To think this was school admission fraud ?

[Survivor12345]

We put our house on the market in 2015, knowing that a key selling point was its proximity (walking distance) to the most sought-after primary school in our area, and the fact that the secondary school in our town was the #1 choice for our part of the county (Hertfordshire).

Within 48 hours we had four full asking price offers, all from families with school-age children, as expected.

To avoid a chain, we chose the buyers who claimed to be 'living in rented accommodation' in another town whose two children, then aged approx. 7 and 5, attended the primary school near us.

We did wonder how come they had got in there, but didn't question it too much, concluding that it was not our business. They gushed over our house and claimed that they would be moving straight in when we moved out, were delighted to be sure of the secondary school places etc. etc.

They turned out to have lied about being 'in rented accommodation'; in fact, they owned the house they lived in in the other town, but 'Didn't like the schools there, they are too rough'.

Whatever, after discovering that they'd lied we were halfway through the sales process so had little choice but to continue with them, even though they ducked and dived trying to claim nonsense after their survey etc. We gave them one week to complete after their extortion attempts which they complied with, as they clearly didn't want to lose the house.

So we moved out on completion - and they have never moved into the place !

OK I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS NONE OF OUR BUSINESS, NEVERTHELESS, LYING IS LYING IS FRAUD AS I UNDERSTAND IT WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOOL PLACES ?

Since buying our former house, they have continued to live in their house in the other town and send their children to the town's two highly over-subscribed schools, thus, in our view, depriving two children from our town of two places at good schools near their genuine homes.

They have rented our former house out and continue to own it.

What I would like to know is, does this amount to school place application fraud?

We knew they were buying our house for its proximity to these good schools, but believed them when they said that they were going to move into it and live there.

We don't care what they do, but do believe that it's wrong to game the system like this. Our children are grown, and we're not familiar with the requirements for school applications.

AIBU to ask anyone else who has recent knowledge to tell me whether what they have done is just sharp practice, or is it downright unlawful, in which case, how do I report them?

You need help. It’s not normal to be so hung up on something that doesn’t directly affect you five years later.

And also nah fuck off with your bullshit "people think fraud is morally ok on here".

No one said fraud is fine here. People just dont report people with no evidence. You only report people if you have evidence unless you are maliciously reporting.

No one thinks it’s acceptable to defraud the system.

But you have not offered one shred of evidence that they have done so.

I'm failing to see what on earth it's got to do with you WHY they wanted to buy your house?
It was a business transaction. You wanted to sell it; they wanted to buy it. Their reasons (that you have no concrete evidence for anyway) are nothing to do with you. They could be living there and filming porn movies or growing a cannabis farm, for all it's got to do with you.

Yabu, you have no evidence that they have cheated. Their kids were already at the school maybe as they like the area so much it inspired them to buy your house as they thought rental demand would be high.

You don't even know if they applied to that secondary! Your posts come across as pure speculation. Your moral outrage appears to be covering up a significant lack of logic.

*"They live in a relatively 'poor' town ...

Having brought my children up in that lovely town..."*

How dare those poor people come to our nice town!!
OP, you are coming across as such a snob here! This was 5 years ago. You have zero evidence that they've committed fraud

This is not normal behaviour! Posters here are not tolerating fraud, it's that they are not tolerating arseholes - you!

I suspect they sold you the 'currently renting, happy family, moving for schools' line to get you to sell to them ahead of other viewers. I suspect they had a plan to rent out a highly desirable house all along and make some decent money from it.

Hope you're happy in your new home

OP doesn't live in a new home. She's been living there for half a decade.

What a shame you see fit to try and have kids who have been settled in their school for 5 years, removed.

You sound very bitter and twisted.

I hope there is more to it than this, or I really pity you.

I suspect they sold you the 'currently renting, happy family, moving for schools' line to get you to sell to them ahead of other viewers. I suspect they had a plan to rent out a highly desirable house all along and make some decent money from it.

And I bet that's what OP is actually angry about, especially if she's inly recently found out.

You need to get a life, you sound vindictive it's been 5 bloody years. You don't know why they didn't move in the end and decided to rent it out. What they do with the house is up to them.

I've just clicked see OPs posts on this thread and there are only 3.

Does OP actually want to engage with posters on their thread, or what?

If you are concerned at all contact school and they will investigate. This happened at our school and it was investigated and found out they didn’t actually live in the flat (even though they owed it). Was cheaper to rent a flat than pay for private school near their actual house - our school is very sought after / outstanding etc. They got found out just before child due to start in reception and lost their place. Felt awful for the child as he’d been at preschool there (much easier to get into preschool as less competition)

OP, get a hobby, seriously.

They were silly to spin the op a yarn. Nobody has to say much when viewing a house except, "It's really nice, thank you". If asked where they live, "Oh not that far away". End of. Then it's up to the estate agent to negotiate.

Think no more about it, op. It doesn't affect you.

They live in a relatively 'poor' town with much lower educational attainment than the schools near our former home, and choose to bring their kids to the school/s near our house while also renting the house out at a high rent, as PP said, probably because of its proximity to excellent schools.

I personally don't think it's OK to lie, cheat and game the system, but lots of other people clearly do.

Having brought my children up in that lovely town and sent them to the excellent schools there, I'm very glad all this is behind me because the situation has become ridiculous since our children went to school.

You were pretty convincing to start with, but you’ve jumped the shark now - keeping the goadiness the right side of believable is key.

Or did your mother’s Hyacinth Bouquet routine (nice groundwork there, well done) fuck you up a good deal more than you care to admit?

Still, not a bad attempt.

How very odd, that you're stresing about this so much after 5 years, that you've went and reported them, that is not normal behaviour.
I'm going to guess you've got some evidence that they've went to the good secondary school, using your old address, that they still dont live in? (hope you didn't get this info fraudulently ) otherwise there would be nothing whatsoever to report, no one here has condoned fraud at all, but reporting this 5 years on, when the only people affected are children seems really spiteful

Isn’t only fraud if you lie about your address, you can move into any catchment area you like.

Op your responses on this thread are ridiculous. No one has said that they support school admission fraud yet your responses all indicate that most posters do?

Most posters are simply asking you why you think there is fraud and why you are angry about this now - 5 years later. Your op was very confusing and really did not make it clear at all what you were talking about.

It is vindictive to try and get these children removed from their school, regardless of what has occurred, it is not the children's doing. I really hope it doesn't come to that and that it is all cross wires.

You sound like the worst kind of selfish snob.

Stop being a dick. You won't catch poor germs.
This has to be a wind up for the papers

OP I'm sorry but you sound ridiculous. There are many other injustices in the world, I wonder why you are focusing on this one 5 years later? Why don't you put your mind to something else that won't possibly end with two poor children being removed from their school, their education ruined and their lives turned upside down?

No one on this thread has endorsed fraud - fraud is wrong. But things aren't black and white anymore, not this long afterwards. All you would be doing is upending the children's lives and the fact you can't see that is really troubling and sad.

It's absolutely non of your business. You sound like a sad individual.

Oh so X number of years ago children started to attend primary school.
5 years ago, they fooled you into believing it was their family home.
Now maybe this address has been used to apply for a secondary place?

To. pull this off you do realise before admissions they would have had to start paying CT and other utilities for the house. Mail redirect should be easy enough.

So you report them @Survivor12345 and the children still retain their places, then what?