To move 30mins away for kids school?

[dooneby]

We've given notice to leave our rental property. We're now in a position to buy and have been viewing some properties.

We've found one that is great value for money but 30 mins away from where we currently live and our kids school and in a lovely rural location.

What we could get for the same money in our area is not great. Tiny, mid-terraced houses in rough areas. That's all that seems to be available just now.

Or they need a lot of work done, we can handle changing the decor but not on top of a new roof, bathroom, kitchen and possibly windows. That's without having the damp investigated in the roof spaces/rendering etc.

We're in a tight spot because we need to leave our rental. We're on the hunt for another rental but there are too many people applying and too few houses.

The kids don't want to move schools understandably, they're both at primary. I was googling it last night and seemingly it can be traumatising having to move schools in childhood!

Family members are telling us it's too far but they aren't being faced with homelessness...

This move would mean my husband would be in the car for 2 hours every school day. That's a lot of dead time, and petrol!

AIBU to consider this move?

@Endlesslypatient82 That isn't true. We will be homeless therefore the council will rehome us. I am trying to do everything I can to stop that happening however I may not be able to.

@drpet49 We would get another car at some point in the future but we wohld make it work easily with 1. I would be able to do the school run 2-3 times a week and a share of activities etc.

İ would enrol the kids in activities based i new area, if they make local friends they may end up asking to change schools.

Thank for to everyone for the reassuring replies about changing schools. The local schools are good so that part isn't a concern. If we had the money to stay close to where we are we would in a heartbeat but we'd be massively compromising on space and would all be on top of each other. And in an area we wouldn't choose to stay in.

Perhaps the market will pick up and there will be more options soon. We have some time to consider this particular property so will think further on it.

@Wbeezer That's a good idea.

I’d move house and then move schools. Moving schools once at primary age really isn’t a big deal!

As others have said, move house and move schools. I moved my child at primary. To sweeten the deal, I promised a leaving party for friends before we moved and then organised lots of sleepovers and playdates with old friends before we moved, we moved at Easter, by the summer hols my child had forgotten all about the old school and school friends, The summer holiday play dates were all in the new village. My child hasn't looked back at all since then. It'll also make the move up to secondary much easier, when the time comes.

Forgot to say, my child was so focussed on organising her party, she forgot to worry about moving house! 😀

I moved schools in primary school it wasn't traumatising it was great. I didn't want to move but the new school was better. Had a fab 2 years before moving up.

if you have sufficient savings to purchase a property I promise you that the council will not home you! And too right.

hotels? B&bs, short let’s.

As of they would prioritise someone with a deposit to buy over a family with no funds whatsoever and facing homelessness

Secondary school? Don’t your teens have sports fixtures etc? my two often finish at different times due to clubs / sports fixtures
Yes they do, so some days either we're backwards and forwards a lot or I'll collect one boy and DH will collect the other.

Out of interest - is there a bus service to where you live?

Out of interest - is there a bus service to where you live?
There is one bus each morning and one boy uses it, but the other it takes ages - lots of waiting around then no seats, so we take him.

This was a reason I didn’t want to move out rural. I grew up in place like that and I hated the lack of flexibility and freedom as a teen. Getting together with friends always had to be planned and involved my parents driving. Last minute kit k around for my brother in summer were off the cards etc.

But if yours has decent public transport service OP (and presumably does as you need to) then hopefully won’t be an issue

Moving schools in primary really isn’t that big of a deal. As long as the new schools are good, Just move and change schools.

my child was forced to move schools when they redrew the catchment boundaries. We were so worried. She was fine and actually happier at the new school.

I would definitely move my kids during primary school if I thought it was a good move for them overall. Looking at things like the quality of the new school and the secondary school, and whether the new area would be a good place for them to grow up in. And of course looking at housing security and affordability too.

I would prefer to change their school to the new local school, rather than have a long drive to school each day. It gives them a chance to have local friends and feel part of their new area.

I wouldn't ask their opinion though - of course they would rather stay where they are now rather than the unknown of changing school. They won't be able to weigh up the short term fear of the unknown vs the long-term benefits of moving. I'd make a decision as adults, and then talk to your kids about how you've made the best decision for them long-term, although it is scary at first.

Moving rurally you do need to think about whether that lifestyle will suit your family, in particular when your kids are teenagers.

How will it work with your MIL moving into your house - will she contribute financially?

Given all the variables that you have posted, I would move.

The primary you’d be moving them to - how does it fare? Both from a formal ofsted view and also what the locals say (might be wise to jojn a local Fb group)

A homelessness assessment takes no account at all of income/ savings.

It is solely based on housing need.

It absolutely does. It is about what opportunity is there for the OP to have accommodation for her and her family safely. Whether that is a b&b or a short let.

you can’t even get housing benefit (universal credit) if savings over £16k and it it tapered from £6k onwards. And if op buying - I’m guessing those are minimum ball park figures for what savings she has.

setting aside fact council would not get involved anyway - would you even be happy with a system whereby your council is sorting a home for a family of 4, no one in any danger or ill, who have savings sufficient to buy a property big enough that even has a self contained granny flat?!

Even if the op was financially eligible to be housed by the council due to “homelessness” (although it’s not at all. It’s the OP’s tenancy ending and she is not sure what to buy), then she would be right down the bottom of the list for help

16. If homelessness is not successfully prevented or relieved, a housing authority will owe the main housing duty to applicants who are eligible, have a priority need for accommodation and are not homeless intentionally. Certain categories of household have priority need if homeless, such as pregnant women, families with children, and those who are homeless as a result of being a victim of domestic abuse or due to an emergency such as a fire or flood. Other groups may be assessed as having priority need because they are vulnerable as a result of old age, mental ill health, physical disability, having been in prison or care or as a result of becoming homeless due to violence.

To the PP who asked whether we'd lived rurally before, no we haven't.

Then you both need a car and you both need to drive. Life without that rurally is not workable. I've been there.

I moved moved myself and my then year nine and year five children two hundred miles back to my home area. The oldest went ahead in the summer term it year nine and stayed with my Mum. My youngest went to a new school for year six and had a great time and had opportunities that she would not had in her lovely old school. She certainly was not scarred by the move at all.