Robin
Well-known member
I am on the electoral roll where we used to live, with my USA address for postal voting, arranged prior to the the referendum.
What address for non official Liveaboard marinas?
- Thread starter Orange
- Start date
I am on the electoral roll where we used to live, with my USA address for postal voting, arranged prior to the the referendum.
Orange
New member
Does the electoral roll entry expire after some time?
Robin
Well-known member
No idea. I have been away 5 years, set up my vote 6 months ago. Had to provide my NI number, copies of my passport, proof of my (USA) address which is where I get mail from HMRC re pensions etc.
RE bank accounts, I was told before we left by our bank not to close any UK accounts as it would be very difficult if not impossible to open new ones.. My UK credit cards eventually were not re-issued when they expired as they would not accept a non-UK address, but they worked fine for 12 months with everything being done online. My bank in the meantime has re-issued debit cards, mailing them to our USA home address.
Bru
Well-known member
Annually
There's an annual canvas of households, the form lands on the doormat each autumn and if it isn't returned someone comes knocking
If there is no response and the Electoral Registration Officer has no evidence the person is no longer living at that address, they may extend th e registration for a further year but no longer
You have to be at least nominally resident at the address where you register although presently this is only verified by means of writing to you at that address
The person making a submission for registration or confirming the details of the annual canvas can be fined up to £1,000 if they give false information (and putting somebody on the electoral roll at an address where they are not resident is false information. It doesn't matter if you're never there but you do have to be able to be there if you see what I mean)
Bru
Well-known member
Robin, by the way, is in a "special" category as a British citizen resident overseas. Different rules apply
Carmel2
New member
If you move overseas you can vote for up to 15 years, the vote is counted in your last constituency. If you choose to do this it is quite intrusive, and a form filling marathon. I would hazard a guess that if you take to the liveaboard life in the UK your vote would still be counted in your old constituency.
Bru
Well-known member
You can register to vote with no fixed address provided you can supply an address to which you have some connection but whilst the forms say this includes a permanent mooring, in practice it only includes permanent moorings with residential planning permission (because the address has to pass a validation test and non-residential moorings invariably fail)
You can, for a time at least, use your last permanent address
Although either scenario enables you to continue voting, neither helps with things like credit checks, NHS etc. because although you appear on the electoral roll, it states you have no fixed address which is just what you're trying to avoid!
Carmel2
New member
Banking is the bugger I find.
Orange
New member
Thanks for your replies.
Regarding banking, I am resident on the Isle of Man. It appears that I cannot open a UK (or specifically Scottish) bank account as an Isle of Man resident. However when we move, it will be straight to liveaboard. We may therefore need to rent something somewhere nearby our mooring. Just to confuse things, our official liveaboard marina won't have room for us until 2018.
Regarding banking, I am resident on the Isle of Man. It appears that I cannot open a UK (or specifically Scottish) bank account as an Isle of Man resident. However when we move, it will be straight to liveaboard. We may therefore need to rent something somewhere nearby our mooring. Just to confuse things, our official liveaboard marina won't have room for us until 2018.
srm
Well-known member
The electoral roll argument has flaws. You can be on it but not show when a bank or suchlike searches.
I had an argument with a pension company last year over the electoral roll. I was on it and had voting papers on my desk. However, they used a credit agency to check if I existed. Credit agency had no record of me - not surprising as I had not taken out a credit agreement for a significant number of years and was free of debt. Also, I opted out of the published voters list to avoid cold callers/junk mail etc. The only way for them to check that I was on the roll was to send someone to inspect the full register at my local office.
When I explained all of this they decided that I did exist and agreed to pay my pension - after lots more paperwork.
I had an argument with a pension company last year over the electoral roll. I was on it and had voting papers on my desk. However, they used a credit agency to check if I existed. Credit agency had no record of me - not surprising as I had not taken out a credit agreement for a significant number of years and was free of debt. Also, I opted out of the published voters list to avoid cold callers/junk mail etc. The only way for them to check that I was on the roll was to send someone to inspect the full register at my local office.
When I explained all of this they decided that I did exist and agreed to pay my pension - after lots more paperwork.
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Bru
Well-known member
Yes, being on the closed register can cause problems too
If you were on the electoral roll last year I presume selling up and setting up a mail forwarding address is a recent thing. The problems don't start until you need to initiate new services or agreements (e.g. opening new bank accounts, switching credit cards, registering with a new GP/Dentist etc.) and get worse as your previous address drops off the radar (a typical problem for liveaboards is suddenly finding that their GP, who'd they continued to use, has removed them from their list several years down the line when they've purged registered patients who are no longer living in their catchment area)
People do manage without difficulty long term but there are traps and pitfalls and the hammer tends to fall when you least need it to
Tim O
Member
This is exactly the question I was going to post!
I have literally just moved to liveaboard last night being my first night on board.....
I am still on electoral roll at old address, and banks still have that address, and GP..... But because I was renting I have had to tell utility companies, and will need to tell council tax so I stop paying that there. I'm in a marina with permission of the marina manager, but asked not to use the marina as mailing address.
So I need somewhere to use as an address for banks etc. I can't afford to rent anywhere.....Whole point of living aboard was because I couldn't afford a house AND a boat!!!
I think I need to speak to my parents about using their address, though they are in Yorkshire and I'm in Cardiff but can't see that mattering except for GP???
I have literally just moved to liveaboard last night being my first night on board.....
I am still on electoral roll at old address, and banks still have that address, and GP..... But because I was renting I have had to tell utility companies, and will need to tell council tax so I stop paying that there. I'm in a marina with permission of the marina manager, but asked not to use the marina as mailing address.
So I need somewhere to use as an address for banks etc. I can't afford to rent anywhere.....Whole point of living aboard was because I couldn't afford a house AND a boat!!!
I think I need to speak to my parents about using their address, though they are in Yorkshire and I'm in Cardiff but can't see that mattering except for GP???
Bru
Well-known member
You can (in theory at least) register with a GP anywhere. You can only be permanently registered with one GP but it can be near to where you work (ahem) rather than where you live
You can also register as a temporary patient if you're away from home and need ongoing care for a period (I think it's 6 months from memory)
You may have to do some sweet talking or even jumping up and down and throwing the teddy out of the pram 'cos some GPs seem oddly reluctant to register patients but it'd do-able
Orange
New member
Several marinas seem to offer for you to live there full time, but to give them another address. I'd be very interested how you proceed with this because as you know, we will have the same situation. Bank accounts in particular will be interesting as they generally require a utility bill in your name.
Pretending to live with parents may help you, but you will need to go on the electoral roll there & also get one of the bills in your name. Maybe offer to pay the electric bill in exchange for registering at their address? If you have any siblings, you may need to some to some written arrangement with them.
Very interested in how you progress with this!
Pretending to live with parents may help you, but you will need to go on the electoral roll there & also get one of the bills in your name. Maybe offer to pay the electric bill in exchange for registering at their address? If you have any siblings, you may need to some to some written arrangement with them.
Very interested in how you progress with this!
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Robin
Well-known member
I think there is a big difference between maintaining a bank account and opening one. Opening will need a utility bill proof of address, maintaining one just notify a new mailing address as needed, but do banking online and go paperless anyway..
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
Most bank like to send out some kind of mail to see if it is return now and then , so beware of this , if it is they will put the account in dormant until you have show then you still live there , I been caught out on this one
Orange
New member
Would a bank not need evidence of a changed address?
Georgio
New member
I changed my address this week with Lloyds in the branch, no evidence needed that I actually live at the new address other than proving that I was the account holder. other banks may have stricter rules?
Tranona
Well-known member
That is because they don't have planning permission for residential use, which is extremely difficult to get. For a long time they preferred not to have liveaboards when they could fill their berths on an annual basis. Times have changed as have liveaboards, which used to have a bad name for mess etc. However the boat bum end of the liveaboard spectrum seems to have moved its mess to inland waterways. Perhaps they find it easier to evade the officialdom of CRT rather than a local marina manager! Marinas find today's liveaboards much more acceptable and a secure source of income at a time when may have empty berths.
Robin
Well-known member
That is good news and reflects a sensible approach. In the USA it is still better to describe yourselves as full time or long term cruisers rather than live aboards. Our marina is owned by the city but managed by a specialist marina company. There is a quoted extra fee per month for permanent live aboards and the electicity, charged by the number of power cords connected and their amperage (30A or 50A), not metered.( which encouraged us to add electric everything but we were still small users. Once they 'knew' you they rarely applied the extra fee in practice if you kept things clean and tidy, used the (free) poop pump out boat service and paid your monthly bills on time. We paid around $500/month for a 47ft boat in a 50ft berth, plus another $40/month for the leccy The marina had security gates and patrols day and night by (armed guards) and these security people we pleased to make friends with the live aboards as extra eyes and ears. additionally we had contact info for many dock neighbours who liked us to keep an eye on their toys when they were not there.. We were allowed to use the marina as an address and got local library cards free using it We had (still have) a mail address for all official mail stuff which was forwarded to the marina on demand when needed. Our cars and boats were registered to the mail address which allowed us to move around if/when we wanted, even to maintain our Florida State residency and no state tax for pensioners, cheaper car tags ( think road tax) even if we moved out of state. The marina were very good at accepting parcels that needed signing for even.
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