really no need for me to feel vaguely isolated or disadvantaged.

So IMHO your post was unduly negative.  Also I have not the slighest doubt that if I lived in a Spanish only community my ability to speak the language would quickly improve!

Well, it's very clear that one size does not fit all! Each to their own, we all have very different experiences. As I said before, I did not come to Spain as a retiree, so naturally my experience will be different to someone who did, and who therefore perhaps sees their time here more as an extended holiday. Personally, retired or otherwise, I could not imagine living full time in a country without learning the language. You may not feel isolated if you surround yourself with English speakers, but disadvantaged? It's obviously a matter of opinion, but I would feel frustrated depending on English speaking jack-of-all-trade tradesmen (or not knowing if I'm being ripped off by locals), paying someone else to take my car for it's ITV, not knowing if I'm paying the right taxes, dealing with the likes of Movistar's English speakers (who speak appalling English and have an even worse attitude than their Spanish only colleagues), ordering food in restaurants by pictures etc. etc......and I would have dreaded my recent colonoscopy far more than I did anyway, if I had not had a clue what anyone was saying to me. 

Having said that, I did also say (albeit somewhat tongue in cheek) on the recent thread about what you'd do differently: "I wouldn't tell anyone I speak Spanish, would never answer my phone or open my door. I would make sure I am totally illegal, fly by the seat of my pants and stay under the radar." Sometimes I do wonder if my life would be less complicated if I lived in blissfull ignorance. My point being, that there are plenty, presumably yourself included, Acer, who manage to enjoy a very satisfactory life in Spain without the "advantage" of knowing the language and I respect that (even envy it a bit!) And by the way, I'm not for one moment suggesting you are ignorant! Just giving my views and opinions, is all. 

MikeandHelen...You are absolutely right.  Although the British house market does have its ups and downs, the trend has always been upwards.  What has amazed me in the past few months is just how much house prices have increased where we live in the UK (and, probably, everywhere else in England, if not the the whole of the UK).  We are told it's because there is a severe housing shortage and we can't see this ending any time soon as more Europeans and others arrive to our shores.  We have no intention of giving up our (downsized) property in the UK, however long we stay in Spain.  We bought our present home there two years ago and, if we tried to buy it today, we couldn't afford it!  What I'm really trying to get to (albeit in a long-winded way) is...how on earth does anyone who has lived in Spain, for even a few years, manage to buy another property in the UK if they sold up lock-stock-and barrel when they left for sunnier climes?  How do they even get a council house/bungalow or Housing Association place when there are now so many folks on all the waiting lists?  What has anyone experienced re this question? I guess it's all down to how much you can get when you sell your place in Spain......?

Roberto sorry but I have not experienced any of those problems.  I employ Spanish contractors some of the time (they tend to be cheaper) without a problem, pay my taxes (use Spanish Tax Forms) the other one is paid by direct debit.  I probably get ripped off occasionally like most others and I'm not sure that the language is a factor.  If I don't like the price I go elsewhere.

I've always done my ITV without a problem and had a building extension of the property done with the help of a Spanish architect where I spoke to him in English and he replied in Spanish and we understood each other!

I answer the phone and can say "no ablo Espanol" when necessary and similar when I get callers at the door.  In reality they're generally trying to sell you something or allegedly raise money for the local orphanage, so not really a problem.

"Blissful ignorance" no, that's not the case.  It's more about accepting your limitations, being realistic and getting on with the life you choose.

The only incident I can think of that I have been made aware of my short comings was when I went into a Taverna and the person serving behind the bar tried to be difficult.  She was youngish, chewed gum and had bright red hair and attitude and was playing up to the locals.  When I asked in Spanish for a beer she pretended she did not understand and gabbled away in Spanish.  So I repeated the request politely speaking the few words slowly and deliberately distinctly and received the beer.  I returned to the same bar a few days later to find she no longer worked there.

Of course there have been a few other times that I wished I could express myself better in Spanish, but let's face it that occurs sometimes in English as well, well it does for me!  So no point in getting upset or becoming a recluse.

You can't cover all the bases, but you can at least try, if it were us we would take our time in deciding whether to come over permanently by say, having four three months stays in rented accomodataion over two years and covering all of the seasons. Our UK property should increase sufficiently in value to cover the expenses over this time, and more importantly still be there for us if we decided against the move, we could then, if required, draw down sufficient equity from our UK property to cover the costs of this exercise. 

Not sure many of the recent comments add to Floella's knowledge.

Rossetti

Having recently returned to the UK to live, after 14 years in Spain, here are my thoughts, for what they are worth.

I agree that it is best to make the move while you are fit enough, as it is an exhausting process mentally and physically, packing up and sorting everything out.

Plus, we didn't want our children to have to come out to Spain and sort all our affairsafter our demise,  villa, possessions etc.

Even with a will made etc it can be a nightmare.

I feel relieved to be back, even though it is a major thing getting everything sorted.

We did get less for our villa, like so many , but we moved further up north and bought a brand new build, ensuite, lots of things included eg cooker, fridge, dish washer etc.

No problems

getting back on the NHS, though I miss the efficiency of the Spanish NHS! However many do come back because of health, because their Spanish is not  fluent enough to discuss their case without misunderstanding, and do not want to use an interpeter for having to explain what may be an intimate or embarrassing condition to the doctor. One thing-it was a nightmare getting car insurance, because many companies won't accept the Spanish no claims bonus. Fortunately NFU mutual did, albeit for a rather high premium.

As for waeather well it has been sunny and pleasant oop North, and I enjoyed crunching through the autumn leaves.

So many ask me why we returned, saying we must be mad.

I can only say the resons are many and varied, and living in Spain is not like a long holiday.They'll never understand, but I know we've done the right thing.

camposol

good answer and it shows it s all about individual choice, circumstances etc.

Well, camposol at least your opinion is one that is worth something due to the fact that chipping in with your experience with both sides of the story speaks volumes, ** EDITED - Inciting**

This message was last edited by eos_moderators on 10/26/2015 9:05:00 AM.

There ain't one right answer, it depends on the person/people, the time in their lives, their expectations and needs etc.  But I'm glad to hear that you are sorted Camposol, I had the feeling that you were looking for a change.

We have friends here in the UK who moved to the next village and couldn't settle, they sold up and came back, however the difference between here and Spain is that they made a tidy sum out of their mistake.