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Original poster

To move out of rented house in catchment a month after DS starts school?

149 replies

Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 20:29

Hello,

My title sounds terrible and I expect I'm in for a flaming.

We moved into a rented house last month in the catchment of a very popular school that we wanted DS to go to. The council called today and offered him a place for September. We're couldn't be happier that a place came up so quickly.

BUT, we also just found a perfect flat to buy. It's large with a garden but a project that needs lots of work. This makes it within our price range and a bedroom more than we thought we could afford. The flat is further away from the school and almost definitely wouldn't have secured us a place for DS.

The councils do investigate families renting close by to get a place at a good school and I know that for this school they do a home visit to check you live where you say you live. I am worried DS school place will be withdrawn if the council see we moved out a few weeks or a month after he started school. What would you do? I am obviously working on the assumption that we offer on the great flat and it all works out.

OP posts:
Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 20:49

Does it go against us if we own another property, even if it's not our current place of residence? Which we can prove because we have tenants in there by the way. We rented our old flat to finance renting in this new area.

OP posts:
sparkle12mar08 · 08/08/2013 20:49

It is their business if the council/LEA suspect the place was obtained fraudulently as a result os planned house moves solely for the purpose of getting a place. Authorities can and do remove places from families for fraud.

Itsjustafleshwound · 08/08/2013 20:50

The offer on the flat hasn't been made so isn't this just a worry about nothing?

If it is further than you have indicated and the move dates are imminent then full honesty is perhaps the best policy

sparkle12mar08 · 08/08/2013 20:51

If you can prove you're renting the other place out and have moved all your bills to your current address as your permanent place of residence then it shouldn't count against you as such, no. I suspect the problems will occur if you move very suddenly after September and, if the school is as popular as you suggest, if anybody complains to the LEA about the circumstances.

bringbackopalfruits · 08/08/2013 20:52

35 miles is a decent distance to move. It's a couple of towns away, surely. And ok you own another property but it's not where you want to live now so it shouldn't really matter. I'd be completely honest with the council about your situation. Buying a property is a total minefield and it may well a fall through. Until you go, you are in the carchment.

sparkle12mar08 · 08/08/2013 20:54

What is the last admission distance OP, do you know? At my dc's school it was less than 180 metres for last September, and any movements in and out of the theoretical catchment for 12 months before and 6 months after offers are made is investigated.

WorraLiberty · 08/08/2013 20:54

Yes but how is it fraud if the family are actually legally living at the address, at the time of the child being accepted into the school?

Surely it's only fraud if they're pretending to live there?

frogwatcher42 · 08/08/2013 20:55

Op - you wrote 'We moved here to be in catchment and to test the water before we make the full commitment of selling and buying again. '

Is this not what the LEAs want to stop - people moving into catchments of good schools to secure a place. As this is what you did, surely it would be much safer to just stay in catchment or stay in your current rental for a while, rather than now moving out further afield again.

sparkle12mar08 · 08/08/2013 20:56

I think, but there are others on the Education boards who are experts, that it's to do with how admissions codes are written, and many say that moving short term to specifically to obtain a place and then moving again as soon as it is offered is deemed to be fraud. I think the OP probably is genuine, but she does need to be very careful.

frogwatcher42 · 08/08/2013 20:57

Worraliberty - you have a point. So my last post to the op pointing out that they moved there purposefully to get a place and are now on the move again is not relevant. As you say, at the time of being accepted they were living in this flat and that is all that is required even if its only for a few months?

No problems then op.

3birthdaybunnies · 08/08/2013 20:57

35 miles might be a significant distance if your jobs have relocated for example to the new town in which case it should be fairly easy to justify your actions. If there seems to be no other reason for moving it might be harder to justify. I think though they will be less concerned about you than someone renting across town for 6 months and never actually moving in and then 'moving back' to their original home. It is likely to be more than 2 months to complete and then it depends if it is immediately inhabitable too.

Coconutty · 08/08/2013 20:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

frogwatcher42 · 08/08/2013 21:01

So am I right in now thinking (as this is quite interesting!!) that it is only illegal to pretend to move into catchment - i.e. really be living at another address.

The op would be ok because they did actually move into catchment (with the intention of getting a place at the school), if only for a few months while places were allocated.

In summary it is ok to rent out your house, move to rented accomodation for a few months to get the place, then buy another house fairly near the school but in a location that wouldn't have got the allocated place. This is what op has done/ is intending to do, I think.

That does seem quite reasonable to me - although maybe a bit unfair on local children who cant afford to move around for schools.

merrymouse · 08/08/2013 21:01

How long is your lease on current rental? How long is your tenants lease? Selling your property and buying another in 2 months doesn't sound possible unless I have missed something?

merrymouse · 08/08/2013 21:07

Also, there is a difference between a school's catchment area and where you would probably have to live in a given year to get a place.

I don't think it's unreasonable to want your child settled in a school in September and then to find a house perhaps not quite so near but still in catchment. If you move out of catchment I think you might have problems.

Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 21:07

Sparkle, 120 metres catchment? That is insane. I thought this school was bad with 550 metres.

Can I ask where you live or which school this is?

They investigate 12 months before and 6 months after too? If our council is the same we are certainly in for problems even if we don't offer on the great flat. I am feeling so concerned now.

OP posts:
Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 21:09

Our lease is 3 months with option to extend and our tenants lease is 12 months.

OP posts:
jessieagain · 08/08/2013 21:10

It does sound like you rented to secure the place, so if the council does investigate cases like this, then I would be worried if I was you. Would they really investigate though, it doesn't sound as if the school is overly popular with wait lists if you got a place offered in august after living there just once month.

You moved into rented flat in July. You left your own flat which was 35 miles away. (The distance may be your saving grace as it could be over an hours drive, anything less would be even more suspicious as there would have been little point in moving)

You were offered the place in August.

You move out in October. So you will break your lease and have only been at your flat 3-4 months in total?

You haven't mentioned anything about where you work, commute to and from and how these distances/travel times were affected by the move?

Coconutty · 08/08/2013 21:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 21:10

I think I am jumping the gun here. Our tenants might not want to break their contract. This feels so complicated now.

OP posts:
Floggingmolly · 08/08/2013 21:10

No, it's not ok, frogwatcher. If you actually own another property at the time of renting your current one, the presumption is that you have rented for the sole purpose of appearing to live within the catchment area, with no plans to stay.
Obviously that's not always the case, but it will very probably be flagged and investigated, if you do actually move again soon.

merrymouse · 08/08/2013 21:11

So how can you sell your current property?

Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 21:13

Ok we work equidistance to both towns. Whether we live at new address or old flat 35 miles away, our travel to work is the same.

35 miles away is at least an hours drive for us. We will not be moving back to our old property.

OP posts:
Mintyy · 08/08/2013 21:13

frogwatcher
Different LEAs have different rules, but many are cottoning on to people moving for a few months to be in catchment for a desirable school, which is what op has done.

What's with all the "good luck to you" messages? What about local children who cannot get in to their good local school because people with pots of extra £££ who can afford to move willy-nilly do so just to get in to a good state school?

Whole system sucks. I think LEAs and schools should employ private detectives to stamp this hateful practice out.

Original poster
Strawbsy · 08/08/2013 21:14

So it would have been better for us to have sold our old flat and jus moved across and rented until we found the right place to buy?

OP posts:
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