Life without a permanent address

[GrayHare]

If a physical residence is needed, what about renting the smallest, cheapest apartment in your general area? Might be less expensive than keeping a condo, and if you are renting in order to comply with government needs, maybe the rent would qualify as a tax deduction.

 

[Koolau]

If a physical residence is needed, what about renting the smallest, cheapest apartment in your general area? Might be less expensive than keeping a condo, and if you are renting in order to comply with government needs, maybe the rent would qualify as a tax deduction.

The problem with cheap rent places is they are likely less safe - and therefore less safe to leave unattended. Something wrong if the gummint doesn't make provision for honest, honorable nomads.

 

[Poopycat]

If you're using that city as a home base and staying there occasionally, it sounds like it's worth it to keep the condo while you figure out what works best.

I forgot to ask, do you know if your condo allows short term/AirBnB stays? Many have started prohibiting them for the comfort and security of the residents.

I don’t think so. You can rent it out with board approval but that is typically just for people who want to rent it out on longer leases. I don’t want to manage Airbnb rentals so that’s fine with me.

 

[Poopycat]

One issue is that many home insurance companies require that you spend at least one night per month in your "residence" to maintain the insurance. How they check that, I don't know. When my mom's house became "empty" (we were cleaning it out over a summer) I stayed one night each month to be able to claim it was occupied. Check your policy and YMMV.

Since I would be returning every month, I’m not too worried about meeting this requirement. When I have moved to another city for job purposes, I always worried about that 30-day clause. Also, I live in a high rise with a building manager, which makes me feel more comfortable about leaving too. Unlike in a house, not too many catastrophic things can happen. Maybe a burst pipe, but since all the pipes are interconnected, the building manager could come into my place if there were a leak. I don’t think it’s too likely that vandals could get in since there’s a full time front desk person. I guess a fire could break out but I’m not really sure how. When i moved in, the building manager called me because there was a leak in the ceiling in the apartment below me; apparently the previous owner of my place didn’t caulk in an area of the shower and water seeped into the ceiling below. I figure that if I had a bad leak, it would be found quickly.

 

[Poopycat]

The problem with cheap rent places is they are likely less safe - and therefore less safe to leave unattended. Something wrong if the gummint doesn't make provision for honest, honorable nomads.

Thanks for the suggestion. I checked out some apartments with low rents and yikes, some of them are scary. I’d also have to go through the hassle of setting up all the things you set up when you move (address changes for your bills; setting up utilities; etc.). And I’d still probably need a storage unit. I also live in an area with high crime…I’m in a good area but parts of the metro area are sketchy IMO and I’m not sure whether I’d be moving into a safe place to live.

Good suggestion, I just don’t think it’ll be the best option for me.

 

[martyp]

I moved to Thailand in 2017 and I’ve been using my sister’s address for the past six years. I rarely get snail mail anymore. If I get anything she thinks is important she sends me a photo. It hasn’t been a burden for her.

 

[teej1985]

One issue is that many home insurance companies require that you spend at least one night per month in your "residence" to maintain the insurance. How they check that, I don't know. When my mom's house became "empty" (we were cleaning it out over a summer) I stayed one night each month to be able to claim it was occupied. Check your policy and YMMV.

When I had moved and listed a property for sale, I got a "vacant home" policy from Foremost.