To be declare to School Admissions Dept that we are renting temporarily in catchment?

[Broderieanglaise]

We are renting in catchment because we genuinely can't find a house to buy. We have the intention and funds to buy within catchment, there just isn't anything coming onto the market and there hasn't been since the beginning of the summer holidays. Literally not a single 3-4 bedroom house within the admittedly very tiny catchment area of the school.

The school admissions brochure states if we own a house elsewhere, then any other address will be considered as temporary. But if we sell our other house (which is 45 mins away and next to some excellent state schools already), then we'll lose out on capital appreciation. In other words if we're out of the property game for 12 months or more we're likely to find we can't get back on at the same level in our new area. House prices went up 15% in our area last year and the same is predicted this year.

So am I being unreasonable in asking the admissions dept to allow our application? Am I likely to get a clear answer from them before putting in my application?

[hettienne]

I think if you still own a house elsewhere then your rental address will be considered temporary. If you really want to secure a place at this school, sell your house and rent until something comes up - otherwise the LA will have no reason to think you won't move back to your old house once you have applied for a place.

[curlew]

They will take the house you own as your address. There is no way you will be able to persuade them that your application is genuine while you still own your house.

[CreamyCooler]

Which house do you live in?

[Broderieanglaise]

I do want to secure a place but am not prepared to be forced into a bad financial decision, ie: selling our house before we have found and we could easily be looking for something to buy for 12-18 months.

I own another property which my mum lives in. It's also around 45 minutes away from this new school. Even if we sold our current house, they may check land registry records and say the house my mum lives in is our permanent address because I own it. Surely this can't just be a hard and fast rule with no exceptions?

[Broderieanglaise]

The rented one is where we live and we have no intention of moving back to the one we own.

[OrangePixie]

I don't suppose it's about what you own but where you live. Are you renting your house out? Evidence of that might help.

[SigningGirl]

can you not rent your property out? will that not "prove" you dont live there?

just jumping in from active convos, not my area of expertise but thought i'd suggest it!!

[cestlavielife]

swtch the mortgage to buy to let and rent it out to tenants get tehm to pay council tax and energy bills... that way you can show you only living in one house ie the rented one

[LadyVetinari]

Can you change the mortgages on your existing houses to BTL, charge your mum nominal "rent" and put some tenants into the hose you're looking to sell? Surely if you're on the electoral roll for the house you're renting in the new area, and both of the houses you own are tenanted, then that should be sufficient?

[hettienne]

It seems unlikely that they would accept an address of a rented property in the catchment area of a oversubscribed school as your genuine, permanent address when you own a house out of catchment that you lived in until school application time. If they made an exception for you, wouldn't loads of people try this trick?

[LadyVetinari]

Oops, cross-posts!

[AnnaRack]

No advice to give but watching this thread as we may be in this situation next year! I would have thought that as long as you can prove that you live at the rented hiuse, eg by providing gas bills etc, that would be enough? I'm hoping that this is the case. Unless the school has a history of people cheating the system?

[chillikate]

We were in this exact situation 3 years ago. 5 years ago we had to relocate due to work, and selling our house at that point would've been stupid - so we let it out.

I can't remember the exact wording on the form, but we would have just been honest. We still own our house an hour away and got into the (heavily subscribed) catchment school for the house we rent.

[curlew]

They might very well wonder why you just don't stay in your house while you look for another one, rather than forking out for a rented house.......

[Mylovelyboy]

OP the house you are renting............do you have a council tax bill for this in your name. I privately rent and this document has served me well in various situations regarding proof of residency.

[tabbytolst]

Could you transfer ownership of your house to DH's sole name, and make the school application in yours. That way, you would be truthful that you don't own another property. The transfer could be in the form of a letter to DH stating that you relinquish ownership. If he chooses not to do anything about taking your name of the deeds until after the admissions are closed, that's up to him. Of course, it does assume that you trust him...

[Clowdy]

We were just asked to provide a council tax bill in our name I think. Do they really look so deeply into it?

[CreamyCooler]

I watched a programme where they the local authorities sent investigators round to find out if people who had moved into rented properties right near an oversubscribed school were actually living there. One family of 4 got 'caught out' who were pretending to live in a one bedroom flat.

[Floggingmolly]

The will not accept a temporary address as your permanent residence while you own property out of catchment. Why should they?
I'm sure all those chancers who have been caught and removed from the register also claimed to be looking for a property to buy in the area.
If you want the school so badly; why wait till now to start checking out the market?
There isn't a trick left which they're not wise to, and it's just as well really, with the likes of tabby about.

[MrsPnut]

45 minutes drive away is far enough that they won't automatically think you are renting solely to get into the school and them move back to your home.
If you are paying rent and utilities at the rental address and have changed your details with the bank, DVLA etc to this address then you should be fine. If they wish to disallow your application because they suspect fraud then they will have to prove it. Is your old house on the market?

[CreamyCooler]

Is it for a primary or secondary school? Does you child go to school/nursery/playgroup near your rented house or your owned house?

[sparechange]

What is going on with the house you own? Are you renting it out?
If the house you are renting is a proper family home, and you are living there and intend to carry on living there for a while, what business is it of the school what other assets you have?
They can't put your name into the Land Registry search engine and look up where else you own. At best, they would have to find the address of the house, and then do a search to see who owns it, but given this is quite time consuming and each search costs money, I would be amazed if they did.

Clearly you aren't trying to defruad the system, so I wouldn't beat yourself up about this.

[Mylovelyboy]

I think a council tax bill with your name and address (of rented property) is more than enough. They wont be trying to riffle through your mortgage papers.

[Mylovelyboy]

spare is right. You are telling the truth therefore there should not be a problem. Its when some people tell fibs that it all gets really really complicated. I think you will be ok. Dont leave it all to last minuite in sorting it out. Strike quick.

[Broderieanglaise]

It's for primary, and we have all the documentation we would need as far as council tax and all utilities. We have genuinely moved. The children will remain at their current school until a place comes up at the new one. It's a complete pain commuting but the alternative is to unsettle them with a temporary school move.

Our other house is solely in my DP's name as it happens, but I don't want to do anything fraudulent. I am hoping our genuine circumstances will be accepted.