Brit family admit ‘it's not easy' as they ditch UK for EU country with £7k homes
A British family who relocated to Bulgaria and purchased a derelict £7,000 property warn that not everyone "has what it takes" to make such a move - cautioning about visa fraudsters, brutal -30°C winters and the challenge of mastering the language.
Laura Phoenix, 35, and her husband Anthony, 33, relocated to Strazhitsa, Bulgaria, two years ago alongside their daughters - Cecelia, six, and Nova, three. The pair discovered and purchased a neglected three-bedroom house in Strazhitsa for merely £7,000 - after craving an off-grid existence and being unable to stretch to the £500,000 price tags of UK properties.
They sold their British two-bedroom house for £85,000 and travelled nearly 2,000 miles from Darlington, County Durham, to Bulgaria in September 2023 and have been restoring the home ever since - spending under £5,000 to date. It comes amid general praise for the country.
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However, despite never feeling "happier" they do caution against potential pitfalls - including visa cons after being swindled out of £7,000 themselves, ensuring you're "resilient enough" for the severe winters and being ready to master Bulgarian to survive.
Laura, an online English tutor and author, said: "Visa scams are huge over here. We lost £6k or £7k through it. I had to spent six weeks in Bulgaria alone while it was sorted - while Anthony took the kids back to the UK. It was horrendous.
"It should always be through a lawyer. People have a misconception that this life is idyllic. It takes a tough person. Sometimes we are snowed in. The pipes sometimes freeze. Bulgarian is an exceptionally difficult language. If you don't learn it the locals won't respect you. I don't want everyone to think it is easy because it is not.
"I don't think everyone would have what it takes to come here but you can if you're tough and you want to escape."
Anthony, a stay-at-home father, and Laura harboured dreams of living off-grid together but after witnessing prices hovering around £500,000 for what they desired in the UK they began searching overseas. Following other Brits who had relocated to Bulgaria, the pair set their hearts on doing likewise and dedicated two weeks to discovering their family home in May 2022 - becoming enchanted with the town of Strazhitsa, Bulgaria.
They offloaded their business and Darlington property to purchase their Bulgarian fantasy outright and relocated in September 2023. Now, almost two years into the refurbishment, they reckon they have spent under £5,000 - and are 60% of the way finished - as Anthony has been completing all the labour himself.
Laura said: "It feels like a normal house now. It's not complete chaos. The kitchen didn't have a floor - it had a giant hole. Before it was a ruin."
The pair calculate they have roughly another two years to reach completion stage. They now possess a garden for their children - where they are cultivating 40 tomato plants and fresh berries.
Yet despite this they don't avoid discussing the disadvantages of life in Bulgaria. The couple were initially duped by a Bulgarian man who had offered to assist with their visa paperwork.
It turned out that he was procuring the visas illegally, which meant Anthony had to return to the UK with the children for six weeks while Laura sorted it out with an immigration solicitor. She revealed that many other British families have been caught in similar scams.
Laura said: "They charged one family £20k for paperwork. No one should be dealing with it unless they are an immigration lawyer."
Now both Anthony and Laura, who have Irish relatives, have managed to obtain Irish citizenship, enabling them to apply for residency - which lasts for five years. To apply for this, they only need to demonstrate they have £500 in each of their bank accounts - whereas previously they each needed at least £6k in the bank for their extended residency.
The family also caution about the severe winters in Bulgaria, stating they've seen many families unable to cope with the conditions.
Laura added: "It got to minus 30 last winter. People come here in the summer and don't see it in the winter - when there is ice on every window. We love it. We love the challenge of it."
Here's a breakdown of the Phoenix family's costs in the UK and Bulgaria:
Mortgage in the UK - £180 a month, Gas and electric - £25 a week on a pay as you go meter - £100 a month, Council tax - £120 a month.
In Bulgaria, their expenses are - Mortgage - £0, Electric - £60 a month, Wood for heating for all winter - £118, Council tax - £60 for two years (plus fines).
This results in an annual saving of £4,168.
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