Renting your house out for a year and living in the Sun

I'm surprised no one has mentioned healthy care and state pension implications.

We did something like that and stayed on. You do need an agent though.
There are a few possible problems, but not too serious. It might take some time to find someone who only wants to rent for a year, and if you want to return you might have a problem getting the tenant to move.
Also the income you actually receive might be less than you expect - eg tax, fees. If you have a mortgage you need to inform the BS. etc.

Go for it. If you don't you will look back and wonder what it would have been like. Have the time of your life

Unless you can get by in the language or have friends already in the area, take this decision slowly. What is wonderful in the summer/good weather may not be so great in the winter, when you're relying on your own resources more. We once had a family holiday out of season, and in a villa nearby lived English expats. When they found out we were English, we were bombarded with visits "just for a chat", and they appeared totally unable to cope with entertaining themselves in a foreign country. This after several years of living there ...

Oh how I wish I was brave enough, I'd love to do what you are thinking of. However commitments wouldn't allow me (apart from being a scaredy cat!). There's plenty of good advice been given, hope it gives you that last push to make your dream a reality. I hope you will keep us posted as to how things progress. Lots of luck.

Go for it before we Take Back Control and have less freedom to travel.

Sounds wonderful to me. Go for it!

Have you considered a long term house-sit?. That way you don't really need to rent out your own house. Or you could split the year into say, 4, and try four different locations. There is a good website.... homesitters.com I think it is off the top of my head. We spent two idyllic years in the Languedoc - house sitting , with a free cottage in exchange for looking after a 'shabby chic' chateau while the owners were away.
I saw it advertised in 'The Lady'. We loved the lifestyle and the region so much we sold up in the UK and bought a little property in SW France, where we stayed for 15 years. I'll forever be grateful for the chance sighting of that advert!

I've rented out my home while working abroad Kateykrunch and it was absolutely fine. A good agent will go through everything you need and can walk you through the process. Get a few local agents around and they'll give you an idea of how it works and how much rent you're likely to get. They'll be able to advise on furnishings and anything you need to do before renting.
I rented part furnished through an agent. Everything was fine on my return, no damage, no problems with the rent, garden immaculate. I was away for just over 2 years.

It sounds like a great idea and done through an agent shouldn't pose too many problems.
I think there are companies who do actual house swaps abroad, so the person renting yours would be the person you rent from. Maybe in that way you would feel less apprehensive?

You'll need to check the tax implications, too, and landlord insurance and registration, ensuring your house complies with things such as electrical and fire safety standards.

I'd definitely use an agent, otherwise you may find yourself trying to deal with problems such as a broken boiler from afar.

Enjoy the sun!

My sister and her husband arrive shortly en route for Spain to do exactly what you describe katey .

They have taken early retirement, are shippingsome of their possessions and storing the rest in the UK. They have let their house unfurnished with no problem. They have a management company to manage that end of things. They have got an accountant to deal with the finances and to be sure they claim what they're allowed etc.

They really did their research so they havedotted all the i's.

Because this was a long held dream, they even took language lessons so now, whilst not fluent , they get by.

They've rented out there and committed to a year but I doubt they'll ever come back willingly.

They did 3 months there over Christmas last year to test the water and only came back very unwillingly .

So it's very doable ! Good Luck !

Let it unfurnished if you can or expect to find extra wear and tear on all furnishings. Carpets will probably need replacing or at least a professional clean. People in a short term let (which a year is) rarely take care of stuff that doesn't belong to them. The deposit takes care of some damage but not all and tenants are entitled to argue reasonable wear.
Having said that I think go for it! Bella Italia for me !

I think that is a sensible idea. Depending on how big your house is I would either let it with one room less - aand have that room to store things you do not want to leave in the house as they would be in the way - the houses DD rented when she moved areas for a new job had no china or cutlery etc - or indeed furniture. Or you could maybe hire a storage unit.
I would start by finding out for a local agent the price you would get for the rental and do a bit of research into the area you would like to go to.
If you rent via an agent you would want a good one who does regular checks on the house - DGD worked for an Estate agent who did renting also and often went to inspect a house. They are also there to sort out any problems

Good luck with the idea - I think northern Portugal is nice and cheaper than many other places unless maybe you fancy a place with plenty of Brits living there.