George Lunt

Thanks everyone. Very helpful and constructive advice. I think I see a way forward now. One of the downsides of Brexit it seems!

Thanks Sunil that certainly makes things clearer. My big problem now is how I verify the country of origin , I know that they were all bought in UK but 10 - 20 years ago! How do I go about assuring HMRC that I have definitive proof of the origins of all these items?

Thanks Admin 8. I looked up importing personal effects and it seems as though many of the items could be brought back to my home in my own car using the " declaration by conduct" procedure. I also see that there is a mechanism for re-importing goods to the uk from EU. It also seems that the time restriction can be waived if the personal property of a uk resident is being returned for personal use and/ or meeting household needs of the resident. All of this seems to apply to me. Comments would be very much welcomed!

Thank you but not quite clear how relevant the information is. I am not transferring residence, I am permanently resident in the UK. All the items were purchased in England, and VAT, taxes etc paid. I am simply bringing them back to my permanent UK residence . I understood that used personal items could be freely transported e.g. in one's car. Is that not the case?

I am just starting to sell a family holiday home in Ireland (ROI) and wish to bring back a number of items to my home in England. Mainly items of furniture all bought in England about 20 years ago. What exactly are the rules for bringing back used household items to be used and retained in England. I have had very conflicting advice from removal companies. Is VAT payable on used items that were all purchased, VAT paid, in the UK, some say yes, others say no!