Pros and Cons of Fulltiming

we must remember, tht zombie still has to eat, marie.......and rabbit will be much healthier for him than a donut........plus he will get excercise hunting it.........

Absolutely, Trixie, I just enjoy a bit of leg pulling ;) :lol-053: :rabbit::rabbit::rabbit:
 
We, wife and I thought about going full time when we retired 19 years ago but decided to keep our home and just travel in our van for long periods, we enjoyed the travel very much and still do,as for the freedom some speak about,well you are never really free as there are many things and rules you have to adhere too whether living in a house or van,and there seems to be more problems with van living than being in a house, several folks we know went fully full time and loved it but as time went on they became older of course and thoughts slowly turned to giving up the van and living in a house, but the how,? their investments had not kept up with inflation and rising house prices, how could they? So they are left with trying to rent and we all know how that would pan out, rents cost more than mortgages,and rental properties are hard to come by if you want any quality, Council houses are almost non existant these days,and with age follows ill health and all the hassle that brings with it,with Doctors hospitals etc,not easy if you are living in a van.

so I would advise anyone to think seriously before putting their all into a van and hitting the road permanently,it works for some I know, but we are very glad we kept our home and vanned as and when we desired, van living is not as cheap as some would believe either, again if you want any quality, I love wilding but not on Industrial estate lay bys or lorry parks etc the odd night in a emergency OK, but not as a way of life,it all comes down to life choices of course, but we are glad we made the one we did, as we feel we have the best of both worlds, we are about to leave our nice warm home and set off for a couple of months on the road,probably Spain and Portugal again, looking out the window at the snowy bleak weather we are thinking, are we mad, it is all becoming an effort hee hee.
 
Thanks to Vindiboy

We are either fortunate or well - organised.

We have kept our house for all the reasons mentioned.

We rent it out full-time (only way it works)

We spend the summer (5 or 6 months) in the motorhome
We winter abroad in a 2nd very cheap but very comfortable property.

There are issues but whilst we are healthy (touch wood) it all works well

for now it is great but at some stage we will give up the motorhoming..NOT for a number of years we hope.

I appreciate more and more do not have the same luxury as we do and have little choice.
 
Full timing is not for everyone, some folk may be explorers but need a base

If you have property and can afford too, I would rent it out, at the worst covering your costs, you still benefit from capital growth and in an ideal world get an income.

Last year my life changed beyond all recognition and a holiday / break of any type now requires careful planning which is not my forte, so I would say NIKE just do you your bucket list as much as you can things can change don't leave this life with regrets

Channa
 
Full timing is not for everyone, some folk may be explorers but need a base

If you have property and can afford too, I would rent it out, at the worst covering your costs, you still benefit from capital growth and in an ideal world get an income.

Last year my life changed beyond all recognition and a holiday / break of any type now requires careful planning which is not my forte, so I would say NIKE just do you your bucket list as much as you can things can change don't leave this life with regrets

Channa
I would most definitely never rent out my home, I have seen too many Ballif programmes on tv to do that, lots and lots of hassle trashed homes and left with huge debts,
Is it any wonder that rental properties are becoming scarce and very expensive, it cost huge amounts of money to get bad tenants out and causes huge stress to owners who are for the most part decent people and their rental homes are their pension schemes, there are good and bad tenants as there are good and bad landlords I know, but renting out my home is a definite no no. Each to their own choices of course.
 
I Do not agree

I would most definitely never rent out my home, I have seen too many Ballif programmes on tv to do that, lots and lots of hassle trashed homes and left with huge debts,
Is it any wonder that rental properties are becoming scarce and very expensive, it cost huge amounts of money to get bad tenants out and causes huge stress to owners who are for the most part decent people and their rental homes are their pension schemes, there are good and bad tenants as there are good and bad landlords I know, but renting out my home is a definite no no. Each to their own choices of course.

Maybe rental depends on the area and/or the rent and obviously the agent and the tenant.
We have rented
A) from November 2013 to March 2017 with a very good tenant..Fees paid looked after house etc
B) April 2017 to Feb 2018 a few problems as the main provider lost his job so only 60%v rent
We had to use a court eviction order principally as this was the only way the council would re-house the family
C) April 2018 to now....so Far so good.

We do not plan to live in the property again but you can always spend a tidy sum renovating etc and claim tax against the income (maybe)
OR sell up and move..
OK the property is near Heathrow/London so rents are good and has been posted the value of the property increases

SO it has been very good for us

As you say each to their own
 
I would most definitely never rent out my home, I have seen too many Ballif programmes on tv to do that, lots and lots of hassle trashed homes and left with huge debts,
Is it any wonder that rental properties are becoming scarce and very expensive, it cost huge amounts of money to get bad tenants out and causes huge stress to owners who are for the most part decent people and their rental homes are their pension schemes, there are good and bad tenants as there are good and bad landlords I know, but renting out my home is a definite no no. Each to their own choices of course.

Vindi, you should meet my tenant from heaven/one in a million, you'd be converted in no time.
Reckon I must have done something right in a past life to be so lucky to have him these past 10 years :)

Shame he didn't have a twin brother we could rent our own house out to then all problems solved! ;) :D
 
Vindi

I agree with jagmanx and Marie above.

Particularly where the property is and what type of property it is.

My sole house has been rented out for some 10 of the last 12 years. It has been rented to 4 couples on quite high incomes, because it is in leafy SW London and near the river, so the rent is quite high. I rent out unfurnished - would have cost me too much for storage over the years. Also the tenants pay the Council Tax, which is now probably in excess of £2,500p.a. maybe £3,000, but I do not see the bill, fortunately.

I have an agent who specialises only in lettings and they are very thorough, particularly on references from banks and employers. Anyway people in those jobs and on those salaries are unlikely to trash a place and get a CCJ against them and lose their jobs. Also my agents inspect regularly - their office is about 1/4 mile away.

I have only had short 'voids' - just long enough to do a little re-decorating(wear and tear, fading paint, not damage) and some modernisation.

If I were to sell up and still wanted to invest in a house, both as an income and a bolt-hole to return to, I would choose a property in/near a University Town with a teaching hospital. The intention would be to find married post-graduate lecturers or Medical Registrars, who are people who might be in career progressions and moving on, so do not wish to buy even if they financially could.

In summary, get right property in right area, stable tenants and a specialist agent.

Geoff
 
Around here they have decent people with good references rent the houses but they only front for bedsit people who follow them into the houses.

Agreed the houses are not rented as HMOs but within weeks they are used as bedsits to pay the rent.

The local council have been on TV showing the substandard housing but I am sure the council don't care less who are in the houses.

I have tried telling the council who's in the houses, who the people work for, building firms but the council have not replied, I am sure they are not interested.
 
Very wise: nobody should rent out their home. But that's not the same as renting out the premises that used to be their home.
Your home is the motorhome, not a building you used to live in. If your view of the world is based on what you watch on TV, you must live a very peculiar life.
There are millions of houses rented out in the UK, the VAST majority are hassle-free.
Yes, your tenants can have life crises, the house can have defects that need repairing, the agents can (should I say "probably will"?) be an expensive and fairly useless overhead, but you are providing a home for a family, you are keeping a place on the housing ladder, and you are doing it in a fairly risk-free way. Leaving a house empty for long periods seldom ends well.

I rent my mums old house out to a lovely couple, Mum, Daughter and Gran. 3 years now, never been late with rent, keep the place spotless and even get some jobs that I would do done themselves.
You do have to be careful with anything you do nowadays, but I can say Im very happy
 
Just get the ‘Cheap as Chips’ Gravity Fed Water filtration unit that comes complete, it looks like an old fashioned Tea Earn, you put Raw/Dirty/Contaminated water in the top half, let gravity do the work & have Clean Filterd Fresh drinking water out the bottom tap.
Check back later I will post some pictures, but have to check my nets now

Did you get any pictures NZ, or a make/model would do and I can google? :)
 
Did you get any pictures NZ, or a make/model would do and I can google? :)
. Hi if you are putting dirty water in you definitely need to use Katadyn filters . We used a system like this for many years when our kids were small. Other cheaper filters will filter your water but not take out the bacteria that makes you ill. 6ACEE7F4-6E41-475A-9861-332044C34A4A.jpg
 
Did you get any pictures NZ, or a make/model would do and I can google? :)

Hey Nab,
Sorry it’s been a while, ‘Real Life’ got in the way & has made me realise just how un Fit I is,,,it’s just taking me Longer & Longer to Shuffle & ware down my foodsorce nowadays, & they’re getting Blinking clever at avoiding my cunning Zombie Traps as well.
I use ‘Coldstream’ FTO Plus Silver impregnated Ceramic Candles, Each one is re-Useable, Filters just a tad over 1Lt of RAW water per Hour, Takes our pretty much all the Nasties & even is a detterant against Vampires !.
CF83B8B6-BF04-46ED-98B1-3F83A612C271.jpg
BAD6B5E6-0B94-4403-99F4-B39905E1CEC2.jpg
A7AC9538-CAB6-49BE-826F-8AAFBC2A6D91.jpg
87788397-80D8-470E-A88E-E3F5FD8920D6.jpg
D2FFB116-8B58-43F2-8644-13082EA66FE8.jpg
So with the 4 of Thease that I have fitted I can Filter around 5 Lt of Raw water from Streams, River, Lakes, Questionable Tap sources into Fresh per Hour.
 
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Thanks for the info NZ.

I will apologise if this is a stupid question now...

Do you have one of those £250 to £300 gravity filter units you fit the cartridges in or do you do something else? At the moment it would be rare for me to need to use a filter so couldn’t justify costs to Caz lol she would just lock me in :)
 
Thanks for the info NZ.

I will apologise if this is a stupid question now...

Do you have one of those £250 to £300 gravity filter units you fit the cartridges in or do you do something else? At the moment it would be rare for me to need to use a filter so couldn’t justify costs to Caz lol she would just lock me in :)

Hey Nab,
You know me well enough by now not to worry about what you ask me, All questions are good questions Matey, it’s just that some questions are ‘Gooder’ Than others !,,,
Yes I have, Because Of my lifestyle choice I can warrant the Cost & it’s use, i have never been short of water lol lol.
Coldstream Sentry Gravity Water Filter System with 4 Filters
It’s worth checking out the performance of the up graded PFO plus Filters that I use in it as well
 
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My Figures are in !!.
This is a rough summary of My costs of Shuffling & Trying to Tread the ‘Right’ side of the Legal line as best I can, & i can say it is DEFINITELY going up financially in some areas & is getting Harder to achieve my chosen lifestyle a cross the board for one reason or another.
Road Tax,
Vehicle insurance, (Breakdown, Windshield, Ect)
MOT Test,
Fuel,
Servicing Ware n Tear,
Spares, Repairs, Replacements & Improvments.
Phone & Interwebby,
Cider,
Enterence Fees, Meals Out, Entertainment.
Passport renewal,
Driving License Renewal,
Clothes, Boots,
Donuts,
Average of 15 ‘Paid Site Night’ Stop overs per year.
Ferries, (Scotland & Ireland Trips)
Gas, Multi Fuel Stove Fuel, Petrol.
Food, Drink,
I’m running at around the £8000 mark spent for the last Year / 14 months or so, & have actually been Stationary for 6 months of that time, 3 months EARLY last year in Cornwall & again for the last 3 months in North Yorkshire (Due to my Work commitments !). But other years I have been almost constantly on the move staying at 215 DIFFERENT park ups in a single year at one point so probably a good average for the figures since Jan 2015.
Ok This year The Nest has had a New Alternator, & a COMPLETELY New Break replacement & overall on ALL 6 wheels, including All Cylinders, Pads, Shoes & Handbrake Cables as well. So That lot was well over £1000 !. Then bought 6 new water Filters, New Exterior Screen cover that lot racked up another say £500. OH YESSS I also got New Battery, Overhauled the Gas Locker, & Gave The Nest a Complete External Cosmetic Face lift last February, So THATS another £600. So there’s over £2000 !. Check out previous posts on this thread for other expenditures over the previous years if you’re board at some point.
Soooo
£8000 dividend by the last 14 months equals some £570 PCM.
(This is shy of my FIRST 18 months Aboard at an Average TOTAL spend of £600 PCM.
Followed by the next 14 Months at a TOTAL spend of £450 PCM.)
Soooo in round figures £25,000 over 46 months equals say 545 PCM TOTAL EXPENDITURE as a Full Time Livaboard with a cross section average of what it entails for my personal lifestyle choice !.
But this Next year is going to be a lot cheaper me thinks.
So I’m expecting that it hits my more realistic & Budgeted monthly allowance of around the £500 PCM mark

(Me Hopes anyway !)
 
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My Figures are in !!.
This is a rough summary of My costs of Shuffling & Trying to Tread the ‘Right’ side of the Legal line as best I can, & i can say it is DEFINITELY going up financially in some areas & is getting Harder to achieve my chosen lifestyle a cross the board for one reason or another.
Road Tax,
Vehicle insurance, (Breakdown, Windshield, Ect)
MOT Test,
Fuel,
Servicing Ware n Tear,
Spares, Repairs, Replacements & Improvments.
Phone & Interwebby,
Cider,
Enterence Fees, Meals Out, Entertainment.
Passport renewal,
Driving License Renewal,
Clothes, Boots,
Donuts,
Average of 15 ‘Paid Site Night’ Stop overs per year.
Ferries, (Scotland & Ireland Trips)
Gas, Multi Fuel Stove Fuel, Petrol.
Food, Drink,
I’m running at around the £8000 mark spent for the last Year / 14 months or so, & have actually been Stationary for 6 months of that time, 3 months EARLY last year in Cornwall & again for the last 3 months in North Yorkshire (Due to my Work commitments !). But other years I have been almost constantly on the move staying at 215 DIFFERENT park ups in a single year at one point so probably a good average for the figures since Jan 2015.
Ok This year The Nest has had a New Alternator, & a COMPLETELY New Break replacement & overall on ALL 6 wheels, including All Cylinders, Pads, Shoes & Handbrake Cables as well. So That lot was well over £1000 !. Then bought 6 new water Filters, New Exterior Screen cover that lot racked up another say £500. OH YESSS I also got New Battery, Overhauled the Gas Locker, & Gave The Nest a Complete External Cosmetic Face lift last February, So THATS another £600. So there’s over £2000 !. Check out previous posts on this thread for other expenditures over the previous years if you’re board at some point.
Soooo
£8000 dividend by the last 14 months equals some £570 PCM.
(This is shy of my FIRST 18 months Aboard at an Average TOTAL spend of £600 PCM.
Followed by the next 14 Months at a TOTAL spend of £450 PCM.)
Soooo in round figures £25,000 over 46 months equals say 545 PCM TOTAL EXPENDITURE as a Full Time Livaboard with a cross section average of what it entails for my personal lifestyle choice !.
But this Next year is going to be a lot cheaper me thinks.
So I’m expecting that it hits my more realistic & Budgeted monthly allowance of around the £500 PCM mark

(Me Hopes anyway !)


I've never done a budget as such but I spend six months parked at my job and six months travelling,I allow a minimum of 3k for six months on the road but that's just basic living costs,food,fuel,coal/wood and all my other expenses I take care of while I'm working. Each year I throw money at my motorhome until im happy it's ready and legal for the road,I don't care or really take much notice of the total,it's my home so it is what it is,as long as I know I've got at least 3k at the end of my working season then thats all that matters to me. I do have a contingency fund in case something goes horribly wrong on the road,or with the dog,he's my buddy so I wouldn't mind having to spend a quid on a bullet.:D
 

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