Hi All

[mightyslay3r]

54 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

Well if you already have a GP and plan on remaining close enough to visit them when required it doesn't seem to me that you need to do anything. If your phone number and email address remain the same you probably don't need to tell them anything. I think most stuff we get from the GP practice these days is text or email, not post. Not so with hospital letters so I guess you might need an address for them.

exactly... going to the marina now to speak to the people in the office... only open 3pm - 5pm...  

19 hours ago, peterboat said:

Have a look on Gov.uk you can have a correspondence address ie your sons address.

Think of homeless people that get benefits ok

going back to this, sorry guys... i've searched gov.uk & cannot find anything regarding living on boats besides waterway licencing etc.... 

im at a loss lol

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by mightyslay3r

[dmr]

1 hour ago, PD1964 said:

 Well it is, as your not registered with a local surgery and they won’t take you on by the sounds of I?

 What you register with a good surgery every 14 days being a good CCer? or are you a good CMoorer?😂

  The OP is after a Marina mooring, an official registered one with the Council will be far better for him with regards to doctors/dentists, than living under the radar. 
 You say you have a good doctor 300 mikes away, that you do phone consultation’s with, not really ideal is it? I take it they’re not that good to do home visits?

  
  

 

On a technicallity I believe a CM'er is somebody who continuously moors on a "CC licence". I am currently a moorer on a proper mooring, but hope to be a proper CC'er again soon.

 

I have seen mention of signing on as a short term patient every month or so but thats not convenient for a CC'er.

A home doctor is good, even if they are a long way off, and telephone consultations work well for most things. Its also good for repeat prescriptiions which can be requested on the www and sent to any pharmacy.  If a face to face consultation is needed then signing on as a short term patient at a local doctors works, and your home GP gets the notes. It is also possible to sign on for three months as a longer term short term patient. 😀

Another issue is that short term signing on should be for emergencies only (though it does not need to be a serious emergency). Routine preventative things, like blood tests usually have to be done by your home doctor, though more recently I have managed to get routine stuff done by signing on short term. I do suspect that things got a bit easier for us after covid as all surgeries got familiar with telephone consultations and "remote medicine".

 

This is all relevany because the OP wants to start in a marina but go off cruising at some point.

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

You go to another GP practice and register as a temporary patient. You do not mention BOAT. You do ould moor at a marina for one night and register that day.

 

You are correct, when signing on short term I usually say I am on holiday in the area, the B word does appear to cause extra problems.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I once signed on at Goyt Surgery, Whaley Bridge. 
Gave my address as NB Goliath, Bugsworth Basin, Peak Forest Canal.

 

and they were happy with that, 

they just needed something to fill the box with. 
 

other places are more fussy and make it difficult, but they have to take you on. I find it depends on the good nature/will of the receptionist as to how signing up gets dealt with. 

[MtB]

1 hour ago, dmr said:

You are correct, when signing on short term I usually say I am on holiday in the area,

 

 

This is technically accurate, as living on a boat is like one long holiday.

 

 

 

[dmr]

2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

 

This is technically accurate, as living on a boat is like one long holiday.

 

 

 

 

Did I tell you about the comment from a passer-by?  "It must be really nice living on a boat and eating out at the pub every night of the year".  I think they were serious too.

[MtB]

43 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

Did I tell you about the comment from a passer-by?  "It must be really nice living on a boat and eating out at the pub every night of the year".  I think they were serious too.

 

 

I think on balance I prefer it on my boat to in the pub. 

 

 

 

 

 

[mightyslay3r]

ok guys.. we finally got to go to the marina & see the lovely lady that runs it....

the mooring fee for the year on a 57 footer narrow is £5600 ... but, they do accept housing & council tax benefits.. so that figure will reduce enormously

she took us down the pontoon & showed us what a trad, semi trad & cruiser stern were... think the wife liked the idea of semi trad

although it will give a little less space inside (compared to loosing a lot with a cruiser stern) it'll be somewhere to sit of an evening under the stars.. so long has the british rain holds off lol...

she doesnt have any spots at the moment, but one will be available at the end of the year, the moorer is leaving the country to live abroad....

so it may mean doing the 14 day punt along the tow path for a few months... using my sons mail addy....

need to start ringing round to see if we can get equity from the house to buy the narrowboat, BSS checks, pay for the river licence, insurance  then off we go.. selling the house isnt going to be fun though... its full of crap from years of hoarding lol...

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by mightyslay3r

[cuthound]

21 minutes ago, mightyslay3r said:

ok guys.. we finally got to go to the marina & see the lovely lady that runs it....

the mooring fee for the year on a 57 footer narrow is £5600 ... but, they do accept housing & council tax benefits.. so that figure will reduce enormously

she took us down the pontoon & showed us what a trad, semi trad & cruiser stern were... think the wife liked the idea of semi trad

although it will give a little less space inside (compared to loosing a lot with a cruiser stern) it'll be somewhere to sit of an evening under the stars.. so long has the british rain holds off lol...

she doesnt have any spots at the moment, but one will be available at the end of the year, the moorer is leaving the country to live abroad....

so it may mean doing the 14 day punt along the tow path for a few months... using my sons mail addy....

need to start ringing round to see if we can get equity from the house to buy the narrowboat, BSS checks, pay for the river licence, insurance  then off we go.. selling the house isnt going to be fun though... its full of crap from years of hoarding lol...

 

 

If you like the space of a trad stern, but need outside space for two when underway or moored, look for a trad with an oversized hatch.

[Kiwidad]

22 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I've always test run my wives and girlfriends through a boat trip before attempting permanence...

Not all at the same time I hope!

[dmr]

44 minutes ago, mightyslay3r said:

ok guys.. we finally got to go to the marina & see the lovely lady that runs it....

the mooring fee for the year on a 57 footer narrow is £5600 ... but, they do accept housing & council tax benefits.. so that figure will reduce enormously

she took us down the pontoon & showed us what a trad, semi trad & cruiser stern were... think the wife liked the idea of semi trad

although it will give a little less space inside (compared to loosing a lot with a cruiser stern) it'll be somewhere to sit of an evening under the stars.. so long has the british rain holds off lol...

she doesnt have any spots at the moment, but one will be available at the end of the year, the moorer is leaving the country to live abroad....

so it may mean doing the 14 day punt along the tow path for a few months... using my sons mail addy....

need to start ringing round to see if we can get equity from the house to buy the narrowboat, BSS checks, pay for the river licence, insurance  then off we go.. selling the house isnt going to be fun though... its full of crap from years of hoarding lol...

 

 

It took us two years of eBay, freecycle, car boots and antique fairs to get rid of our posessions, we also kept a store room for many years where we stored all the wrong stuff (we also sold a lot of the wrong things too).

If at all possible keep the house and rent it out to keep a foot on the property ladder and have a rental income. Maybe sell the house and buy another that is more suitable to rent.

Even if CRT do not make living on the canals impossible, one day you will be too old to live on the boat and have to move back to the land.  I thought this would never happen to me but this last year I have realised that even I can not dodge the ageing process.  

The worse case scenario is having to move back to the land sooner than planned and having to spend many years in a house, so you need a reserve to afford one that you could live in, and after living on the water for a few years you might be more fussy about the type of house that you could live in.

[LadyG]

If you intend to live on board, (sry I cant remember all the earlier stuff), and live off benefits, I'd go for a widebeam, it's much wider than a narrowboat .

If you're never had a holiday on a narrowboat, get one booked now.

Edited February 27, 2023 by LadyG

[PD1964]

2 hours ago, mightyslay3r said:

ok guys.. we finally got to go to the marina & see the lovely lady that runs it....

the mooring fee for the year on a 57 footer narrow is £5600 ... but, they do accept housing & council tax benefits.. so that figure will reduce enormously

she took us down the pontoon & showed us what a trad, semi trad & cruiser stern were... think the wife liked the idea of semi trad

although it will give a little less space inside (compared to loosing a lot with a cruiser stern) it'll be somewhere to sit of an evening under the stars.. so long has the british rain holds off lol...

she doesnt have any spots at the moment, but one will be available at the end of the year, the moorer is leaving the country to live abroad....

so it may mean doing the 14 day punt along the tow path for a few months... using my sons mail addy....

need to start ringing round to see if we can get equity from the house to buy the narrowboat, BSS checks, pay for the river licence, insurance  then off we go.. selling the house isnt going to be fun though... its full of crap from years of hoarding lol...

 

Wow that’s a lot for the area, CaRT residential in a Marina £3885, being on Pontoons on the River they’re obviously charging a price be it Narrow or Widebeam. I’m a bit surprised at the cost, having passed there many times.
  Your not moving for a while but you will need a extra canal licence when you do, as no matter which way you go from there, you will be on a canal through your first lock and  your on the river so it will flood.

I take it the £5600 includes your Council Tax, so as you say you can register for all Social Benefits, Doctors/Dentists without worry?

 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by PD1964

[LadyG]

24 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

It took us two years of eBay, freecycle, car boots and antique fairs to get rid of our posessions, we also kept a store room for many years where we stored all the wrong stuff (we also sold a lot of the wrong things too).

If at all possible keep the house and rent it out to keep a foot on the property ladder and have a rental income. Maybe sell the house and buy another that is more suitable to rent.

Even if CRT do not make living on the canals impossible, one day you will be too old to live on the boat and have to move back to the land.  I thought this would never happen to me but this last year I have realised that even I can not dodge the ageing process.  

The worse case scenario is having to move back to the land sooner than planned and having to spend many years in a house, so you need a reserve to afford one that you could live in, and after living on the water for a few years you might be more fussy about the type of house that you could live in.

If they are paying Council Tax, that passes on housing responsibility to the Local Authority, so they may be housed once they get infirm.

I'm no expert I've had to pay my way!

Edited February 27, 2023 by LadyG

[dmr]

8 minutes ago, LadyG said:

If they are paying Council Tax, that passes on housing responsibility to the Local Authority, so they may be housed once they get infirm.

I'm no expert I've had to pay my way!

 

Yes, but who wants to spend their last ten years in a grotty B&B or whatever passes for social housing these days? especially after the freedom of living on a boat.

 

There is a "theory" that this is why many coucils turn a blind eye to people living below the radar on leisure moorings, if they do them for council tax then they just might have to house them later.

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

 

I think on balance I prefer it on my boat to in the pub. 

 

 

 

 

 

Same here. we eat out perhaps once a fortnight, and sometimes have a takeaway 

[LadyG]

There is no reason to think that all council housing is grotty, and lots of people would think that living in a tin shed on a muddy ditch is equivalent to living on a prison ship or an internment camp.

17 minutes ago, dmr said:

 

Yes, but who wants to spend their last ten years in a grotty B&B or whatever passes for social housing these days? especially after the freedom of living on a boat.

 

There is a "theory" that this is why many coucils turn a blind eye to people living below the radar on leisure moorings, if they do them for council tax then they just might have to house them later.

Having worked for a LA, I can pretty much confirm that turning a blind eye is a required skill, not because of any forward planning but because they never do anything which means they have to do anything proactive, no major strategy if not dictated from the Government.

Obviously this excludes housing illegal immigrants who are paid for by government, it's only later they realise there is no such thing as a free lunch.

When people are infirm or unable to cope they have to take what is available and  wait to die, sorry but that's what happens to everyone unless they are very lucky.

Take care

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by LadyG

[dmr]

Please excuse me if this has been said before...

Houses are for living in, boats are for boating, we can only live on a boat because so far nobody has made a law to say we can't, though BW tried and failed.

Its not a stress free life or escaping the rat race, its just exchanging one set of stress and problems for another. Some of your landbased neighbours will hate you, and some other boaty factions might be slightly hostile.

A local land dweller recently became so obsessed that I don't (can't) pay council tax that he started to stalk and threaten me and I had to get the police involved (who were actually pretty good).

Living on a boat puts you on the margins of mainstream society and there are no housing laws to protect you, your residential marina can evict you at a moments notice for no real reason and there is nothing you can do except take your boat away and hope to find somewhere else. This really does happen, a bit of hassle from a neighbour or the council and the marina owner might just decide to give up on residential moorings, or might sell to a new owner who has a new money making plan that does not include you. Or even they might have a wealthy friend who suddenly needs you spot

Its a good life, but not like its portrayed in the movies (uTube) 😀

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

and  wait to die,

Reminds me of this little classic

 

[LadyG]

12 hours ago, cheesegas said:

111 is useless if you're in a boat in the countryside. They simply won't proceed without a postcode and won't take a What3Words/grid ref/co ordinates etc.

I write my postcode at every location I stop at, it's rare there is no pub or something to give you a location, from that pub or whatever you then direct then to your boat. They need a postcode, give them one. It's rare that you need an ambulance.

[mightyslay3r]

2 hours ago, PD1964 said:

Wow that’s a lot for the area, CaRT residential in a Marina £3885, being on Pontoons on the River they’re obviously charging a price be it Narrow or Widebeam. I’m a bit surprised at the cost, having passed there many times.
  Your not moving for a while but you will need a extra canal licence when you do, as no matter which way you go from there, you will be on a canal through your first lock and  your on the river so it will flood.

I take it the £5600 includes your Council Tax, so as you say you can register for all Social Benefits, Doctors/Dentists without worry?

 

 

yes PD.. it includes council tax. what other licence would i need if i have a canal licence from the get go.. 

2 hours ago, dmr said:

 

It took us two years of eBay, freecycle, car boots and antique fairs to get rid of our posessions, we also kept a store room for many years where we stored all the wrong stuff (we also sold a lot of the wrong things too).

If at all possible keep the house and rent it out to keep a foot on the property ladder and have a rental income. Maybe sell the house and buy another that is more suitable to rent.

Even if CRT do not make living on the canals impossible, one day you will be too old to live on the boat and have to move back to the land.  I thought this would never happen to me but this last year I have realised that even I can not dodge the ageing process.  

The worse case scenario is having to move back to the land sooner than planned and having to spend many years in a house, so you need a reserve to afford one that you could live in, and after living on the water for a few years you might be more fussy about the type of house that you could live in.

yes my friend, we know this.. but.. renting out incurs repair costs, also its an income and will have an effect on benefits so will increase the marina charges....

Edited February 27, 2023 by mightyslay3r

[PD1964]

1 minute ago, mightyslay3r said:

yes PD.. it includes council tax

Good luck and hope it works out 👍

[mightyslay3r]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

If they are paying Council Tax, that passes on housing responsibility to the Local Authority, so they may be housed once they get infirm.

I'm no expert I've had to pay my way!

if there are any houses left that is lol... might be a tent in a field...

[Stroudwater1]

13 hours ago, mightyslay3r said:

 

and has most have said.. most app's are via phone call now... or you can request a call rather than go to the surgery....

Point of information by Oct 22 it was  68% face to face (f2f) now, 30% remote. Not that far off how it used to be actually as the comment below mentions 

 

pre pandemic 80% of 20 million appointments were delivered F2F – i.e. 16 million, in August it was 65% of 24.6 million – i.e. 15,990,000

GPs are delivering the SAME number of F2F with almost 1000 fewer GP WTEs, and on top of that an ADDITIONAL 4 million virtual appointments.

 

https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/breaking-news/fewer-than-a-third-of-gp-appointments-remote-last-month/

[tree monkey]

On 26/02/2023 at 15:15, mightyslay3r said:

there is another point i need to cover... due to my daughter being on DWP benefits.. ESA & PIP... how do we go on about that for a postal address? other than a marina....

can she use my sons house address for her post? or is that going to affect benefits etc... i really need to look in to all of this....

I would suggest a FB group called benefits for boaters, highly recommended and moderated by people who actually know about this stuff

[mightyslay3r]

1 hour ago, tree monkey said:

I would suggest a FB group called benefits for boaters, highly recommended and moderated by people who actually know about this stuff

thanks, will head over there now  

request to join pending... thanks tree monkey

Edited February 28, 2023 by mightyslay3r