[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Just as an FYI, I am working on an article for the June Belize Insider that will overview rental options in the most popular expat towns/regions of Belize. The main purpose is to give you Insiders a list of sources for finding rentals, since there aren’t that many and they vary from region to region.

Realtors do usually have some rentals, but some expat regions do have non-realtor property management firms or facebook pages, as well. In Corozal, here are the ones that I found: : http://corozal.bz/real; http://abicasabelize.com/; and http://www.consejo.bz/property/rentals.html. Right now the website for Abi’s Casa is not up to date with Corozal rentals. But she assured me that she does have them and will get them onto her website in the next month. But you can contact her, as well as these other sources.

Please share with this group what worked with rentals and what didn’t. This is the most common question I get for expats who want to try out Belize before moving here. But I can only do the research. I am not directly renting from any of these groups.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

It is a function of resident vs. non-resident. The QRP is not considered a regular resident. It’s a special status, thus is renewed yearly and can be lost.

Once you become a resident you lose your ability to have a US dollar account in Belize, or an IBC offshore corporation. Part of the reason QRPs are not residents is so that they can maintain these account and IBC benefits.

Whether you are a resident or QRP, you can have a BZ dollar account if you live in Belize.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

It is a function of resident vs. non-resident. The QRP is not considered a regular resident. It’s a special status, thus is renewed yearly and can be lost.

Once you become a resident you lose your ability to have a US dollar account in Belize, or an IBC offshore corporation. Part of the reason QRPs are not residents is so that they can maintain these benefits.

Whether you are a resident or QRP, you can have a BZ dollar account if you live in Belize.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

It is a function of resident vs. non-resident. The QRP is not considered a regular resident. It’s a special status, thus is renewed yearly and can be lost.

Once you become a resident you lose your ability to have a US dollar account in Belize, or an IBC offshore corporation. Part of the reason QRPs are not residents is so that they can maintain these account and IBC benefits.

Whether you are a resident or QRP, you can have a BZ dollar account if you live in Belize.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

David,

Here are a few links to point you in the right direction. I just scanned these quickly, but got the impression that scouting in Belize follows the British traditions. Most scouting activities seem to be centered in Belize City. If there are not troops in other regions possibly you could start one in an area that doesn’t have one. Heaven knows, Belize’s young men need positive role models and activities to keep them from drifting into gangs. Here are the links:

http://www.scoutsbelize.org/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scouts-of-Belize/101172893258109?sk=timeline
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting_and_Guiding_in_Belize
http://ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/475728/The_History_of_Scouting_in_Bel.html

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

James,

Both Ambergris Caye and Placencia have international schools that are managed by expats who want the best possible education for their children. The Island Academy on Ambergris Caye has been in existence for quite a few years. Lady Dixie Bowen is the head mistress. It is a very active school and most of the teachers are North Americans.

The Peninsula International Academy is a private school in Placencia that was started by expats a few years ago.

There are also some good Catholic and Anglican run schools on the mainland, in Belize City. That is where many wealthier Belizeans send their children for high school. But your daughter is young and I assume you want to live somewhere where your daughter can attend school close by. Check out Placencia and Ambergris Caye. Placencia is lower key and less populated. There is a lot to do on Ambergris Caye, but it is not as quiet and low key as Placencia. The cost of living in both places is about the same. There are also quite a few young expats with families who have moved to Placencia, so you would find quite a few expats from around the world who have young families living in Placencia.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Each year, when you renew, there is a nominal fee of about $50. There is a section on the Belize Insider website that does go into the QRP requirements in detail, so check that page. Once you become a QRP your ongoing fees are negligible. The main thing is that you need to move $24,000 US dollars to Belize each year. You can spend that money how every you want to in Belize, on your cost of living or an investment. In other words, you don’t have to live here fulltime. YOU could spend a month a year, and spend the money transferred on investments instead of your cost of living.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Sorry, Pierre, but Ambergris Caye doesn’t have an RV option. This is a fairly small island and you are only allowed to rent a golf cart here. Most expats get around on foot, on a bicycle, or with a golf cart. RVs are very unusual in Belize. I have only heard of a RV park outside of Corozal and near Benque Viejo, in the Cayo. So you would be better off to rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle and get around that way.

To get to the cayes you will fly on a small plane, or take a water taxi.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

I did follow up with the Belize Insider IT Manager and the website editor. There are some glitches in the Insider websites’ software design, including this Notify Me feature. They are working on it. But the websites were designed by an different company than International Living, so these types of fixes are quick turn around fixes.

I am happy to address the content issues on the Belize Insider website. But these programmatic issues are beyond my purview, so I will pass them on to the IT experts. The IT manager is looking at a variety of options to fix the Insider websites. Those fixes are software related, so are not quick fixes.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

David,

Another reason to remain a QRP is that you can maintain a US dollar account in Belize, as well as an offshore corporation. Quite a few expats take advantage of these options. Once you become a Belize resident, or a citizen, you no longer can have a US dollar account, or an offshore IBC. That would mean when you transferred any US or Canadian dollars to Belize, they would be converted to Belize dollars. But it is not worth it to convert Belize dollars back to US dollars. I am a QRP and I maintain a US dollar account exactly for that reason. I don’t convert the US dollars in my international bank account in Belize to BZ dollars until we need them.

For some reason, this topic of US dollar international bank accounts in Belize is seldom mentioned during QRP discussions. But I consider the banking and IBC benefits to be major advantages as compared to residency. But once you become a resident it is much easier to work here. So it depends on what an expat plans to do when living here.

Did Roshel say that you can automatically become a resident after a year of being a QRP? If so, that is a big change. I talked to her when I was updating the Belize Manual last year. But at that time it was still not possible to convert from a QRP status to a resident. For any QRP who wanted to become a resident, they had to start the entire process over again. That means you have to stay in Belize for all but 2 weeks out of a year before even applying for residency. I will be checking in with Roshel this summer to get the updates on if and when QRPs will be able to convert directly to resident status without going through the usual process.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Caye Caulker in general has a lower cost of living than Ambergris Caye. It is a much smaller island, with less options, so less places to spend your savings. You don’t really need a golf cart there. Walking and biking will suffice. I’ve heard that there are still home rentals available for under $600/month, but they are in short supply.

I recently reviewed property for sale on Caye Caulker and found far fewer condos there than on Ambergris Caye. I have concluded that the real estate on Caye Caulker is no longer that much less expensive than on Ambergris Caye. But there are some decent wood construction houses off beach, which are less expensive, but also less hurricane resistant. Most construction on Ambergris Caye is concrete, and thus more hurricane resistant. Concrete construction costs more.

You can easily take a water taxi over to Ambergris Caye from Caye Caulker during the day. But the last water taxi leaves around 5:30 PM. Water taxis don’t run between the cayes after sunset. So you could head over to Ambergris Caye and spend the day each Sunday for the local beach bar and BBQ activities, then return late in the day. But if you want to enjoy the evening bar and music scene in San Pedro you’ll need to spend the night there. Hotels in San Pedro are not cheap…

January to May is the high season in Belize. You can contact real estate offices on Caye Caulker to ask about rentals during that time frame. And you can also join the Ambergris Caye Forum on line. It covers the entire country. So ask on line about rentals on Caye Caulker. But realize that you’ll find better rental deals after you spend time in Caye Caulker and get to know people on the ground who will alert you to deals as they come up. Many rentals are taken without ever being advertised.

During your first visit on the caye you’ll most likely pay more to rent. But once you know people on the ground in Caye Caulker and get connected, you’ll start to hear about the better deals, as they come up. The longer the period you are willing to rent, the better the deal will be. That’s true anywhere in Belize. Six month rentals are much less per month than a month rental.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

You don’t have to. You can always use your USA or Canada driver’s license, until it expires. If you own a vehicle in Belize it makes sense to get a local driver’s license. It is not that hard to get one.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

David,

We look forward to hearing what you share with the group. Thanks!

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

I will ask our website manager to check into this. I agree with you. I do not receive follow up notices either. Thanks for pointing this out.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Ken,

All of the links you are reading are those of the developer building the airport. He is extremely controversial and has had problems in the past. Check out the Belize Forum to follow the historical thread on this project and the developer. But here are a few more recent, less political articles that will give you a better perspective on this project:

– http://www.sanpedroscoop.com/2014/12/international-flights-land-placencia-international-airport.html
– http://www.sanpedroscoop.com/2014/09/belize-airline-discussion-slow-season-ticket-prices-cruise-ships-placencia-international-airport.html. Read down near to the bottom to get the review of why economics aren’t compelling enough for airlines to split flights between Belize City International And Placencia’s new airport.

That being said, the new Placencia airport can cater to private jets. Or if the fellow who owns The Placencia, and the airport, manages to work out a deal with an Italian discount airline company that wants to bring tourists directly to Placencia, that would be a good option. But the above articles give the rational for why American Airlines, United and Delta do not believe there are adequate financial advantages to splitting their flights between the two airports.

This is a topic that has been debated as long as I’ve lived in Belize. Those of us who live here seldom pay much attention to what developers advertise. We wait to see what they actually build. We have seen many failed projects in Belize over the years. On my last trip to Placencia, about six months ago, I listened to at least three couples tell me sad stories about the properties they bought in Sanctuary. Once they moved to Belize and started to get ready to built on their property, they realized that it’s over an hour’s drive to a grocery store, and that there is not a “community” living there, or any of the general conveniences within easy reach at this time. They tried to sell their property, but have been unable to do so to date. So now they are all renting in Placencia and trying to get their money out of the Sanctuary properties so that they can build in Placencia, where there is an established community.

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