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Guides for buying, renting and moving abroad
Written for people doing this in a country that is not their own. Plain answers, real numbers, and the traps to avoid.
Buying
6 guidesBuying a home abroad, step by step
The nine steps of buying property in another country, the people involved, and the mistakes that cost foreign buyers most.
9 minWhat buying really costs, country by country
The taxes and fees a non-resident pays on top of the price in thirteen countries, why new builds cost differently, and the yearly costs after you buy.
8 minMortgages for international buyers
Typical loan-to-value for non-residents in thirteen countries, the paperwork, fixed versus variable rates, currency risk and how long approval takes.
9 minThe legal checks to do before you buy
The documents that prove a home can be sold to you free of debts and problems, and the extra checks for rural, coastal, new and tourist-let properties.
8 minThe viewing checklist
A printable checklist for viewings, in person or by video: the building, the rooms, water and energy, noise and light, and the questions to ask the agent.
6 minBuying new or off-plan without losing your deposit
How off-plan purchases work, the protections for your stage payments in Spain, France and Dubai, and what to check at handover.
7 min
Renting
6 guidesRenting a home abroad, step by step
The order to do things in when you rent in a new country, from a temporary flat to the inventory, and how to compete for good homes from abroad.
8 minThe documents landlords will ask for
A checklist of rental application documents, what changes from country to country, and what to do if you have no local payslips or credit history.
6 minDeposits, fees and tenant rights by country
Deposit caps, extra guarantees, letting fees, lease lengths, notice and rent increases in thirteen countries, and how to get your deposit back.
8 minRental scams: twelve warning signs
How rental scams work, twelve signs that a listing or landlord is fake, the checks that take five minutes, and what to do if you have already paid.
6 minMove-in and move-out checklist
Two printable checklists for the first and last day of a tenancy, so you have proof of the home's condition and your deposit comes back in full.
5 minIs this rent fair? How to estimate it
The method professionals use to estimate rent, why asking rents differ from signed rents, and how to judge a listing or price your own home to let.
6 min
Moving abroad
3 guidesMoving abroad: a 12-week plan
A practical relocation plan in four stages, with checklists you can tick and print, from permits and schools to the bin days in your new street.
9 minResidency and visas: the basics
How the right to live in another country works for EU and non-EU citizens, the main visa routes, where property still leads to residence, and the registration steps after you arrive.
9 minHow to choose a neighbourhood from abroad
Seven questions that narrow a new city down to two or three areas, the free online tools that answer them, and what to check when you finally visit.
7 min
Money and tax
2 guidesTax when you move abroad or own a home there
When you become tax resident, how double tax treaties work, the taxes you pay as an owner or landlord abroad, and the special regimes in thirteen countries.
10 minBuy or rent when you move abroad?
Why most newcomers should rent for a year first, the situations where buying straight away is right, and a calculator to compare the two.
6 min
Schools and family
1 guidesEveryday life
1 guidesCity guides
Monaco
Monaco combines very high property prices, no income tax for most residents and careful residency checks. Here is how renting, buying and moving really work, and why many workers live in France.
12 minZürich
High salaries, short commutes and a lake in the middle of town, set against some of Switzerland's highest housing costs and a very tight rental market.
11 minGeneva
UN agencies, banks and trading firms in a small lakeside city. Flats are scarce and expensive, so many people rent across the border in France and commute.
11 minCosta del Sol
Sun, a big international airport and long-established foreign communities, but asking prices are up about 76% in five years and long-term rentals are scarce. Where to live, what it costs and the rules to know.
11 minLisbon
Lisbon offers city life on the river with beaches a train ride away, but rents and prices have outrun local wages. What each area costs, and how renting, buying and moving here work.
12 minDubrovnik
Dubrovnik is one of Croatia's two most expensive property markets, and year-round rentals are scarce. Where people live, what homes cost, and how renting, buying, tax and residency work.
12 min
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