Moving house to obtain school place

treeeeemendous · 12/03/2021 12:11

Presumably as you are not changing house deeds, you'll be swapping back houses once the school place is guaranteed. I'd be very careful tbh!!

Original poster

Missycakes · 12/03/2021 12:15

No we plan to live there for the foreseeable future as it will be so much easier for her to travel there and she is a sen child and is already worried about the journey to school. The reason for not wanting to change deeds is because although the houses are similar they vary greatly in price and would complicate things. We will of course move back at some point but maybe not until she has spent a few years there.

OP posts:

EssentialHummus · 12/03/2021 12:15

Sounds suss.

Original poster

Missycakes · 12/03/2021 12:19

What’s suspicious? People move all the time to be closer to better schools. It just so happens we have the opportunity to move to a property already owned by our family.

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starbrightstarlight8888 · 12/03/2021 12:20

That's very suspicious and probably would get looked into.

titchy · 12/03/2021 12:22

You need to email the admissions authority (school or council) and specifically ask them about what they would in those circumstances and what evidence they would need.

Many councils won't consider a newly moved into home if you still own a nearby home, even if that nearby home is rented out.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 12/03/2021 12:22

If it gets looked at, I think you run the risk of losing the place.

titchy · 12/03/2021 12:23

@Missycakes

What’s suspicious? People move all the time to be closer to better schools. It just so happens we have the opportunity to move to a property already owned by our family.

Yes but when people move they sell or stop renting their old home which you are not!

Gazelda · 12/03/2021 12:24

From an outsider, it looks as though you're borrowing an address in order to be in the school catchment. Which is morally wrong, and probably against your LA's rules.

Original poster

Missycakes · 12/03/2021 12:25

I’m confused why people are saying it’s suspicious? There are people who rent properties nearby great schools whilst still paying mortgage on their main family home just to obtain school places which is completely above board providing you are in fact living at the property you say you are. I will be living in the property close to the school so my daughter can travel to school more easily as she is of a nervous disposition due to her autism. My question was in regards to informing the LEA and what proof will be required. Everything we are doing to above board.

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ancientgran · 12/03/2021 12:26

Can't you change the deeds and have some sort of legal agreement about making the finances fair when properties sold or just change the deeds if you move back in the future. I don't think changing the deeds is expensive.

skeggycaggy · 12/03/2021 12:27

I had to supply a copy of the tenancy agreement or mortgage statement when I moved house during the application process.

covidspring · 12/03/2021 12:28

If she is SEN, would that give her a higher priority anyway?

Some schools/councils check the house ownership etc. if you own a different house to the one you are using as your admission address, in some areas that would get you investigated.
In my area, I haven't heard of that and many people rent near the good school for a year without the school taking any action.

RandomUsernameHere · 12/03/2021 12:29

I would go through the admissions policy very very carefully. It will have specific detail about what proof of address is needed and what happens if you own another property. Some schools do not allow you to own a property nearby and use a different address for the application. Good luck, I hope you get the school you want for your DD.

Original poster

Missycakes · 12/03/2021 12:30

Thank you, that’s what I was wondering about. We will be moving this month as I’d like them to have time to get used to their new rooms etc. So we would have already been in the property for 7 months or so by the time the application process starts.

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Grimbelina · 12/03/2021 12:31

You need to check the schools admission policy (or the Council's). Most will say something along the lines of if you own another property within the borough (or next borough where we were in London), even if it was rented out, they would not accept the new address. The only exception was if you had to move out for a specific reason like extensive building works which would make your home uninhabitable. We knew a number of people who timed their extensions/loft conversions to just before school applications...

You should look again at swapping with the land registry and see if there is another way to deal with the price discrepancy.

fitzbilly · 12/03/2021 12:32

If it becomes your new family home then there is nothing wrong with that.

You will need to pay council tax and the bills and they will need to be in your name, that is what the school will ask for, they won't ask to see the deeds of the house!

EssentialHummus · 12/03/2021 12:34

You’d be moving temporarily for the sole reason of securing a school place that you wouldn’t otherwise be eligible for. Someone better informed may come along in a sec and correct me, but I’d be surprised if this was allowed.

hedgehoglurker · 12/03/2021 12:35

Will you and your parents be putting the Utility and Council Tax into the new names? Moving furniture, changing GP (if necessary), etc? This might be the required evidence. If you are legitimately moving, it doesn't sound dodgy.

Soontobe60 · 12/03/2021 12:36

@Missycakes

My daughter is currently in year 5 so we will be applying for a secondary place this October. The school we would like her to attend is a very popular oversubscribed school. We live approx 20 mins away and based on previous admissions she would not get a place as the furthest place they have offered in previous years has been closer to the school than us. Coincidentally my parents love only 600m from the school and it’s very likely she will be offered a place if we lived there. It’s a major step but we have discussed house swapping with my parents (similar sized properties so not a huge deal) so that she has a better chance of obtaining the school she wants. We would like to do this between us without having to go through the hassle of changing the deeds of the house etc. I have emailed our current school with our intention to move. Will I also have to inform the LEA or will the school do that? Will I have to provide some kind of proof to our current or future school to show we have moved?

So you want to try to circumnavigate the application process then. LAs look very unfavourably on this kind of scam. You’d need to prove that you no longer own the house you’re moving from, which you can’t if you are only swapping. You may well end up with a place in a school miles away from this school and your actual home.

LIZS · 12/03/2021 12:36

If you are even technically owning the other property - council tax, electoral roll, deeds etc - then many councils will query this and some will discount addresses close to application date. If she has additional needs your better bet is a ehcp naming that school.

Soontobe60 · 12/03/2021 12:38

@Missycakes

I’m confused why people are saying it’s suspicious? There are people who rent properties nearby great schools whilst still paying mortgage on their main family home just to obtain school places which is completely above board providing you are in fact living at the property you say you are. I will be living in the property close to the school so my daughter can travel to school more easily as she is of a nervous disposition due to her autism. My question was in regards to informing the LEA and what proof will be required. Everything we are doing to above board.

No, it absolutely isn’t above board. Try phoning the admissions officer, tell them exactly what you are planning on doing and listen to what they say. It certainly won’t be “ah yes, that’s fine, carry on”.

Grimbelina · 12/03/2021 12:41

It sounds like a good move for you anyway as being close to the school might help with the anxiety. Do you have an EHCP? I would hope this would override the house move issues in any case... although I guess they could still claim it was a false address and refuse you a place on this basis. You really need to know what the local position is.

UserTwice · 12/03/2021 12:41

@Missycakes

I’m confused why people are saying it’s suspicious? There are people who rent properties nearby great schools whilst still paying mortgage on their main family home just to obtain school places which is completely above board providing you are in fact living at the property you say you are. I will be living in the property close to the school so my daughter can travel to school more easily as she is of a nervous disposition due to her autism. My question was in regards to informing the LEA and what proof will be required. Everything we are doing to above board.

This is also suspicious and would be investigated to confirm that the rented property was their genuine new residence. If their owned property was lying empty or rented out on a short lease, it might well be determined to be fraudulent.

Bluntness100 · 12/03/2021 12:43

I think as long as you move the council tax, electrics, change your postal address etc, but as many posters habe said, you’re a bit screwed because it’s a known scam for people to claim living at one address whilst living at another. So schools usually ask if you own another property, and if so where it is, they are clued up on it and it’s one of the first things they look for. So many take out a short rental in the preferred area to try to get round it.

So as much as I’m sure you’re genuine, you’re going to fall fowl of it looking like you’re trying to con the school