Guest article: 5  top tips to find your perfect condo 

​Relocating to a new country can be a stressful and emotional time. One of the biggest steps to feeling settled is finding the perfect place to live, where you can set up home. Finding the perfect property can be time-consuming and expensive. We've asked Claire O'Donoghue from Greyloft for some guidance. Here are her top tips for making the house-hunting process in Singapore that little bit easier.

1. Know your budget
Consider what your budget is and how flexible you can be with the amount you are prepared to spend. A lot of rents can be negotiated, but this is entirely dependent on the landlord. Have a number in mind that you would be prepared to top up by around 10%, to buy yourself a bit of negotiating room should you find the perfect place but not at the perfect price.

2. Work out what areas work best
It’s time to take out a map of the island, and figure out all the places you and your family will need to get to. Whether its commuting to work, or taking the kids to school, the location needs to work for you. Take time to figure out what amenities you want close by, although do bear in mind that in Singapore nothing is really that far.
There are lots of resources online to help you narrow down which neighbourhood(s) would suit you best.

3. Engage the right agent
Choosing a place to live is probably the most important step in making you feel settled in your new country, so working with someone experienced and professional makes that process a bit easier.
 
In Singapore, both the landlord and the tenant should have an agent to represent them. This can seem overly complicated, but it is the best way to ensure your needs are protected. Pick an agent who you trust and who really understands what you are looking for.
 
Ensure you understand agent commission fees. If your lease is over $3,500 a month and for a period of two years, you don’t have to pay any commission.

4. Understand the process
Once you’ve found your ideal place, your agent will need to submit a Letter of Intent (LoI). This indicates your intention to sign a rental agreement.
 
Once the landlord accepts the offer in the LoI, you are then required to pay your deposit, usually equivalent to two-months rent, for a two-year lease.
 
You will then proceed to sign the tenancy agreement, where you will also be required to pay stamp duty. This is roughly equivalent to 0.4% of the total rental amount (i.e. monthly rental x the number of months). Your agent will collect the payments, before transferring it to IRAS (the tax authority in Singapore).
 
Have a comprehensive inventory list, which details the condition of the property upon move-in. This document can be used to resolve any disputes about damage when you move out.

5. Once you move in
You have a one-month grace period to report any issues with your property to your landlord to be repaired, without any cost to you.
 
You will need to set up an account with Singapore Power for your electricity, gas and water. You’ll also be required to pay a refundable deposit upon receipt of your first bill – currently S$300 if you pay by direct debit – so don’t be shocked if your first bill seems high; utilities are usually relatively affordable. You will also need to make an appointment for City Gas to switch your gas on.
 
SingTel, StarHub and M1 offer a variety of internet and television packages. You can also get your mobile phone services through them too, which helps keep billing simple.
 
A lot of properties are rented unfurnished (apart from white goods) so you may need to hit the shops to furnish your home. Or it may be a case of waiting for your shipping container to arrive, so you can unpack things from your previous place.
 
Then it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy your new home. 

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To find out more about Greyloft visit their website or Facebook page.

Christmas is just around the corner, and there is nowhere quite like home for its traditions.

 But every country is different, so it got us thinking: what traditions are we missing out on?

Here are just a few:

1. Smelly feet in France: The Noël season starts on 6th December. Instead of stockings, children leave out shoes for Father Christmas to leave gifts in. Food to try: The Bûche de Noël is a traditional Yule log.

2. Strong herbs in Greece: Families attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve. To ward away evil spirits (Killantzaroi) they hang up sprigs of basil. Food to try: Christopsomo (which translates to “Christ’s Bread”) is a sweet bread baked on Christmas Eve.

3. Put another shrimp on the Barbie in Australia: I’ve never actually heard an Aussie say this, especially as my Aussie friends call them prawns. Anyway, I digress. Christmas is in the middle of the summer holidays Down Under so barbecues are popular on Christmas Day. Food to try: Pavlova with fresh berries and passion fruit.

4. Make them wait in Mexico: Children aren’t allowed to open presents until the final day of the festive season on 6th January, which is called El Dia de los Reyes. Food to try: Salt cod with spicy vegetables, a dish known as bacalao.

5. A 12 course meal in Russia: The Orthodox Church uses the traditional Julian calendar, so Christmas is not celebrated until the first week of January. When the first evening star appears a huge 12 course feast, to represent the 12 apostles, starts. Food to try: Russian King Cake made with three layers. The secret ingredient is poppy seeds.

6. Burn the goat in Sweden: In the town a Gavle, a huge straw goat is built every Christmas, and every year vandals try to burn it down. Despite its guards, it has only survived until Christmas Day ten times since 1966. Food to try: Rice pudding, or risgrynsgröt, flavoured with cinnamon.

And finally:

7. Pants down in Spain, Portugal and Italy: Some villages set up a traditional Bethlehem model. “That’s not unusual”, I hear you cry. These models include a Caganer, which is a figurine with his pants around his ankles caught in the act of defecating. Charming. Now on to food to try: Stuffoli is popular in Italy. They are small nuggets of fried dough flavoured with lemon. Reindeer poo anyone?

What's your favourite family Christmas tradition? Drop us a line.

The word travel means to “go from one place to another”, according to Oxford English Dictionary. It also means to undertake a journey – something you can do by sitting still. To me it offers the chance to learn about everyday life in different parts of the world. Just observing, I’m learning.

It's funny what you see when you just observe life. I visited Stanley at the weekend, on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Despite the pounding heat I took my skinny latte outside to a shady step to watch the world go by, while my two daughters ran around oblivious to the sizzling sun. In the space of five minutes I spotted three bizarre sights:

·       a young girl reclining on her rucksack wearing a tight vest top and extremely skimpy shorts, in what she interpreted as a seductive pose, while a photographer clicked away;
·       Young men running around topless, flexing their muscles, while their friends snapped away with their phones;
·       And perhaps the most bizarre, a woman tottering out of McDonald's en pointe in ballet shoes, trailed by yet another photographer.

The funny thing is I don't think any of these events being recorded for posterity were related, other than they involved photography. I wonder what else I'll spot if I just sit and watch...

What bizarre scenes have you seen whole sipping a cappuccino?

More on Hong Kong:
A weekend in Hong Kong: how do you spend 48 hours?

Top phone apps for expats
At the age of seven, in the early 1980s, I moved to Kuwait with my family. We didn’t have a telephone. There wasn’t a door-to-door postal system. But we did have a tape recorder.

I remember my mother barring us from the living room as she recorded her message home, trying to sound as natural as possible, while feeling terribly self-conscious.

Three decades later I moved from the UK to the US with a baby and a toddler. The wide-open plains of Chicago were bewildering to me. I didn’t recognise the shops brands and I didn’t know the landmarks, so navigation was a huge issue.

And then technology came along in the form of an iPhone (other products are available!).

I have to say that technology helped me to find my feet. Having access to broadband on the go meant I had access to maps, and more importantly a little blue dot telling me where I was. I would never be lost again. I was able to shop online, check out reviews, book restaurant and cinema reservations.

And most importantly I was able to call home, for free.

So which apps and websites are currently helping expats find their feet? Here’s our list, but we’re love to hear your favourites. Drop us a line.

International favourites:
·      Skype – call another computer for free using video. Buy credit to call landlines.
·      iTranslate – getting used to another language? Try asking for a courgette or augbergine in an American supermarket (sorry, grocery store).
·      Google Maps – you’re lost without it.
·      Facebook – I was never a fan until I became an expat. Now it’s the easiest way to keep up with life in the mother country.
·      Dropbox – keep your documents and photos on a cloud and you’ll have access wherever you go.
·      Convertbot – for changing your life from centimetres to inches, and from pounds to dollars.
·      iPlayer radio – for getting your BBC Radio 2 fix.
·      Stannp – send a postcard using your own photos.

UAE apps:
·      The Entertainer – 2-4-1 deals on restaurants, spas and hotels. Just flicking through the deals helps you to get an overview of what it’s like to live there. Also now available in Singapore.
·      Careem – a great chauffeur car app. Clean, courteous and safe – the cars and the app.
·      The Dubai Mall – helping you to navigate around the biggest shopping centre in the world.

Singapore apps:
·      How2Go: Helping you get from A2B via public transport.
·      ComfortDelGro Taxi booking: Does what it says on the tin.
·      Redmart: Grocery shopping is tricky without a car, but for dry goods Redmart is a great place to start.

Do you have some gems to share?
Join our free Expat Explorers' Club for the chance to win luxury hotel stays.

I am a rubbish patient. I’ll be the first to admit it, and my husband will be the first to tell everyone.  I’m not the type to raise the back of my hand to a fevered brow and weakly wail while lounging on the sofa. I pretend there is nothing wrong, soldier on, act like the world won’t function without me, until I drop and can no longer move. The simple truth is, illness is an inconvenience that I don’t have time for.

This week I have had to make time. I have just emerged from the fog of Dengue Fever – a tropical disease that worries most expats. I don’t usually write such personal posts, but by sharing my experience it might give a little insight into the symptoms to look out for.

How do you catch Dengue Fever?
I haven’t really worked out of the point of mosquitos yet, and they are the main culprit in spreading Dengue Fever. To prevent getting Dengue you need to prevent getting bitten. Your compound may use fogging as a means of keeping the mosquito population down. Mosquitos breed in water so make sure there is no standing water in your garden/ balcony: This includes potted plant saucers. Dengue is carried by several types of mosquitos, including the black and white striped zebra mosquitos, which can bite at any time of night and day, not just dawn and dusk. However, not every mosquito is a carrier – just enough to make you paranoid. Covering up and using mosquito repellant is the best line of defence. Never again will I curse when the fogging man comes round and I’ve forgotten to shut the window. The good news is that it is not contagious. Your children cannot catch it from you, although they are at risk if there is a Dengue mosquito around.

What is Dengue Fever like?
Each patient reacts differently. The bad news is that in a small number of cases, Dengue, also known as breakbone fever, can be life-threatening. The main risk is a fall in your platelet count, causing Dengue hemorrhagic fever. This results in bleeding, blood plasma leakage and dangerously low blood pressure, and is dealt with by a blood transfusion.

For most people, Dengue is uncomfortable and tiring. You need to drink plenty, and may need intravenous fluid. After ten days, I feel almost normal but very tired. The best advice is to take it easy and accept it takes time to recover.

What is the treatment for Dengue Fever?
There are no antiviral drugs to ease the symptoms directly. You may be given folic acid, and anti-acid prescriptions, in order to avoid stomach bleeding. Your doctor may be able to give you something for the nausea and an antihistamine for the itching. The best treatment is rest and drinking plenty of fluids – you just have to ride it out. I was asked to drink up to ten litres a day.

I visited the hospital daily for intravenous drips and blood tests, which checked my platelet levels and my liver function. I declined their kind offer of hospitality, but was a borderline case. 

There is no vaccine, and the risks are higher if you catch it a second time.

Dengue Symptoms:
·       Two days of “crawling” skin, similar to flu;
·       Two days of aching muscles and joints as if I’d just run a marathon;
·       A week of lethargy, restlessness and poor sleep;
·       Loss of appetite, nausea;
·       Headaches, chills, weakness, dehydration;
·       Memory blindspots;
·       Low energy and general tiredness;
·       Low platelet count – Mine reached 90, and it is possible to be hospitalized for a blood transfusion if the count drops too low.
·       A rash that covers the body and can be intensely itchy, or feel like extreme pins and needles. This is due to blood leaking out of the blood vessels.
·       The symptoms can be similar to chikunhunya, which is also spread by mosquitos, and causes joint pain.

Looking for more information?
Singapore currently has a number of red zones, classified by the number of confirmed Dengue cases. The Singapore National Environment Agency takes Dengue very seriously and all cases are reported to them. An official may contact you to find out where you think you caught it. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that you will be able to send the culprit to an identity parade.

If you want to check the area you live visit: http://www.x-dengue.com/
National Environment Agency: http://www.dengue.gov.sg/
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Need a break? Win a luxury hotel stay

We've partnered up with some great organisations with some super prizes, including:

• Cambodia holiday: Two free nights at the award winning Shinta Mani Club in Siem Reap.
• Cambodia holiday: Two nights for the price of one at the boutique Plantation hotel in Phnom Penh.
• UK: Win 2-4-1 weeknight stay in August at the historic Hope House, Woodstock, UK. Steeped in history, and surrounded by beautiful countryside.
• For new expats in Singapore: 8-hour familiarisation tour of the "Little Red Dot" to give you an insight into the best educational, cultural and historical attractions, as well as the city's food havens.

Click here to take part.
Winners are chosen randomly and you will be contacted by the prize-giver if you are successful.

Expat insight:
Having lived in five countries I've been lucky enough to get a snapshot of how people live their lives in different ways. And it's been fascinating. I've also observed the same routines with different approaches. Let's take something as simple as a school bus ride.

US: with more land and space, schools are spread out. This is home to the iconic yellow bus, which picks your child up from your house and deposits them back again. The system works.

UK: there isn't really a comprehensive school bus system. Families live as close to their chosen school as possible, within "catchment areas" or invisible pens that serve only to push up house prices. So catching a school bus is not so much a well organised integrated system, designed to keep the roads clear and help parents organise siblings forced to go to separate schools: unless you live more than three miles from the school when the bus service, if available, is invaluable.

Kuwait: my knowledge here is thirty years old and I'm not going to pass judgment on whether the system works or not. But as a schoolchild I caught the bus from my flat every day without fail. With only the bus driver to keep charge, the journey was always raucous and loud, and I'd be tipped out into a busy sandy car park, and at the age of seven, with my five-year-old sister in tow, I'd be expected to find my way to my class. But I live to tell the tale.

UAE: I now have school-age children, so I took a keen interest in the bus system from the perspective of a mother. The UAE has similar space issues as the US. It's spread out and sprawling. The difference is that most mothers don't work, as part-time positions are hard to come by, making it tricky to balance the needs of children and corporate life. So mothers drive their children to school. But there is another reason why they offer this taxi service. I once saw a bus, with its wheels pointing forwards. And what's odd about that, you ask? The body of the bus was not. It was driving along a busy motorway with its shell at a very peculiar angle to its chassis. So much for safety first.

Singapore: We're now living in a place that is neat, tidy, orderly and respects my OCD. Our children's school is half an hour's drive away, and with the extortionate car prices we don't have wheels of our own. So I’ve done my sums. I could take public transport but from where I live that would take up at least four hours of my day. I could take a taxi, but that costs as much as the bus service. So for the first time I've taken a deep breath and handed over some responsibility. It's scary but, in the main, the buses run like clockwork, and as well as the driver, there is a bus "Aunty" making sure the children behave and wear their seat belts.

As a mother you are born to worry, and a part of my mind is always thinking about the children and whether they are safe. There have been incidents when the bus has been late, and even early, dropping my children at the roadside without supervision. Of course, there are policies and procedures in place to try to prevent this for happening, so incidents are rare, but it only takes one incident for something to go wrong.

So it was with interest that this week I learnt about mybusmate. This new communication app could help make the school bus run safer and more efficient. It’s a simple hub that links schools, bus operators and parents. It enables parents to monitor their children’s commutes by tracking the bus in real-time. No more waiting around in the rain for a late bus to arrive. No more safety concerns about children getting off the bus early. It can be used as a two-way messenger; an electronic register, checking children on and off the bus; as well as simplifying logistics for bus operators. Once schools and bus operators have adopted the service, it is free to parents. To me, it’s not so much a piece of technology as potentially peace of mind.

April is stress awareness month, and I can't think about anything more stressful than travelling with children. Once upon a time I used to book a flight, pack a rucksack, and I’d be off. Now I have two young children. That doesn’t mean my holidays are now limited to package deals and resorts with kids’ clubs (actually that sounds quite nice), but it does mean I have to plan a little differently. Here are our top tips for travels with kids. Much can be learnt from bitter experience!

1.     Choose your destination – the first three years of travelling with babies are the most difficult, so choose destinations that aren’t so off the beaten track. The world doesn’t change so fast that your top destinations won’t be there in a couple of years.

2.     Consider health – When your child is very young you may not want to pump them with unnecessary chemicals. Immunisations and malaria tablets are essential in some parts of our beautiful world so think about where you are going and whether you could go somewhere else.

3.     Slow down – As a backpacker, if I stayed two nights in one location I thought I’d developed roots. Today with two children in tow, we look to stay a minimum of two nights. Children are very flexible but having at least one day’s rest between travel ensures you can explore more at each destination, rather than thinking constantly about your next stop. 

4.     Don’t pack too much – children are raised all over the world, and very few places are so remote that you can’t buy what you need. That said, do some research and make sure you can get what you need. You might be able to use washable nappies, instead of disposable ones, but you won’t be able to make do without junior’s special milk formula.

5.     Pack the essentials in your hand luggage - extra nappies, wet wipes, spare clothes, the special teddy. I’ve been caught out with a baby, suddenly producing teething nappies, when we were stuck on the runway for three hours. I thought ten nappies was enough for an eight hour flight. Apparently not. The sanitary pad offered to me by the air stewardess wasn’t exactly helpful.

6.     To stroll or not – on one hand it is extremely useful to have a buggy at the airport, especially as you can take it to the gate. However, if you are travelling alone, trying to collapse a buggy into an x-ray machine single-handed, with a toddler and a baby, a nappy bag, a handbag, a day pack, a snack pack etc. is an impressive, and very stressful, feat to achieve. From the age of two our daughters were able to hang on to the handle as we wheeled our suitcase around (yes, I traded my backpack for a suitcase!)

7.     Take a backpack – I don’t mean stuffing your child into a regular day sack. Invest in a child carrier that will double as a day sack. Imagine how smug you’ll feel when you just have the one bag to deal with. And of course, it’s essential if you want to do any amount of walking. Ever tried wheeling a buggy through an overcrowded city, or up a mountain? Get the right gear. And ditch the handbag.

8.     Rein them in – controversial to some, but baby reins are really, really useful. It’s safety first, and if you have an active toddler, you know where they are. Particularly useful in airports at the x-ray machine, while you’re struggling with that buggy (see point 6!).

9.     Create a diversion (part 1) – pack snacks, and plenty of them. Boxes of fiddly raisons are great; healthy and time-consuming to eat. If you’re using pre-prepared baby food, pack pouches rather than glass jars. They are lighter, take up less room, and not as likely to break or be confiscated by airport officials.

10. Create a diversion (part 2) – Pack some toys, but wrap them up first. Unwrapping something is often as much fun as playing with it.

I should also say relax, but I’m unlikely to take my own advice. Things will go wrong, but they make the best stories afterwards.
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When I asked my mother, Joan, for her view on us moving abroad, I wasn’t sure what the reply would be; I felt guilty dragging her grandchildren from the motherland. I have to say a huge thank you to my parents and mother-in-law for their continued support. Originally our plan was to moved to Chicago for two years and then return back to Blighty. Since then we’ve lived in Dubai and we’re now in Singapore. We have become hostages to the pay-packet and we go where the work is; after all we have a young family to support. However, as a traveller I love learning about new places and I’m grateful we have the opportunity to do it with the support of our family.

Here’s a grandmother’s view of dealing with an expat family…thank you Mam.

When our daughter announced she was going to live in Chicago, my husband and I were both pleased and upset. We would miss all of them especially our only two grandchildren, then aged three years and six months, an age when they are funny and growing fast.

Who were we to complain? We had done exactly the same to our parents 30 years ago when we went to live in Kuwait. We told ourselves that at least today we have Skype, which enables us to speak to the family – we used to rely on posting cassette tapes back and forth. Thirty years ago we didn’t have a phone, the postal system wasn’t always reliable and there was no such thing as the internet. Most people had not even heard of Kuwait, let alone be able to pinpoint it on the map. 

But, with this inside knowledge we knew that it would enrich their lives.

Five years and three countries later they still live abroad and we have had some wonderful holidays staying with them. Our arrival is always kept a secret from the grandchildren, so the highlight of our stay has to be their faces when they open the door and see us standing there. The first cuddle is the most wonderful thing.

Living with the family enables us to spend quality time with them, reading books, going to their school and meeting their friends, and being shown new places through a child’s eye. They know no different, so they are both curious and excepting. They are not on holiday so we try to fit in with the normal family routine enjoying the different ways of doing things.

Be warned though: this wonderful time is paid for in tears, many an airport is awash. Much better to say your goodbyes at home where the “teddies” live.

We are off now to Skype.

A grandmother's top tips:

• Set up a regular Skype time to stay in contact. It's amazing how quickly time flies and before you know it you haven't spoken for a month.
• Don't think that you're out of sight out of mind. It takes a lot of work to set up home in a new country. Be supportive.
• Learn to be self-sufficient when you visit. You may be on holiday but they are not. It's not easy bringing up children away from the support of the wider family, so lend a hand.

Do you have any tips to share? Drop us a line.

Planning is the key to settling your pet into its new homeland, according to Ross Fraser from airfreight specialists Extrodinair. He tells us why….

Most responsible owners naturally have concerns about transporting the four-legged members of their family, but the process is easier than you may think.

However, advanced planning plays a big part in ensuring everything goes smoothly, especially as most countries have different rules and regulations.

Travelling pets are well looked after in the cargo hold. The area is kept dark to keep your pet calm; it is the same air pressure and temperature as the cabin (between 12-18°C).

Here’s our top tips:

• Follow the rules and regulations precisely, to avoid your beloved pet spending a period of time in quarantine, which can be expensive. Hold ups can be caused by incorrect health paperwork, e.g. incorrect microchip reading, rabies paperwork, invalid tapeworm treatment etc. You can send your pet’s paperwork to your destination airport Border Inspection Post in advance so that it can be checked with the requirements;
  
• Do not to feed your pet before their flight to avoid sickness and mess in their kennel. This may cause your pet unnecessary distress;
  
• Buy a suitable kennel/cage, which meets International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations, before your trip so your pet can get used to it as their bed, particularly if they have never travelled in one before. This will help them feel more secure as they will be familiar with their new surroundings. We would recommend that our clients come to our office with their pet for a ‘fitting’.
  
• Contact your destination airport to ensure they have space to accommodate your pet on arrival (Animal Reception Centre);
  
• If travelling to the UK from a non-EU country you will need to complete a C5 customs form. 
  
• Work closely with your freighting company who should:

               o   check with the airline to confirm they have an approved route for transporting your pet to the        required destination;
               o   check with destination authorities, for advice on the health regulations, e.g. export/import licence requirements;
               o   Liaise with the destination airport to ensure there are suitable facilities for animals i.e. Border Inspection Post;
               o   advise you on the kennel/cage required depending on the size of your pet. It is very important that you use the correct size as per the regulations. If you arrive at the airport with a kennel that is too small the airline will refuse to carry your pet on-board.
               o   line your chosen kennel with vet bedding, which is absorbent and keeps your pet comfortable during its journey.

Some airline routings require an overnight stop before onwards travel. Your pet will be housed in an animal facility with staff in attendance 24/7. They will be let out of their transport box, into a bigger kennel, where they have access to food and water.

At your destination you’ll need to make arrangements to get your pet home. Remember some of the larger travel kennels do not fit into cars. Check whether your transporter offers a pet taxi service. If you are travelling on the same flight as your pet, this means that you can travel home, unpack and settle in while your pet is brought to you.

Then you can put the kettle on and enjoy your new home with your pet.
………
With more than 20 years’ experience assisting furry friends to travel safely and correctly, Extrodinair offer their advice for free. Contact them for more information. www.extrordinair.co.uk or email arc@extrordinair.co.uk

The DEFRA website confirms the UK import requirements and approved routings.
www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad

#expatproblems

Time for a rant. Let's talk about money. Not about getting rich, saving it or the warmth of happiness when you find a small stash down the back of the sofa. I mean tax. A horrible, three-letter word that strikes fear into the heart of all adults. The bogeyman to most grown-ups.

If you're a Brit and you haven't filled in your tax return, you will (hopefully) be painfully aware that the submission deadline is this week. If you had forgotten that we are already at the end of January you might be having a few sleepiness nights as you scramble to gather your paperwork in time. If you are an expat and filing an online tax return for the first time, I'm afraid my friend, you're stuffed. So here are some observations, and please also allow me to use it as an excuse to get a few things off my chest.

Expats are not exempt. While you soak up the sun in your expat homeland, the drizzly, grey UK days might be a distant memory. Put the Mojito down. You still need to fill in a tax return even if you don't have any earnings. You have to account for any interest you make on savings (fat chance), and any income if you rent out your UK home.

You have to register. If you haven't filled in an electronic UK tax return before, you will have to register in order for your name to be on the system. The process involves HMRC sending you an activation number...by post. Now given the wonderful world of technology, and the fact you wish to file an electronic tax return, presumably because you're late, don't want it to get lost in the post, don't have a postal system that works where you live, or all of the above, this seems a daft system. I have to admit to waking up in a cold sweat at 3am one night last week because despite living abroad for four years I had forgotten all about the UK tax system – it’s not at the top of my thoughts usually. I have my excuses, don't we all: we've just moved country (third time in four years) and my husband has changed job. This means all our stuff is on a ship somewhere.

You need more than the HMRC. I’m not a rule breaker. I feel a little uncertain if the grass in the park is not clearly marked to tell me whether I’m allowed to walk on it or not. I panic on stairs – do I keep left or right? And don’t ask me to put a glass bottle in a rubbish bin. In essence, I try to do the right thing. The HMRC online system isn’t helping me to do this. It’s not the end of your taxing journey. It’s just the beginning. If you’re an expat, there is additional paper to fill in, not available on the HMRC system, which means you have to buy a commercially available product. And if you have a Mac, the number of products is limited.

Gathering tax receipts in one problem; Some banks only provide electronic information, some only provide it by post. However, actually filling in a tax return is another problem.

I’m feeling a little lighter sharing this burden. It’s time I found a Mojito. Good luck.