To ignore rule of 6 in our situation...

[pluscachange2020]

We are moving in 5 days and have a 3 day period between tenancies (no choice - there was literally nothing else available!). Our belonging are going into storage and friend has very kindly offered to put us up for that time but they are a family of 5 and we are a family of 4 . In all the chaos of moving and stress of not being able to find anywhere to live until the last minute, we didn't even consider the rule of 6. AIBU to carry on as planned? Can we be counted as a new single household as we don't have anywhere else to live? Hotel not an option partly due to cost (storage and double moving costs have wiped out any contingency) but we also don't feel it would be appropriate with kids school and our work commitments.

YANBU

If you're staying there between houses then you're joining their household. So, you're one household of nine people which is allowed. You aren't breaking the rule of six.

You will be a household, then.

Families with 2 parents and 5 children aren't putting one of the kids back.

I don't think it's fair to make them break it, I would have to book a hotel. Premier inn are pretty cheap.

ETA - aside from the legal aspect, there is an additional concern as friend is a nurse (she's not on a Covid ward just worried about getting her in trouble if anyone found out!)

@Ulpo main issue with hotel is that kid get in from school before we get home from work (2 days off for moving means we can't take more time off)

Of course this is ok. I hate the world we live in now that we have to question things like this

What part of the country are you in, tier level etc? There have been some exceptions for moving house, although not sure this is covered now since the tiers come in. I wouldn’t rely on the theory of becoming one household for three days. That makes the concept of ‘household’ pretty fluid. Certainly during lockdown the definition for changing household was advised to be measured in weeks not days.

“ To help with long distance moves, you can stay overnight away from your home with your own household or support bubble in line with the latest guidance on staying over anywhere other than your main residence.”
www.gov.uk/guidance/government-advice-on-home-moving-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak
(That’s not been updated since August though but worth checking out.

Either way though, it sounds like you have little choice, and the chances of you getting in trouble for it are low. Worth a conversation with those you’re staying with though to make sure you’re all ok the same page, know what you’d do should fines be issued (so unlikely) etc.

I'm a bit of a rule follower, so assumed I'd be telling you you were unreasonable.

But yanbu morally. It's the only sensible thing to do. I think you're also fine legally, as you will be one household for those 2 days, and households of 9 haven't been banned!

yanbu