Just moved to UK ? Don’t get carried away by the beautiful castles, and museums. There are a few must-do things that will save your money and time. In this comprehensive article, we will explain all the things that you should do during the first few weeks after moving to UK. It is best that you know all these things before coming to uk so that you know what to expect in the future
1.Find your permanent residence. 2. set up your energy supply 3. set up your water supply 4 .How to find the best broad band provider. 5.Guide good mobile network connection 6. Buying your first car 7.UK driving licences 8.Transportation 9.Schooling for kids 10.registering in your GP 11.Shopping. 12.leisure and fun. 13.sending money back to Sri lanka
FIND YOUR HOME IN UK (RENT A PROPERTY)
Currently Almost all properties are listed online and It is not a difficult task to find a property that meets your needs. However large selection can sometimes be overwhelming. So have a clear idea of what you are looking for before starting your search.
It can be quite useful if you start looking for places before you come to the UK. Select a few properties and book viewing appointments but do not commit for anything before you see it. Also, keep in mind that the UK real state market is changing rapidly and one property will not be in the market for a long time.
You can select a house or an apartment depending on your preference. Whatever your choice is considered following when you are making the decision.
- Proximity to your workplace and schools if you have kids. Transportation in the UK can be quite expensive. (way more than what you think)
- Number of rooms
- Parking – Make sure your accommodation has parking or at least free roadside parking (this is usually safe and many people do that) if you don’t have parking you will have to rent a garage or get a paid public parking. Which can cost you up to 150 pounds per month?
- The energy efficiency of the house. Energy bill can range from roughly 50-200 pounds depending on your house and time of the year. You’ll have to select your energy provider and finding a good deal can save you up to £500 annually.
- Closure to a main supermarket is an additional benefit but not really a requirement.
- Security Deposit Or home insurance. Usually, you need to keep a deposit roughly equivalent to one month rent. You can get your deposit back but they can reduce a significant amount depending on how you maintain the house. Home insurance will have lots of benefits like cover for your valuable electric items like tv or your mobile phones. But I prefer deposit. Some landlords may ask for both deposit and an insurance
For a newcomer to the UK Renting place and opening your bank can be an egg and chicken situation. you can’t open a bank account without address and you can’t rent a place without a bank account. To get this sorted out First go to one of the leading banks in your area ( Barclays bank is very good with this) and explain your situation.
Get a letter from your employer confirming your employment and stating that you are currently living in your temporary accommodation (Ex hotel).
get your account opened to this address and change the address as soon as you go to your permanent address.
Properties may be rented through letting agents or directly by the landlords. getting a one through a letting agent may be more reliable and can be convenient especially if have any maintenance issue after renting. but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t rent directly from landlords. kindly ask for documents to confirm ownership to avoid being frauded.
You can try your luck with following leading property web sites. find a suitable property for you. GOOD LUCK
once you get the property contact the local council and arrange council tax payments.
FINDING THE BEST ENERGY (ELECTRICITY AND GAS) PROVIDER
I found the UK energy supply system quite overwhelming and I am sure you will feel the same. This is mainly because of the difference in the system compared to most of the developing countries
This is how it works. Consumers receive energy in the form of gas and electricity. every household get its energy through the same transmission network owned by the National grid.
The difference is that you can select your energy provider according to your preference. Your supplier will use the regional network to supply energy to your home. You can use the same amount of energy and can play differently depending on your supplier. Selecting a proper energy provider can save up to £500 per year.
Selecting or switching your energy supplier is very simple and can be done with few clicks from your computer without any disruption to your power supply.lack of understanding of this mere fact left me stuck with one of the expensive energy suppliers almost two years.
You don’t need to continue with the same supplier your landlord using or what they offer you. simply follow the link below get quotations from top energy suppliers in the UK and select the cheapest.
You just need the postcode and the name of the current energy supplier. You can ask this from your landlord or you can contact your regional distribution Network operator(DNO). Even if you don’t have this detail you can still get a quotation and set up your energy.make the switch as soon as you moved into your house. Just feed the details to energyswitchexpert.co.uk they will do the rest for you. You will usually get the first bill from the old energy supplier as a whole switching process can take up to 21 days. (you don’t have to worry about this everything will happen automatically you just need to spend few minutes to fill the application)
Even if you have moved to Uk some times back you can easily switch to a cheaper supplier very easily within a few minutes. Simply get a quotation from energy switch expert and follow the instruction. you don’t even have to contact your previous supplier and energy helpline will do that for you. You can save up to $400 by switching your energy provider. By getting a quotation you don’t have any commitment to change so try your luck. For more detail read How to switch energy supplier
In general, there are two types of energy tariffs. that is the fixed tariff and variable tariffs. In fixed tariffs unit price is fixed for a period (usually one year and what is fixed is the unit price, not your bill) and in variable tariff unit price change with the market price. In fixed tariff, there is usually an exit fee if you switch your supplier before one year ( Around 50 pounds) Other than that there is no big difference and select either one depending on your preference.
If you need further details about how to set up energy in rented house click here
If you have spare time you can read . Top energy suppliers the UK in 2020
CONTACT YOUR WATER SUPPLIER
You have to pay for the water you use and what you dispose
Each area has a specific water supplier. contact your water supplier once you move into your house.
You can find your water supplier by postcode search
Follow the link below
https://www.water.org.uk/contact/
Most of the time you can do everything online. Document your meter reading when you move in.
SET UP YOUR BROADBAND CONNECTION
You have a wide range of options when it comes to broadband connections. but it is important that you find the broadband package just right to you. if you make the wrong choice you will be stuck with them for a long time as the broadband contract are lengthier. (usually 18 to 24 months)
You might have to consider a few things before selecting your broadband connection
- Do you need internet package along or combination of broadband, TV connection and the home telephone?(bundle packages)
- Unlimited package or fixed user package (unless you are a solo lite user go for unlimited packages)
- What is the speed you need? (anything above 10Mb speed is more than enough for an average family, this is sufficient to a simultaneous live preview of videos in 2 to 3 devices)
- Do you need standard ADSL or high-speed fibre? (fibre connection are expensive and may not available for all the place. not really necessary unless you are looking for high-speed internet. above 30Mbps)
- How long you are going to stay ( most providers increase the price after initial 1 to 2 years but you can always change your service provider once your contract period is over)
- What is your budget?
Follow the link to visit broadband genie . This site will compare the broadband packages and find the best for you. You can select the cheapest bundle package or high-speed fibre depending on your requirement.
If you need more details you can read the following
GET YOUR MOBILE CONNECTION
You have the option of selecting a fix monthly contract (12-36months) or pay as you go plan.
Fix monthly contract can be sim only or comes with a phone.
phone contract usually spread across 24-36 months. So decide early if you are planning to go back. Overall this can be expensive but the cost is spread over a long period of time.
Sim only contracts are available from 12 months and can be a little cheaper than pay as you go deals.
If you already have a phone pay as you go seems to be the best option as you can change the plan depending on your usage as you go on.
Currently Smarty mobile has the best pay you go offer. You can get 30Gb data with unlimited calls and SMS for £10.
If you don’t need that amount of data you can save a few pounds by selecting a lesser package.
Giffgaff, Tesco mobile talk mobile and lycamobile network also has good pay as you go packages.
for contracts, you can try
Vodafone, (has the best phone selection) o2, Three mobile, (Tesco mobile have very flexible contracts and the phone is interest-free)
BUYING YOUR FIRST CAR IN UK
Type of vehicle and amount you are willing to spend on your vehicle is your personal choice.
Whatever the vehicle you buy I strongly suggest you consider the following 2 things
- MOT check. Try to buy a vehicle with a long MOT at least 10 months. Look for the adversaries and recommendations in last MOT Previous failures doesn’t necessarily mean it is a bad vehicle as long as it has passed MOT subsequently with a proper repair.
You can check the MOT history by following this link you just need the vehicle registration number
2. have an idea bout the amount you willing to spend on the vehicle insurance. some times the vehicle can be cheap and insurance cost will be very high. you can get insurance Quotations even before buying the vehicle this will take only a few minutes. Follow the links below these sites will compare policies from hundreds of insurance companies and will give you quotations.
Don’t forget to save your details for future quotations
Once you bought your car.
- get the insurance
- Pay your road tax (this is usually between 100-200 per year). Follow the link to pay your road tax https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax.
You can do yearly or monthly payment. there will be about 20% interest if you select monthly plans.
UK DRIVING LICENCE
If you have an international driving license you can drive in the UK for one year from your date of arrival
You can apply for UK driving license after 6 months of stay.
My suggestion is to apply for the test at least 4 months before your 1 year completes as the process can take time due to long waiting lists.
First, you have to apply for the provisional license. (you can’t drive with this but you can’t proceed with your application without this)
Once you get the provisional license, apply for the theory test.
Once you pass the theory test you can apply for the driving test.
For more details
https://www.gov.uk/driving-test
if you can spend a few pounds you can get one of theory test apps
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation can be expensive whether you travel by bus or train.
There are different type of tickets. There may be minor changes depending on where you live
Single ticket. – one-way ticket
Return ticket – up and down-ticket, cheaper than two single tickets
Day ticket- if you making several trips per day, (sometimes this can be cheaper than return ticket)
Weekly ticket
Monthly ticket
Yearly ticket- this is the cheapest in long term but don’t commit until you are sure.
Family tickets
Weekend tickets
For more details
Can purchase online if you want to save time
SCHOOLING FOR KIDS
The education system in the UK is something we all admire without any doubt
The school year starts in September and applications are Called 3 to 4months before this. This is the best time to apply for schools. but don’t worry even if you come late you can always speak to the council and get a school.
Normal school hours are from 9 am to 3 pm. This is totally free and you can keep the child in the afternoon club till 6.15 with a small additional payment.
For nursery above 3 yrs you”ll get 15 hours a week free funding. you can utilize this on you preference depending on nursery policies. ( there is a 30-hour funding scheme but you are not eligible to this if you don’t have access to public funds, this is mentioned in your BRP)
most of the schools are good but if you need a better one you can consider
- visiting the open day of the school
- reading the school’s most recent Ofsted reports
- looking at the performance table
For more details about schools, their performance and ratings follow the link below
REGISTER IN YOUR GP
Registering in your GP is a must. Do it without delay. You can find your nearest GP online.
Click the link below and enter your postcode to find your GP
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-gp
Don’t forget to give your Childs vaccination records.
SHOPPING
1.General shopping
Depending on your preference you can do online or in-store shopping
there are a number of popular major supermarket chains
TESCO, ASDA will have good products for a reasonable price
ALDI and LIDDLE generally cheaper
VETRO’S, SAINSBURY, M & S, the price can be slightly higher.
Quality of the product can be different in different supermarkets.
If you have a COSCO nearby you can shop at a discounted price if you have a membership. (30 pounds per year for NHS staff)
Electronics and home appliances
Every house comes with basic appliances which include a Washing machine, refrigerator, Oven, and Hob
You might consider buying few other things for day-today requirements
If you Looking at just one to two years you can buy most in charity shops for discounted prices
If you are planning long term or thinking of taking them back on your way home you can buy new items.
you have the option of buying online or directly from the shop. Buying online is usually cheaper.
Reputed places for home appliances include
1.Currys pc world 2.Argos 3.John lewis
You can safely do online from reputed websites
Amazon. E bay, flip cart, Curry pc world. Argos
For your convenience, we’ve made a price comparison tool which you can use to find the cheapest price for your desired item in popular online stores
LEISURE AND FUN
Follow the links below to find more details
- places to visit close to you
- National trust membership
- English Heritage membership
- Bus tours
- visit iconic places
- day trips
- Visit London
HOW TO SEND MONEY BACK TO SRI LANKA
Sending money back to Sri Lanka is not difficult. But the Challange is How to find a reliable service Which gives a good exchange rate.
You have three options when it come to to money transfer
1.Money transfer firms
Ex – Transerwise , Wordremit, Currencies Direct
2.Money transfer through banks
Ex – BOC E Remitance , HCBC , Barclays bank
3. money transfer through Forex agent
Each method has pros and cones
Read the comprehensive guide on How to send money from UK to Sri Lanka
