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

After years in the USA, you may have no recent UK credit history or address history, and you’ll be job hunting across the Atlantic. 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, 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
• Landlords can still check you can afford the rent and ask for a guarantor, as long as they treat everyone the same
• Have a reference from your US landlord or property manager, your deposit refund letter, your job offer and recent bank statements ready. Renting short term for the first month makes viewings much easier than doing it all from the US

Rebuilding your credit file

UK credit reference agencies only hold UK data, and your US credit score 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 the US, 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 old main home in the US hasn’t sold yet, you can usually claim it back if you sell that home within 3 years. Selling a US home has its own US tax rules, so ask your adviser. 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 the USA

• The UK is 5 hours ahead of New York, Boston, Washington DC and Miami, 6 ahead of Chicago and Austin, and 8 ahead of Los Angeles and San Francisco. For a few weeks in March and around late October the gap is an hour less, because clocks change on different dates. Morning calls in the US suit UK afternoons
• UK CVs are usually around two pages, without a photo, and less focused on a one-line summary than US résumés. Your British passport, current or expired, proves your right to work
• UK criminal record (DBS) checks can’t see records held overseas. The US equivalent is an FBI Identity History Summary. The FBI fee is $18, with fingerprinting extra; approved “channeler” companies are faster. If an employer wants it authenticated (an apostille), that’s done by the US Department of State. US embassies abroad don’t take fingerprints, so do it before you leave
• Keep your contracts, W-2s, payslips and a reference letter from each US employer. Many US employers only confirm dates and job title, so ask a manager for a personal reference too

Qualifications

UK ENIC can compare a US 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. A US state licence doesn’t carry over automatically, so check with yours before you apply for roles.

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, and money in a US bank account counts