DavidAN

The more things are publicized, the more discussion can be had about the advantages and disadvantages about the wording of such laws/regulations/guidance. This inevitably leads to changes > progress. There is nothing worse than following the spirit of the law, only to find that others do not, and continue to do so, because there is no open discourse.

You do realize that someone could say exactly the same thing about boaters - i.e., that if you don't want to boat on crowded canals, get a mooring somewhere less popular. I'm not having a go at you. I'm just saying that, as a logical argument, it doesn't really hold. I personally think the canals should be concreted over and apartment blocks built on top of them. At least that way the canals would be put to functional use rather than just being used for rich people's leisure activities. (I'm only joking, by the way)

It's good that you mention this point because what counts as a 'residential' mooring can vary a lot. Some marinas for example may set limits for the total amount of time you can spend living there in any one year and may even require proof that Council Tax is paid elsewhere. I'm presently confused by the terms and conditions for my own residential CRT mooring (Waterside Moorings). It (the standard agreement for all moorings) states that: "6.4.3 not use the Mooring as your sole main residence without our prior written consent;" No other mention of residence is made and none specifically about residential moorings.

I just thought I would give an update for anyone who is interested... In the end I found a cheap CRT residential mooring. It was cheap because the mooring is relatively short in length, which is reflected in the price. So, I was quite lucky in finding it. It's a little bit farther North than I would have liked. Being a Northerner myself, though, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll have to pay Council Tax, but that doesn't bother me as there are several advantages to having Council Tax status, especially for an expat. It also means I won't have to pay for a postal forwarding address. Anyway, thanks to everyone for all the advice that has been given to me on this thread - even in the cases where I have already known some of the information, it has, at the very least, helped to confirm it.

But the boater would have to keep moving anyway to avoid being classed as resident on the mooring. The CRT mooring requirement for offenders seems to assume that the boater will reside on the leisure moorings which they do not allow for long periods and the boater would be taking up a mooring space anyway (albeit one that he/she has paid for).

That would imply that someone with a home mooring should be able to use the waterways frequently in the vicinity of their own mooring. But we do have continuous cruisers now and that is seen, if done correctly, as a valid way of living on the waterways. My point was asking what actual difference does the requirement of a mooring make to the 'problem' when having a mooring might not make a difference to the traveling frequency/pattern of the boater (offender) in question?

Just been reading http://www.canaljunction.com/boat/liveaboard1.htm and it says: "If you don't comply CRT say they will be examining how far boats have moved over the course of their previous licence to see if they satisfy the requirement for continuous cruising. Regular reminders will be sent to all those boaters whose limited movement is causing a concern. On the expiry of their licence, those that have consistently failed to move in accordance with the Trust’s Guidance will be refused a new licence unless they take a home mooring." What I don't see is what difference taking a home mooring would have on their cruising habits (and hence their impact on the network). If anything, as the home moorings are unlikely to be residential, it's more likely that cruising will then be done over even shorter distances. Is it just about the extra money generated? I'm not saying this is bad, I'm just asking what the actual reasoning behind it is.

I've just been reading the statistics from a survey of London boaters. For those who haven't already seen it, it has some interesting info. https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/refresh/media/thumbnail/30901-whos-on-londons-boats-survey-summary-report.pdf

This info is much appreciated. Thanks.

And some of them are successful. It's all in the planning.

The market is the market - everything is relative. I started my research into this a couple of months ago. I made sure to search for boats newly listed on the websites rather than those which were just relisted, etc. There were new boats being listed at relatively cheap prices. The prices I have seen from a couple of years ago were not just cheap, they were extremely cheap - there's one on YouTube showing off his 18-footer which he bought for a mere £1200 in good overall condition inside and out. He planned to live in it, but I assume that 18-foot would feel about half the size of a 20-footer (?). Rather than living in it, I'm assuming that such a boat would only be suitable for traveling and sleeping in at best. Not that 20-footers are really suitable for living in. I actually boarded up half a room to mimic the cabin dimensions of a 20-footer and even slept in it for a couple of days. I couldn't copy the headroom, though. It wasn't a bad experience. Oops, I'm digressing... There are still a few cheap boats about, but I'm thinking ahead to what the situation will be in two or three months. I could just get a mooring now and buy a really ugly boat that no one else wants (there are some really ugly ones being advertised), but with the difficulties I envisage in running a boat that's the last thing I would want. I assume that the market will pick up before the end of March, but which way? What will the balance be between people not wanting to renew their moorings/insurance/licences and those that want to buy a boat for the upcoming season? Buying patterns for cars are relatively easy to find. For boats it's a different matter.

I already have a transferwise account which I set up just last week. I'm also in the process of setting up a Monese account so I'll have use of a debit card.

All the cheap boats now seem to be suddenly disappearing from the boatyards..... despair! There are still lots of Shetland fishingy boaty types of almost cruisers, but they seem to be a little too far away from the mark. @ anyone >> Is there a "best time to buy" in the year, or has that already passed?

Quote from their website (I've blanked out the website name - not sure of the forum rules) "As the core customer base for --------------- is canal boat owners, motorcaravanners and those who use caravans, they are classed as Living on a boat or other movable residence and can use the ---------------- address as a point of contact and can get a listing in the local Electoral Role" On the yourvotematters website it states that you can use a special form to to be on the register due to a "local connection". Having an address you use for people to contact you is a local connection (it doesn't actually state that) as it's only a "declaration". I'm not an expert though.

Banking will be a strange set-up at first as there is a bank account type of thing I can use coming from Europe. It's not a real bank account, but it gives me access to my own UK bank account number with sort code IBAN etc,. After setting it up it shouldn't be a problem using a paid for forwarding service address and I believe it would be perfectly legal. It's also now seems possible to set up a basic account in the UK (a very recent development) from an EU address. Once this is done changing to a UK forwarding address service shouldn't be a problem - it's something many people do. Regarding state benefits, in the short term I would not be entitled to them. There are rules which say that I must have the right to reside in the UK (as a UK national, that right is automatic) and that I can prove 'habitual residence'. I would have to provide proof that I have been living in the UK for at least 3 months. Adding to this, I may actually stay officially registered at my address in Europe as this could be beneficial in some ways. There are many pros and cons to this which I need to weigh up before deciding how to proceed. These are things I have been thinking about and am working on. "What I am saying is that you can't just be a non person, do your own thing, you need cash, ergo you need a bank, who will want an address." Although I have already thought about these things, it is good to see that we are on the same wavelength regarding the problems that will arise.