News Forum - Travellers after November 1 told to book quarantine hotels

[Benroon]

25 minutes ago, JamesR said:

Or wait a week or two to see if the 90 day special extendable visa is updated on the London Thai Embassy website.

Am I correct, was there an article stating the 90 day visa was going to be extended for new travellers?

I have and additional problem as I might need to return quickly as I sold my large family house of 27 years in June this year just days before the £500,000 stamp duty holiday ended.

I did not buy again as my thoughts were the mass of people who wanted to use the benefit of lower stamp duty will already have done it, there will still be demand but not as much.

I have seen in the area I sold many of the house prices have been reduced over the last few months and the demand does not seem to be the same.

It is the same for the house I am currently staying in in London which I am house-sitting for my sister as it is on the market for sale.

The agent has just suggested putting the asking price down by quite a large amount and there is only one viewing every two weeks now, much less than before.

Plus the annual house price rise in June 'year-on-year' was 13.5%, but  by September it was down to 10% so it looks like prices are falling so I am waiting as the house I sold is part of my pension and so I wish to buy a few smaller properties to rent out and if I can get them cheaper in a few months time then that will be good. 

I would say that's a high risk strategy James - I've just sold a house in the UK (Bucks) and it went way way  over the asking price and I stopped the offers after 2 weeks as there were just too many - I was seeing 4-5 people every day. Essentially it was sold within a couple of hours of going on the market. I was totally shocked but the agent said there are 10 buyers for every seller and he wasn't the least bit surprised, at least in this area.

Also the influx of Hong Kong people who moved to the UK after being invaded by China bought a lot of wealth with them causing some ripples in the market. I don't think house prices are going to be going down for some time to come imo - London perhaps but elsewhere I doubt it.

Plus there is no way on earth I could be a landlord from the other side of the world ! That's the stuff of nightmares for me.

[Soidog]

38 minutes ago, JamesR said:

My second jab was just more than six months ago but the reason I can not book on the online booster app after putting in my NHS number etc is I have to wait to be invited, I read on the news today anybody over 50 can now apply without being invited but that has not been set in the app yet it seems, I will try in a few days to see if it has been updated.

Hi @JamesR. In regards to the booster. I read this in The Times today (not sure of the link will work? https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/when-can-i-get-my-covid-booster-jab-vaccine-book-mrwgh20w9 

In the article it states:

Last night NHS leaders opened the national booking system to allow anyone in the qualifying groups to make an appointment for a booster vaccine a week after becoming eligible.

Your other option is to call 119 and I think it’s option 2 which should allow you to book an appointment. 
 

Yet further details I’ve just seen on the Sky News app. See picture below.  

[JamesR]

20 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Hi @JamesR. In regards to the booster. I read this in The Times today (not sure of the link will work? https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/when-can-i-get-my-covid-booster-jab-vaccine-book-mrwgh20w9 

In the article it states:

Last night NHS leaders opened the national booking system to allow anyone in the qualifying groups to make an appointment for a booster vaccine a week after becoming eligible.

Your other option is to call 119 and I think it’s option 2 which should allow you to book an appointment. 
 

Yet further details I’ve just seen on the Sky News app. See picture below.  

Yes, my fault, it has been updated, I just checked. 

Thanks for the info.

And it was my fault too as I counted six months and a week since I had my last jab but it is actually five months and one week, silly me.

[Cathat]

Anybody who travels from the UK to thailand for a holiday in the near future could well be asking for trouble returning.

If you are a single retiree probably ok but for anybody else you might find yourself staying in thailand a lot longer than you had in mind.

Next couple of weeks will be critical for UK based potential travellers.

 

[JamesR]

26 minutes ago, Benroon said:

I would say that's a high risk strategy James - I've just sold a house in the UK (Bucks) and it went way way  over the asking price and I stopped the offers after 2 weeks as there were just too many - I was seeing 4-5 people every day. Essentially it was sold within a couple of hours of going on the market. I was totally shocked but the agent said there are 10 buyers for every seller and he wasn't the least bit surprised, at least in this area.

Also the influx of Hong Kong people who moved to the UK after being invaded by China bought a lot of wealth with them causing some ripples in the market. I don't think house prices are going to be going down for some time to come imo - London perhaps but elsewhere I doubt it.

Plus there is no way on earth I could be a landlord from the other side of the world ! That's the stuff of nightmares for me.

I will check the prices as well as I will buy again in good old Essex, not the London Essex of course but the real old Essex with it hundreds of very old villages.

It might be different in Bucks.

I was basing my prices going down on what I have been observing in that area.

But being a landlord while in Thailand is easy, I have done it with two houses previously, you just use one of the high street estate agents who will check the house for you every three months, take the rent all for 7.5%

You buy rent insurance and landlords buildings insurance too, it all went smoothly and after renting out one of the houses for two years it came back to me fully redecorated. 

Just make sure you only let in the right people vetted by the agent. 

[JamesR]

52 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Yes you are right about the 90 day STV. It was announced that this was being extend (essentially restarted) for a further year. I also looked at that as an option, but the associated health insurance made me move away from it. 
 

On the house side of things (which is a little off topic but I’ll be quick!). You say prices rose by by 13.5% in June but now rose by only 10%. That still sounds like they are increasing but the rate of increase is slowing. I have 3 properties I rent out in the U.K. as an income. Good luck with that as it can prove a nice earner and it can also be problematic. As I move in to retirement over the next 10 years I will sell each one every 5 years or so. I can make better use of the cash than I can the income as I get older

What was wrong with the insurance?

I had one last year for nine months which I booked in the UK to cover me in Thailand and the medical cover was £7.5 million and it cost me a few hundred quid.

It took the house price rate to be dropping as it was based on the last 12 rolling months, so the rate in September was 3.5% less than the rolling rate measured in June from the previous 12 months and so it seems like the annual rate has dropped by 3.5% as the 10% rate is made up of what happened in the last 12 months from that date.

The problem is where to put the money other than in houses, at the moment my money is in the bank and the best rate I can get is 0.5%, a house normally returns 6 to 7% in rents plus the house may rise in value as well.

[Soidog]

54 minutes ago, JamesR said:

What was wrong with the insurance?

I had one last year for nine months which I booked in the UK to cover me in Thailand and the medical cover was £7.5 million and it cost me a few hundred quid.

It took the house price rate to be dropping as it was based on the last 12 rolling months, so the rate in September was 3.5% less than the rolling rate measured in June from the previous 12 months and so it seems like the annual rate has dropped by 3.5% as the 10% rate is made up of what happened in the last 12 months from that date.

The problem is where to put the money other than in houses, at the moment my money is in the bank and the best rate I can get is 0.5%, a house normally returns 6 to 7% in rents plus the house may rise in value as well.

I think the issue with the insurance is that when you come to extend your STV the health insurance needs to be from a Thai listed insurer. I don’t have the details to hand but others in this forum should be able to help. I normally get annual travel insurance which covers you for £millions. However, that is usually limited to a maximum of 90 days on any one trip, even though it’s advertised as multi-trip annual insurance. Looking at the Thai providers, it was around 20,000-40,000 baht and even then there was a large excess of 100,000-200,000 baht. Don’t quote me on the exact numbers, they are ball park amounts. So to have the correct health insurance for the STV if you are looking to extend beyond 90 days, could cost you £500-£1,000. 
 

Can’t help you on the advice on where to put your money. Though if you are stuck I’m happy to send you my bank details and you can send it to me

[JamesR]

40 minutes ago, Soidog said:

I think the issue with the insurance is that when you come to extend your STV the health insurance needs to be from a Thai listed insurer. I don’t have the details to hand but others in this forum should be able to help. I normally get annual travel insurance which covers you for £millions. However, that is usually limited to a maximum of 90 days on any one trip, even though it’s advertised as multi-trip annual insurance. Looking at the Thai providers, it was around 20,000-40,000 baht and even then there was a large excess of 100,000-200,000 baht. Don’t quote me on the exact numbers, they are ball park amounts. So to have the correct health insurance for the STV if you are looking to extend beyond 90 days, could cost you £500-£1,000. 
 

Can’t help you on the advice on where to put your money. Though if you are stuck I’m happy to send you my bank details and you can send it to me

Re bank, we could open up a joint account and I could arrange a little job for one of the "GoodFellas",  LOL

I do not buy annual travel insurance, as you say it limits you to a month to three months per trip, I buy one insurance each time which can cover you for a maximum of 12 months.

I just checked the last insurance I had, i was 63 at the time, 142 days  cover with £7.5 million medical cover and repatriation back to the uk, that works out at £351 for 12 months, excess £200

I normally then go back to the UK for a while and then get another insurance cover for the next period.

It came into good use last year in Phuket as I had a problem with my eyes and the insurance covered my £4000 in medical fees plus let me talk to doctors in the UK over the phone while the insurance company called me every week to check on me, all ok in the end.

As I was actually stuck in Thailand due to the virus they covered me for seven months with no extra premium. 

I just looked at some insurance companies in Europe and they charge 269 euros for ninety days and are renewable every 90 days while you are still in Thailand. 

[Benroon]

2 hours ago, JamesR said:

I will check the prices as well as I will buy again in good old Essex, not the London Essex of course but the real old Essex with it hundreds of very old villages.

It might be different in Bucks.

I was basing my prices going down on what I have been observing in that area.

But being a landlord while in Thailand is easy, I have done it with two houses previously, you just use one of the high street estate agents who will check the house for you every three months, take the rent all for 7.5%

You buy rent insurance and landlords buildings insurance too, it all went smoothly and after renting out one of the houses for two years it came back to me fully redecorated. 

Just make sure you only let in the right people vetted by the agent. 

Chaps don't forget, (and you may well be aware but I have met so many even experienced landlords who had no idea) but if you are a non resident of the UK ie out of the UK for more than 182 days a year then when you come to sell those properties you will be slammed for capital gains tax of either 18% or 28% (and they are pushing to increase that in the next budget) - that's quite a chunk to lose and the main reason I've come back to sell. Actually to be exact the tax is on the appreciation of the house price from I think 2015 to now - but you have to prove the figures.

These laws were bought in in 2015 to stop the Russians buying up London - however when the government realised what a nice little earner it was, they kept it on by stealth scooping up thousands of hard working expats that to this day have no idea what's facing them. Just a heads up peeps.

(Apologies for going off topic but just wanted to let fellow thaigers know)

As you were

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, JamesR said:

Re bank, we could open up a joint account and I could arrange a little job for one of the "GoodFellas",  LOL

I do not buy annual travel insurance, as you say it limits you to a month to three months per trip, I buy one insurance each time which can cover you for a maximum of 12 months.

I just checked the last insurance I had, i was 63 at the time, 142 days  cover with £7.5 million medical cover and repatriation back to the uk, that works out at £351 for 12 months, excess £200

I normally then go back to the UK for a while and then get another insurance cover for the next period.

It came into good use last year in Phuket as I had a problem with my eyes and the insurance covered my £4000 in medical fees plus let me talk to doctors in the UK over the phone while the insurance company called me every week to check on me, all ok in the end.

As I was actually stuck in Thailand due to the virus they covered me for seven months with no extra premium. 

I just looked at some insurance companies in Europe and they charge 269 euros for ninety days and are renewable every 90 days while you are still in Thailand. 

That sounds like a fair price for insurance of that type. Be interesting to know what companies you used. Post or PM me if you wouldn’t mind. 

[JamesR]

2 hours ago, Benroon said:

Chaps don't forget, (and you may well be aware but I have met so many even experienced landlords who had no idea) but if you are a non resident of the UK ie out of the UK for more than 182 days a year then when you come to sell those properties you will be slammed for capital gains tax of either 18% or 28% (and they are pushing to increase that in the next budget) - that's quite a chunk to lose and the main reason I've come back to sell. Actually to be exact the tax is on the appreciation of the house price from I think 2015 to now - but you have to prove the figures.

These laws were bought in in 2015 to stop the Russians buying up London - however when the government realised what a nice little earner it was, they kept it on by stealth scooping up thousands of hard working expats that to this day have no idea what's facing them. Just a heads up peeps.

(Apologies for going off topic but just wanted to let fellow thaigers know)

As you were

I will get back to you on this tomorrow, I have just had a couple of 'sherberts' and so I will make more sense tomorrow. LOL

[JamesR]

1 hour ago, Soidog said:

That sounds like a fair price for insurance of that type. Be interesting to know what companies you used. Post or PM me if you wouldn’t mind. 

A tiny bit 'Brahms" at the mo, just a tiny bit so I will get back to you tomorrow once I have looked up the company I used. 

[JamesR]

14 hours ago, Soidog said:

That sounds like a fair price for insurance of that type. Be interesting to know what companies you used. Post or PM me if you wouldn’t mind. 

I can't remember the actual company but I did use ''gocompare.com'' and after putting in my details I had a list of insurance companies I could use with the prices listed.