We were scammed out of £7,000 after moving for our dream life in Bulgaria – but apart from the freezing winters and language barrier, we’ve never been happier

A British family who left the UK for a £7,000 home in Bulgaria have revealed that their idyllic new life is not for the faint of heart.

Laura Phoenix, 35, and her husband, Anthony, 33, moved to Strazhitsa, a small town in northeastern Bulgaria, with their daughters, Cecelia, six, and Nova, three, in September 2023.

They had previously been living in a two-bedroom house in Darlington, County Durham, and had aspirations of upgrading, but were priced out after realising the properties they were looking for would cost them around £500,000 in Britain.

After selling their home for £85,000, the couple found and bought an abandoned three-bedroom property in Strazhitsa for just £7,000 – seeking an off-grid lifestyle and a better quality of life.

The couple have since spent £5,000 on renovations and say they have never been happier.

But they have warned that the life isn’t as easy as it is cheap – admitting to struggling with both the harsh weather and the difficult language. 

And they’ve also advised those considering following in their footsteps to take care after falling victim to a visa scam.

Mrs Phoenix, who works an online English teacher and writer, said it cost her £7,000 straight after the move in a pitfall that left her stranded in the country without her family for more than a month.

She said: ‘Visa scams are huge over here. I had to spent six weeks in Bulgaria alone while it was sorted, while Anthony took the kids back to the UK. It was horrendous.’

The Phoenix family is among a recent wave of younger Brits who have sought out a new life in Bulgaria in order to escape Britain’s spiralling cost of living.

But Laura has warned that the change in lifestyle is not for everyone, particularly those used to home comforts and Britain’s long-established utility infrastructure. 

She added: ‘People have a misconception that this life is idyllic. It takes a tough person. Sometimes we are snowed in. The pipes sometimes freeze.

‘Bulgarian is an exceptionally difficult language. If you don’t learn it the locals won’t respect you. I don’t want everyone to think it is easy because it is not.

‘Old folk see it as a disrespect. I’ve dedicated myself to learning the language. There is no work for people who only speak English.’

Inspired by others who made the move before them, Mr and Mrs Phoenix spent two weeks searching for their family home in May 2022 – when they fell in love with the rural town of Strazhitsa.

They sold their business and Darlington home to buy their Bulgarian dream outright before moving the following year.

Now, nearly two years into the renovation, which they estimate is 60 per cent done, Mrs Phoenix says it is finally feeling like a ‘normal house’ after being like ‘a ruin’ with a ‘giant hole’ in the kitchen when they first moved.

The couple estimate that it may take another two years to get it fully complete. In the meantime they are using their whopping garden space to grow tomato plants and fresh berries.

Despite this, they don’t shy away from talking about the drawbacks from life in Bulgaria – including the devastating scam by a Bulgarian man who had offered to help them with visa paperwork.

It transpired he was obtaining the visas illegally. Mrs Phoenix had to sort the matter with the help of an immigration lawyer.

And she said many other British families have fallen victim to similar scams.

She said: ‘They charged one family £20,000 for paperwork. No one should be dealing with it unless they are an immigration lawyer.’

Now both Anthony and Laura – who have Irish family – have been able to get Irish citizenship so they will be able to apply for a residency – which lasts for five years.

To apply for this they will only need to show they have £500 in each of their bank accounts – whereas previously they each needed at least £6k in the bank for their prolonged residency.

The family also warn of the harsh winters in Bulgaria – and say they have seen many families who have not been able to cope with that.

Laura said: ‘It got to minus 30 last winter. People come here in the summer and don’t see it in the winter – when there is ice on every window.

‘I don’t think everyone would have what it takes to come here but you can if you’re tough and you want to escape. 

‘We love it. We love the challenge of it.’

Despite these drawbacks Laura is so glad she made the move, adding: ‘I have never been happier in my life. It’s perfect for me.’

Brits have been moving to Bulgaria by the hundred each year at the rate of four every week. 

The 2021 Bulgarian census showed there were 4,484 Brits living in the country who still held onto their UK citizenship, up from 2,605 10 years prior.

Earlier this week, Somerset couple Amy and Jerry Smerdon moved to the country with their four sons to fulfil a dream of living off-grid.

They bought a former warehouse for £7,000 and are converting it into a liveable home, with bills less than £200 a month.

They say the life is idyllic, with no worries about their children making noise and annoying neighbours as they had in British suburbia.

Mrs Smerdon said: ‘It’s been our saviour. Everything is so simple and relaxed. It’s like going back in time. 

‘There is no limit – if you want to do something you’re able to achieve anything you want. No one can tell you that you can’t.’