Thoughts and advice (1 Viewer)

[JonB]

Hi everyone, I'm about as fresh as they come to Motorhomes, which is why I am looking to all of you experienced and seasoned MH'ers to steer me in the right direction.

Ok here is the plan for which I have a million questions.

Situation at present:
Living in South West France, with OH and two golden retrievers
Struggling to make a living and keep up with bills etc.

Proposal:
1) Sell house here (no mortgage.)
2)Buy a apartment in London as a rental property to give us a net monthly income of around £900.
3) Purchase a motorhome and travel around Europe, Africa maybe further for a few years.
4) Wait for recession to end and access situation then.

Questions:
1) Is this realistic?
2) Could we survive on £900 a month
3) Which motor home to buy (I have been looking at RV's as space would be an issue with our two girls, but have reservations about the size and running costs)
4) Has anyone any first hand experience of this that can point out any pitfalls.
5) Should I buy here in France, or in the UK

All help and advice gratefully received.

Jon

 

[hilldweller]

It all hinges on value of property in France and prices in London. Huge difference I suspect.

You'll be cutting it fine, could you cope with a big expense on RV or bad/missing tenants ?

In view of the possible turmoil in UK by about July perhaps better not to be hasty.

 

[Ralph-n-Bev]

I dont have any experience of this at all , Infact Ive no desire to ever full time, so my advise is just my opinion
Why buy in London? You'd get more for your money else where.
You would very easily get £900 and more pcm for a house in a nice area in Yorkshire , for example.

What line of work are you in ?
Maybe if you move over here somewhere , you could earn more in your line of work , take up motorhoming as a hobby , see how work etc goes .

As for £900 being enough to live on, well if there are just 2 of you and 2 dogs , depending on what you eat , or feed your dogs , your food / household bill isn't going to be very high.
Add on that eating/drinking out , clothes , campsite fees , laundry , tax insurance ,that will take a big chunk off .
Then of course petrol/ diesel .
If your driving around alot you'll be needing lots of that. You 'd probably manage. You wouldn't be better off , i shouldn't think , than what you are now, but you'd be mobile. Visiting new places , escaping the rat race.
But personally i think , instead of going away till the recession is over , it may be better to keep your house and ride it out.
Theres alot of hype about the recession whipped up by newspapers as everything always is .
My hubby Ralph is a builder, a trade supposed to be hit the worst .
He has had his busiest ever 2 years since being self employed for the last 15 years. Hence us buying our Motorhome.
I'm certainly not saying the recession isn't happening , but "touch wood" it has not effected us, personally yet.
Maybe your line of work may be struggling in France , but be doing OK here too ?

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[JonB]

Thanks for your thoughts, Brian the financial side wouldn't be an issue in the fact that we would still have an "emergency fund" but we ideally would like to make this a self funding trip.

Bev, some interesting points, but the purpose of the excercise would be exactly that to get away from the rat race for a few years and see some wonderful places. I certainly wouldn't move back to the UK as the lifestyle here is not an issue, but the recession certainly has affected business here, I'm a qualified electrician, but work mainly for ex-pats who have felt the pinch because the pound is so weak. Which is another reason why we are thinking about this now, because when we sell here, we will get a lot more for our €uros when buying in sterling.

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Hi,

Sounds a great idea on the surface but a lot of hassle underneath.

You have to sell your proerty in France.

Then buy one in UK and get it rented out with a good agent.

Buy an RV, cheaper in UK BUT needs MOT's if over three years old and Insurance or re register in France and I stand to be corrected on this, I understand there is a great deal of beaurocracy involved and not easy at all.

MINEFIELD.

Peter

 

[JonB]

Hi Peter,

understand about having to sell the house and purchase another, but may end up having to do that anyway and downsize.

One of my concerns was about the MOT situation, if bought in the UK would it mean that we would have to visit UK every year to renew the MOT? One of the advantages of buying in France would be that the MOT lasts for two years.

On another note what is the average MPG for a RV compared to a class A or B?

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[Wazzup]

Am also considering doing the same, I keep trying to find arguments not to, but haven't been able to outway the pros v's the cons. I'd say go for it, what have you got to lose?

From my research I think average RV's run at around 9 - 10 mpg, but it depends on the size of the RV, how hard you drive and on what roads.

 

[JeanLuc]

The following is based on my understanding, not verified fact, so you will need to check it out.
I believe the issue of MOT depends upon where the vehicle is registered, not where it was bought. If UK-registered, then you will need to tax, insure and MOT it in the UK. Also, I believe you need a real UK address in order to do this. (I know it is an offence to apply for / renew a UK driving licence if you are not a UK resident. Not sure how this might affect vehicle registration.)
If you register a vehicle weighing more than 3,500 kg in France, you may have to take a French HGV test. I believe this is an annual requirement and the process is quite expensive. That was the impression I gained from a discussion with a French motorhome dealer a couple of years ago. I believe French motorhomers (Camping Caristes) are campaigning to have this changed, but do not know the outcome.

Philip

 

[JonB]

Really interesting thoughts, philip.

I don't think it would be possible to re - register an RV over here as it would require a certificate of conformity which I think would be difficult to obtain.

Something I had not really thought about was not having a permanent address, how would I stand on insurance, for health, vehicle and contents? Could I use the address of the property I buy for rental if I'm not living there? Could I do it through a PO Box, or a friends address. How do full timers get over this obstacle?

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[JeanLuc]

I don't know the answer to your questions and I'm not sure how true "full-timers" cope. However, what I can say with a degree of confidence is that the UK driving licence may be an issue. Recently, my brother-in-law phoned from Canada. He has not lived in the UK for many years, and we had heard nothing of him for ages, but he asked if he could give our address in order to renew his UK licence. I checked with DVLA and was told that one has to be resident in the UK in order to renew the licence. An "accommodation" address is not acceptable. The definition of "resident" is as defined by the Home Office and HMR&C I believe. I'm not sure what that is. I was told that to apply for a licence when one is not truly a UK resident is an offence, and that it would be an offence to provide an address to a non-resident who was applying falsely. You can imagine that we declined our relative's request.

Philip

p.s. just found this section of Direct.Gov - may be useful
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motorin...icle/ImportingAndExportingAVehicle/DG_4022582

 

[MrJinks]

Something I had not really thought about was not having a permanent address, how would I stand on insurance, for health, vehicle and contents? Could I use the address of the property I buy for rental if I'm not living there? Could I do it through a PO Box, or a friends address. How do full timers get over this obstacle?

Hi Jon,

This has been discussed on this & other forums (rvfulltiming) many times in the past.

Basically for License, MOT, Insurance & Health you must have an address in UK that you call your home that you live in when not in your M/H. Owning a house and renting it out will not be allowed. Hardly any insurance companies will cover for fulltiming and those that do will charge a fortune (thousands)
However as the many discussions prove there are always "ways & means". For example, a compliant tenant who will put you on the voters list and allow you on the council tax bill.
Or a friend/relative who will do similar. BUT, going down that route is always ok until catastrophe strikes. In the event of major insurance claim, M/H or house, insurers will look (and find) for any excuse not to pay out.

Hope this helps but others on here who have "been there and done it"will have much more info. Also have a look through the fulltiming threads

Good luck

 

[JonB]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies, I think I'll have to make some enquiries here in France with regards insurance.

I was aware of the issues with Uk driving licence renewals, but as my licence still has a few of years to run before the photograph expires, it won't be an issue.

What sort of licence do I need to drive a large RV? I used to drive a privately owned Route master bus in the UK just on my normal licence so would this be the same?

Sorry for all the questions

Jon

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[atakd]

Can't comment on legalities of insurance etc. but 4 years ago we budgeted for £1000/ month for a 3 month trip and came home with 1/3 of the money left, having spent £500 on a canoe whilst away. We stayed on campsites 1 night in three - with more experience I would now look at 1 in 10. Being parsimonious types, we did only eat out twice in that time, though.
As a landlord, my impression is that London will give you the best return on investment for a buy to let, though I have never owned property there. The market is more elastic so anticipate the possibility of a large fall in value. Also have a slush fund for costs such as dead boilers etc. and try and get someone you trust to manage repairs at a reasonable cost -don't leave this to the tennant under any circumstances. Try and get a long term let if possible to limit rental voids. Benefit claimants are often rejected out of hand but, with a house-owning guarantor and common sense in choosing them, I've found them good tenants in the main, keen to keep on your good side .Expect to spend 10 - 15% of gross rent on the property.

 

[Boo]

As a fulltimer I have never looked back, the only con is that I didnt do this years ago

As far as address for tax, mot ect.. I use the campsites address and my previous address (I pay for post forwarding)

I found when we went to Portugal for 2 years I just replaced my numberplates for american ones I had registered in the USA when I lived there, only been pulled once and I just showed my american driving licence and they just let me on my way.
When we returned to the UK we just got it MOT'd and taxed it though the caravan sites address.

The recession in my oppinion was caused by the government and media..................just anothr way of putting up taxes and charges.

As it is at the moment, I pay NOTHING to Geordon (dik-Edd) Brown and that pleases me to bits!

Can I vote?? Who cares..............theres no-one to vote for as they all pee in the same pot!

I would NEVER buy another property in ripoff blighty even if I won Millions on the lotto


Boo