How do bank accounts and bills work if I live on a sailboat?

[NingNong247]

I'm considering moving on to a boat, but I don't know what to do about bank accounts and so on. I've lived on canal boats before, and back then I would use a family member's house as "my address" for my bank account and so on, but that's not possible this time round.

Minimally, I would absolutely need: a bank account. 4G sim contract. How much of a hassle is getting either of those things when you have no fixed address, in England? Also, having Netflix/Prime/Getting parcels delivered and so on are all desirable.

How do you go about all that?

Thanks.

 

[Yngmar]

You keep a bank account and you keep an address, same as you had when you were on a canal boat. In fact, I'd advise having a backup one, either Revolut or another bank. Sort this out while you're still living on land, it's much more difficult afterwards. Without an address, you would have a very hard time getting anything. It must be a working address where you can receive mail. You can use boatmail.co.uk or similar services that scan + email letters and ask you where to forward replacement credit cards and other physical items.

You didn't say if you're planning to go cruising or will be stationary in a marina. If in a marina, you can receive parcels there, while cruising you can have items delivered to marinas you stop in or sometimes to a depot. SIM cards aren't usually a problem, you buy a pay-as-you-go one in the country you're in. You also need a SIM in your home country with a number that doesn't change so you can receive verification SMS messages. Again, set this up before moving aboard.

 

[Clancy Moped]

You could look something like this Ship to Shore - More than just a mail forwarding service

 

[NingNong247]

Thanks for the reply.

You keep a bank account and you keep an address,

As I say, this simply isn't possible. I have nobody that would let me do that at the moment. All my family live abroad, and I have no friends that I could impose on to that degree (it would also be a financial issue for them what with benefits for council tax, and so on, and therefore one for me).

You didn't say if you're planning to go cruising or will be stationary in a marina

A little of both depending on time of year, but basically staying in the same area - no long distance voyages.

M cards aren't usually a problem, you buy a pay-as-you-go one in the country you're in.

This isn't an option for me, because I work remotely, so I need a good internet connection. The various places I intend to moor, I've already checked, and there's excellent 4G there - good enough for my work - but it requires a contract SIM - PAYG just makes it too expensive for my needs. I'm wondering if anybody has experience of how UK phone operators react to being given a PO Box for a contract.

 

[Stingo]

Give Ship To Shore a ring
+44 196 286 8642

 

[Stingo]

Here's their website
Ship to Shore - More than just a mail forwarding service

 

[V1701]

If you're going to be UK based you will need to take a minimum of a winter (6 months, october-march) contract in a marina unless you are some sort of masochist, it's too hard to live at anchor in the UK, especially so in the colder months. You might find it difficult to find a marina that will let you live on your boat but this will likely be less of an issue if you do only have a winter contract rather than a full 12 month one. A lot of UK coastal marinas that used to tolerate a few liveaboards have in recent years outright banned living aboard in them but there are a few where it is still allowed/tolerated.

Parcels are much less of an issue with the likes of pickup locations, Amazon lockers, etc.

FWIW I use my brother's address, he lives on his own so gets single person's discount on C Tax but my using his address, which I have done for years, has never proved problematic. I have agreed that if it ever did become an issue that I would of course pay the difference if necessary. I know it's not what you want to hear but it really would make your life a lot easier if you could find somebody who'd let you use their address. Marinas, whether they allow/tolerate you living aboard will still want one...

 

[NingNong247]

I know it's not what you want to hear but it really would make your life a lot easier if you could find somebody who'd let you use their address.

It's not a case of not wanting to hear it, it's a case of there be literally no one in this country that I can ask that of. I have 3 friends in the UK, none of them good enough to put that on/in situations where they can do that. Everybody else I know is abroad.

Obviously I'm not going to befriend someone surreptitiously with the intent of eventually getting them to let me do this. That seems like inveiglement to me.

 

[TSailors]

For banking, you could switch to something like Wise.com , which is an online bank, and they are very good.

 

[Tranona]

It's not a case of not wanting to hear it, it's a case of there be literally no one in this country that I can ask that of. I have 3 friends in the UK, none of them good enough to put that on/in situations where they can do that. Everybody else I know is abroad.

Obviously I'm not going to befriend someone surreptitiously with the intent of eventually getting them to let me do this. That seems like inveiglement to me.

The advice you have been given so far is mostly sound. It is extremely difficult to live "off grid" in this country and particularly so if you want to live on a boat. As already suggested if you are already established with an address, bank account, phone contracts, doctors registration etc it is easier to make the transition to a nomad lifestyle from the point of view of still being able to function in the modern economy. However even of you can overcome those problems you still have to contend with an environment in all senses of the word that is hostile. As explained in post#7 living year round on a boat in coastal waters is very challenging and really only practical if you manage to get into sheltered moorings such as a marina for the winter. However most marinas do not have residential licences so the best you can hope for is that they turn a blind eye to living on the boat while you are there. As you have probably discovered living on a boat on inland waterways is easier although still not for the faint hearted.

 

[Yngmar]

As I say, this simply isn't possible. I have nobody that would let me do that at the moment.

Thus my mentioning of boatmail.co.uk. This is a residential address that scans/forwards for a small fee, not a PO box. You can use it for your bank and SIM contract, especially if you establish the contract under your current (presumably residental) address and then simply update them with the new one once you've passed the credit check (which at least Three mobile did require for my mobile contract, although it was a while ago).

You should be aware of the fact that you are choosing a life on the edge of society and that sometimes requires staying under the radar and applying some creative problem solving. And it's only going to become more difficult in the future. You definitely do not want to be known as "of no fixed abode", even though that may be the case.

 

[NingNong247]

boatmail.co.uk

Yes, looks promising, thanks.

 

[AndrewB]

20 years ago I faced the same problem, and solved it then by getting a PO box number. However, for that and without a residential address, a work address was required (I had a job offer). I was able to persuade first HMRC and then a bank to accept the box number as my address. The hardest part was to get car insurance.

P.S. Incidentally, in England you don't (or didn't) get an actual mailbox with a PO box number. It was tedious having to queue weekly at the local sorting office to pick up my mail.

 

[PlanB]

All of the above advice/suggestions, plus consider registering with a GP - mine required proof of residence.

 

[AndersG]

Contract SIM is not really necessary. I worked remotely for a year with PAYGO, most of the time on Giffgaff unlimited for £35 that we used more than 500G a month. If going abroad it can be difficult to get a contract SIM without a credit history.

 

[Graham376]

Contract SIM is not really necessary. I worked remotely for a year with PAYGO, most of the time on Giffgaff unlimited for £35 that we used more than 500G a month. If going abroad it can be difficult to get a contract SIM without a credit history.

Don't know about other countries but to enter any contract in Portugal requires NIF (tax number). PAYG unlimited data card only €1/day.

 

[V1701]

Strictly speaking you do not need proof of address to register with a GP. Convincing them of that is a different matter...

 

[Trident]

Smarty do very cheap data rates on a monthly renewable contract and need no address except somewhere to post the sim to in the first place

If you have a Netflix etc account now in the UK you will not need to give them a new address as long a you keep paying they'll never need to contact you

For banking use Chase or Starling etc - online bank that just need proof of ID emailed to them (passport photo and video of your face) - they again will need an address to send your card to but you can always apply whilst in a marina for a couple of weeks using that address and when your card and pin arrive in the post then leave and go to anchor .

As others have said you will not want to anchor over winter - its almost impossible to keep warm and dry and powered up in the UK winter

 

[srm]

I have used www.boatmail.co.uk for around nine years and have not had any problems. Just give bank, service providers etc. your new address. They scan and email your post and will forward anything you need. They will also print and post items for you avoiding overseas mail delays.

 

[ryanroberts]

Amazon prime is a life saver as a UK marina liveaboard. I can get things forwarded at any marina EXCEPT for the one I actually pay money to, where doing so is a little too obvious. Sim contracts require a basic credit check, which is an address issue. I was also a long term continuous canal cruiser, and wasn't on the electoral roll for 20 years which is another issue if you need good credit at any point.