How do we find a home and a job back in the UK?

After years in Canada, you may have no recent UK credit or address history, and you’ll be job hunting across 5 to 8 time zones. Here’s how to rent, buy and find work when you come back. Rules here are for England.

Renting

• Landlords in England must check every adult’s right to rent. A British passport, current or expired, is enough
• Since 1 May 2026, under the Renters’ Rights Act, new tenancies are periodic with no fixed term, landlords must advertise a set rent and can’t accept offers above it, and can’t refuse you because you have children or receive benefits
• A landlord can ask for at most one month’s rent in advance, after you’ve both signed, and a deposit of up to 5 weeks’ rent if the rent is under £50,000 a year
• Landlords can still check you can afford the rent and ask for a guarantor, as long as they treat everyone the same. With no recent UK history, a UK-based guarantor or a job offer letter helps
• Have a reference from your Canadian landlord, your deposit refund record and recent bank statements ready. Renting short term for the first month makes viewings much easier than doing it all from Canada

Rebuilding your credit file

UK credit reference agencies only hold UK data, and your Canadian credit history doesn’t transfer. After a long time away you may need to build a file from scratch.

1. Register to vote as soon as you have an address
2. Open a UK bank account. If a bank turns you down, you have a legal right to a basic bank account if you live in the UK lawfully and have no other UK account
3. Put household bills in your name, and switch your phone to a monthly contract
4. Leave a few months between credit applications

Buying a home

First-time buyer relief is only for people who have never owned a home, or a share of one, in the UK or anywhere else in the world. If you bought in Canada, it doesn’t apply. You count as non-resident if you spent fewer than 183 days in the UK in the 12 months before buying. If you then spend 183 days in the UK in a row within a year either side of completion, you can claim the 2% back within 2 years. If you pay the extra 5% because your Canadian home hasn’t sold yet, you can usually claim it back if you sell it within 3 years. Lenders set their own rules on UK income, address and credit history, so speak to a mortgage broker early. Scotland and Wales have different taxes.

Job hunting from Canada

• The UK is 5 hours ahead of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, and 8 hours ahead of Vancouver, for most of the year. An early-morning video call in Canada is a UK afternoon; say which hours suit you
• Your British passport, current or expired, proves your right to work
• UK CVs are usually around two pages. Explain Canadian job titles, employers and qualifications that a UK reader may not know, and give salaries and team sizes in plain terms
• UK criminal record (DBS) checks can’t see records held overseas. GOV.UK lists how to get a police check from Canada. Apply before you leave and keep the certificate
• Keep your contracts, T4 slips and a reference letter from each Canadian employer

Qualifications

UK ENIC can compare a Canadian degree or diploma with the UK level in a Statement of Comparability. It costs £69.60 for the e-Statement and takes about 15 working days once you’ve sent everything. Regulated jobs, such as nursing, teaching, law or accountancy, have their own UK registration bodies, so check with yours before you apply for roles. If you kept a UK registration while you were away, check it’s still current.

Benefits while you settle

• British citizens coming back still face a “habitual residence” test for Universal Credit, which can mean a wait of a few months
• Universal Credit isn’t paid if you have savings over £16,000