For which period do I need to live near secondary school for applications

Yes, I suspect our LA checked us out via the primary school. Our council tax situation couldve potentitally looked dodgy around the time we applied for DD to go to high school (it wasnt but i can see why theyd have questioned it).

The primary school contacted us and I had to provide other information to the primary about our address. They never said it was to do with admissions though, but looking back I suspect it was.

Bucks info www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools-index/school-admissions/school-admissions-guides-policies-and-statistics/guide-to-moving-up-to-secondary-school/understanding-the-terms-we-use/#normal-home-address

I'm pretty sure that when I applied for my dcs secondary school place I had to say how long I'd lived in my home. I really don't think you'll get away with it op

Some LA require residence for a minimum period before application, and that to be the only address available. In which case owning somewhere and renting closer or moving to grandparents', for example, won't work as they use the original address for the application regardless.

@Dacadactyl @Unexpectedlysinglemum Your local authority have loads of info. Council tax. Land registry, Primary school. There are so many ways to check credentials. GP surgery, benefit claims etc.

We had to show a 12 month rental agreement when we applied for a primary place, so that already takes you up until September.
You need to show that you have cut ties with your old property ie sell it. I think though that if your property is eg in Manchester and you apply to a school in Kent, then it isn't a problem as not commutable.

They can see where youve paid council tax. If youre paying at 2 properties in the same LA, theyll ask questions.

They'll see CT being paid for say 5 or 10 years at one address and then all of a sudden CT also being paid conveniently somewhere else around admissions time, it will raise questions.

That’s it round here, 2 years with proof.

By who? How would they have records of previous addresses and property ownership?

Some LAs will not allow this (especially if your owned house is empty), so you need to check the rules in your area. Or you may need to still be living in the property in September.

Equally, many LAs are not that fussed as long as you can genuinely prove you lived at the address (council tax, bills etc).

You really need to get advice specific to your area, as it really does depend.

Got to love the honesty of someone asking advice on how to commit admissions fraud

These are the rules of one LA:

The rules are, to some extent, set by your LA. There is no universal rule. However, since you own the property where you currently live, most LAs insist that you use that address even if you are renting and living somewhere else. The rules that do apply nationally are that what you are planning is classed as fraud. Even if you get away with it and your child gets into the school you want, the place could still be taken away even after they start at the school. You will then get a place at the nearest school with places available. This is likely to be an unpopular school - quite possibly one you really want to avoid.

Many councils are wise to this and will not let you count a rental property when you own another one. Read your local rules very carefully.

separately the rules will typically say that you have to expect to be resident in the property until the September they start.

Admissions manager here, all LAs are different in terms of address changes and dates so consult the admission arrangements of the school/LA. Advice from people on Mumsnet will differ depending on the area.
It is risky depending on the criteria and dates. We have removed offers when council tax records have shown discrepancies, and that is awful for the child who may have attended transition etc.
Evidence will be required where there are doubts, primary schools are consulted etc. Other parents who may suspect often contact the LA if they think something is off.
Appreciate you are saying you will live somewhere else but if you will still have the other property, questions will be asked. We get this a lot unfortunately.

Local authorities look at where you’re paying Council Tax, so if you’re still paying it on your old property they will expect that to be your address.
I heard of a family close to me who rented a place to get into desired school, got their place then moved between offer day (March) and actually start date and the school investigated. Not sure if the outcome but a lot of LEAs won’t accept this type of behaviour, so irrespective of the morality of it, you need to check the exact rules of your LEA/school.

To add, our LA expect to see proof that you have sold the owned property.

No you will need to sell the property you own and even then if you rent rather than buy that too will be questioned.

@Mallowmarshmallow I suggest you check your area's secondary admissions brochure to see what it says about address checks. Ours has about 2 pages on it. Anyone in my area who rents a temporary address whilst also owning a permanent home will be allocated a school based on the permanent address, not the temporary one, and they could be prosecuted for address fraud.

They even prosecuted one of their own councillors for this a few years ago. They moved out of their permanent home while it was being "renovated" and rented a property next to a popular primary school on the other side of the borough.

They will know exactly where she lives and pays council tax for. She wont have to provide anything, the LA will look it up on their internal systems.

They'll see 2 addresses linked and start questioning it.

I own a property which I would move out of
Then this will be your address for admission purposes.
Some schools require you to provide evidence of your council tax bills for the preceding two years.

They will check your council tax records and you are likely to be caught.

If I were you, I would find the secondary schools admissions brochure for this year and read it very carefully to see how your local authority decides on home address. Certainly where I live (a London borough) you are expected to remain the address you applied from until at least the September your child starts at the school. And that you have to provide them with details of all addresses you are connected to so they (the LA admissions team) can decide which ones can be disregarded, and if you’ve moved in the last 12 months they will ask for more information. If you’re renting whilst also owning a property, they want to see evidence the owned property is rented out - if you’re renting because it’s being renovated, then it’s the home being renovated that’s treated as the home address as you know you’re moving back (I know this as it was our circumstances when we applied for secondary schools for DS).

It's morally wrong. You are moving into a catchment area with absolutely no intention to stay there to secure a gain for yourself/your child. You are taking a place off another child who would have got in had you not done this. That's pretty reprehensible behaviour in my book.

Why do you think what you are proposing is acceptable?