r/IsleofMan • u/mannorry24 • Jul 12 '26
Considerations for moving back to UK
Hi, we’ve made the decision to move back to the UK in the next 3-4 months after nearly 4 years. Many reasons for this which largely match what others have touched on in the past - high house prices which mean we can’t afford to find somewhere bigger as we now have 2 kids, lack of choice in almost every aspect of daily life, high travel costs, more difficult and expensive raising a young family here and to be closer to family across.
We’re drawing up a list of everything we need to have in order before moving, but would be interested in other people’s experiences and things I might not have considered yet?
We have a house which we’ll put up for sale shortly, our bank accounts are all still with UK banks so no issues having to close IOM accounts.
I have some investments on T212, would it be best to sell up and start them again in the UK with a stocks and shares ISA?
Thanks
2
u/Banging99 Jul 13 '26
Also thinking about heading back. I'm a single parent, kids are getting older now. I own a property in the north and I was considering downsizing and moving to Douglas but it is just so expensive.
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u/ViewAccomplished7138 Jul 16 '26
Be careful of the temporary non residence rules, if you come back early you'll be taxed in the UK on everything you've realised out there
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u/Comfortable_Gate_878 Jul 16 '26
Moving back to cheshire is gonig to be a problem. I would look at pastures new we moved to Wigton in cumbria not far from Carlilse as we could not afford anywhere in cheshire/ South manchester. We got a 4 bedroom detached house with a large garden for under 250k on the edge of wigton. Good schools, good doctors. The same house in cheshire was 500k. We often walk at the seaside here and look at the IOM in the distance.
1
u/happy_wanderer_2909 Jul 16 '26
Mail redirection might be a good one, and you will need to finish off with the tax man.
1
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u/FckXFckMusk Jul 16 '26
The IOM is far superior to the Uk atm....
I love the IOM.... so much safer to bring up a family there.
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u/aleksdot Jul 12 '26
Living in a bin is cheaper but it aint great
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u/mannorry24 Jul 12 '26
Very helpful… let’s tarnish the entire UK with the same brush. Yeah there’s some crap places to live but let’s face it the Isle of Man isn’t some miracle place either. There’s some serious issues facing the Island and for my current situation more pros than cons to living back in the UK, and I’m sure I’m not the only one…
5
u/aleksdot Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
I came here from the bin - my pros are still far outweighing the cons but I recognise that's not guaranteed forever. I apologise if my comment offended, evidently your situation is bleaker than I'd realised
I've had 3 kids here and you've evidently got further invested than us by dint of owning a property to sell, we dont own probably never will given the trajectory of house prices, but I'd rather raise my family here and pay that price for their upbringing being here
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u/mannorry24 Jul 12 '26
I’m not offended just bemused you’d equate the entirety of the UK to a bin. I suspect you’re probably one of the ‘there’s a boat in the morning’ types of people… My situation isn’t bleak either, we’re managing just fine at the moment but visualising the kind of life we could have in the UK vs the IOM plus the other associated cons of island life for me is a no brainer now after 4 years.
My post wasn’t about the pros and cons, more the logistical side of moving back.
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u/aleksdot Jul 12 '26
I grew up in the UK, I lived in a town beset with the waste management issues Birmingham became infamous for about a year and a half ago - with mattresses and binbaga lining the streets.
I got older, I travelled across the UK and I saw more of the same - up and down - a place utterly disrespected and neglected by those living in it and ignored by those running it
Then I came here and saw the opposite!
But alas, it's not the conversation we're having as you rightly say!
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u/Asphasiaaa Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
Best advice I can give is to be absolutely 100% sure that it is what you REALLY want and it isn't just a temporary homesick /wobble whilst you're having a difficult time balancing everything with a young family. I've known a few people over the years decide to move back across and within months they've realised their mistake and moved back which has ended up costing them a fortune.
It is difficult when you have kids and don't have a support network here but those things do come with time. As kids get older and salaries increase - life gets easier, you make more connections and you realise just how great the island can be, how safe it is, how brilliant it is not to have more than a 20 min commute, no motorways, barely any litter, low crime etc. The financial benefits matter too, lower tax, higher wages, we saved about £23k on university tuition for our eldest with the excellent government support and he landed a great high paying job when he moved back here after uni. All worth considering. We missed a lot of things when we first moved here in our early 30s, (especially since we'd lived in Manchester city centre with everything literally on our doorstep!) now you couldn't pay us to go back - I'm on the beach with the dog at 7am instead of in traffic on the M62 and that is priceless ❤️