What happens if you *can't* find a house?

[Champagneforeveryone]

More musing than likely (hopefully!)

We have to leave our much loved rental after 9 years. These things happen and it's not a massive shock, but DS takes his A-levels next summer and we need to stay in travelling distance of his sixth form until they're done.

I was looking to buy next year when he's gone to uni and we were not so tied to our very expensive local area, but my hand has been forced earlier than I would have liked. I have been offered a mortgage that will buy me very little in my area, and I'd rather not buy only to sell again a year later.

All well and good but there is almost zero property available either to rent or buy, what is available is snapped up immediately. We have until the New Year so I'm not in a major panic just yet, but was musing what would actually happen if nowhere came up?

Can you look where you want to move to and is there anyone DS could lodge with for 6 months?

What about looking at short term or holiday lets for that 6/7 months? Some holiday rentals let out for extended periods like that.

You would have to live with relatives, or rent anything and ds would have to commute

My friend lodged for the last 6 months of her A levels. Not the greatest but I think she spent a lot of time at friends houses tbh.

Commute? Not unusual spend hour or so travelling to college, or get small motorbike or car if old enough to drive.

Ask family or friends if mind lodger if only from Jan- April then he only be going in when has his actually in May and June. Plus he could be staying with Weekends.

But you will find somewhere. It might not be ideal, but there's not going to be literally no properties available for rent within a reasonable commute (say 1 hour) of his school. It may be smaller than desirable or more expensive than desirable or further away than desirable or in a less preferred area than desirable. But there will be somewhere. So take the best thing currently on offer within an hour or so commute. Not ideal, but its only for the short term.

I get that we will need to compromise, but currently we have one letting agent with no properties available and one with only retirement flats or rents in excess of £1600. We're also hampered by living rurally so simply saying "within an hour" of school isn't all that useful, as it relies on us being somewhere with a transport link.

Winter let's are a good shout but we live in a very popular tourist area and I can't see the normal availability we're used to being there this winter.

I'm in no way hysterically weeping over my lack of housing (yet) but I will confess to being slightly taken aback how little is out there.

Is there a holiday /caravan park near you? That maybe an option short term

Holiday let
Caravan park
Hotel
Airbnb
Lodging

Otherwise commute

Been in this position when LL gave us 1 months notice before we had exchanged on our purchase. We got there in the Nick of time but it was worrying and stressful.
I'd probably look out for holiday lets or caravans now and perhaps put down a deposit to secure one as a back up plan, for the short term.

Worth getting DD driving lessons now if there’s no public transport?

Definitely look for a long term let in a holiday property.

My DH’s friend has a holiday let in a seaside town and he rents this out from October to March to a couple who are artists.

They love off season in the town and then go travelling in the summer months.

Hope you find something soon OP.

If there was literally nothing then you'd need to move area and your DS would need to move to a different 6th form, I think?

@BoomChicka

If there was literally nothing then you'd need to move area and your DS would need to move to a different 6th form, I think?

Thats what I thought boomchicka, it seems such a shame for the final 5 months and maybe not even possible so late on.

We have options and DS is having driving lessons. However as with most things, Covid has caused massive backlogs in terms of lessons and tests. He is behind in his plans to drive already and I'm extremely keen not to place any pressure on him to pass his test just in case he doesn't.

Go ahead with looking at places to buy.

The DS can either suck up the commute or find a HMO. It'll give him some experience for when he goes to uni.

Ask on local Facebook groups and also ask in local shops.

If ur looking to buy I would do it sooner rather than later. My last house move took over a year to finalise.

Move to where you want to end up and let him commute. Every sixth former has to commute here, there is no sixth form provision at all in this town.