Why moving to France should not mean forgetting Britain
However, it is always best to have a contingency plan. Times change, and you might suddenly decide in five years you want to come back to the UK. Or circumstances can change: something could go wrong, sadly, or a relative at home could get ill and you find yourself needing to move back to the UK for practical reasons. Whilst there are negative reasons why you might want to come back there are of course other positive reasons: you might want to move back and see more of the grandchildren and so on.
Whatever the reason, it is a good contingency plan to keep links with Britain because you never know what the future will bring. And maintaining some sort of British property is a good way of doing this. Even if you sell your home, then having some sort of property - even an apartment - can be a good idea, and you can finance that with rental income through an agency so should require minimal work, just ensure it is a property that has a very high chance of being let the majority of the time.
Another essential that many do not realise about is keeping a UK Bank account active. If you do this then you will keep your credit history, which is essential if you ever need to borrow anything. For instance if you leave the country for three years and have no credit history then move back and need to get a mortgage, you can really struggle: you will have the very frustrating feeling of having to start from scratch again with your credit record seemingly being wiped off the face of the planet in those few years across the Channel.
In summary, whilst it is exciting to move to France, you should ensure that you have a plan B, and maintaining some sort of presence in Britain is a very good idea just in case you do want to come back.
More French property articles:
- Mistakes to avoid when buying in France
- French property and accumulating value in tough times
- Altering the exterior of a property in France
- Borrowing money when in France
- The ideal home in France
