Are you an expat considering repatriation?

Some interesting issues have arisen since I returned to the UK to evict my tenants for none payment of rent.

The first being that despite having insurance it doesn't always kick in and when it does there's a lot of paperwork to complete and it takes time.

The second being that the tenants have rights, even if they break the contract and you as the home owner don't.

I'm not returning to live in the UK, but imagine I if I was. Imagine the following if you're thinking of repatriating to the UK (I can't speak for other countries)

14 yo son is returning for boarding school in September. Now imagine your child's education is suffering and they need to do GCSE's and you can't afford private school. So you want to return in August to live back in your home and you've issued the tenants with a Section 21a eviction notice and they refuse to move.

Now imagine all the money you need to spend to repatriate, furniture, storage, relocating pets, closing down bank accounts, waiting to get your deposit back from the house you rented, flights etc, etc.

Now imagine, like me, you've returned to the UK early to sort out the school places, prepare the house to move back into (in our case it's to re rent it, but still) and it becomes apparent that your tenants are not moving out.

Infact, just imagine that your tenants have informed your agent that the housing association has told them to stay put, not to move out until you serve them with a warrant for eviction from the courts (can take up to 5 months) or they won't get rehoused because they've made themselves intentionally homeless. In my opinion they made themselves intentionally homeless when they stopped paying my rent. (they are in employment)

You've been in the country for 8 weeks, sleeping on peoples sofa's. Imagine now you have to fly back to your host country (like I do on July 21st) so you can pack up your son's belongings and move him back to the UK, mid August. Now imagine that you're leaving your host country forever and expect to move back into your house at the same time, all repaired and ready to receive your furniture container.

But you started the process to evict your tenants in Feb, it's now July and they're still not shifting, so you approach housing yourself and after explaining the situation they helpfully inform you.....

You have chosen to repatriate, you have not secured yourself housing, therefore you have made yourself intentionally homeless and we won't house you.

Now how is that fair?

Meanwhile your tenants name moves further up the housing list, you carry on paying your mortgage, rent a temporary property, pay for storage of your furniture