how do schools check you've been living in catchment area?

[missperelman]

hi there. i'm about to move to an area of london, but the owner of the house will be paying the council tax. i've always paid my own so this will be a new thing. will my DD still be able to go to the local primary school in 2 years time, does anyone know? i.e. how do schools gather proof that you have lived in their catchment area, as i thought it was via your council tax bill. very best wishes

Check the LA website. Tenancy agreement/utility bills/GP registration/CB address/electoral role can all also count.

Any particular reason why you're not taking on the Council Tax liability? For it is usually based on occupancy, not ownership. And if not paying it means the Council investigates your address and there is anything shonky about the tax arrangement, it coukd all go horribly wrong at the point.

Not everyone pays council tax (mature students, living with extended family, even living with partner/spouse if bill is in their name) so I presume they could ask for other proof of residence like other utility bills in your name at that address, bank statements, rent agreement, car registration/insurance, driving licence, TV licence, name on electoral roll etc.

I don't think they check.
Honestly, the amount of people whom I know have rented in catchment but don't actually live there is in double figures. They never get found out.

Often it's the address that child benefit is registered to.

thankyou all. scarevola; is it usually based on occupancy? everywhere i look online says it is just the owner who is liable.

poorbuthappy, as in you know tons of folk who just apply for the primary school and jut show up with no evidence of living near the school?

sorry all - new to all this!

Sorry secondary schools is my experience.
People in primary schools who were outside catchment, then decided to rent a house within catchment of preferred secondary but never set foot in rented house. In 1 particular case a well known local businessman who was never going to move from
his lovely 5 bed house in the country to a 3 bed ex council house in catchment for no reason.
Everyone knew he was only renting to get into school
Even a family member simply put down parents house in catchment rather than own address.
Maybe it was just an unsubscribed year.

Undersubscribed. Sorry

Also you are in London I am about as far away as you can get, so will be a completely different situation probably.

When I did my secondary application I had to type in my council tax account number. You should definitely check with your LEA if there are any implications of not paying council tax, and I would do it well before application date.

Our (london) authority definitely checks council tax and organises visits if applications & taxes don't tally. Friend was living out of her "home" while they had rennovations done - about 12-18months worth, and they weren't planning to accept her rental address. She walked them to the "home" and showed them the state of its unliveability (and she had documentation from insurance about it not being liveable).

Who is responsible for Council Tax depends on the type of tenancy. If it's a house of multiple occupancy, it would remain landlord's responsibility. But if rented to one or joint tenants or a single family, then normally it would be the tenants who are responsible.

thankyou all. i think yes, it might be an idea to try to pay the council tax for schools purposes. scarevola, it is a private home with the landlord living there too and renting a floor to me and my DD. so, i am still unsure whether he just remains paying his council tax for the property, or if i take joint liability/responsibility. anyone know? i can find out from landlord soon but he's away for a few weeks. thanks!!

I don't know where you are poorbuthappy, but that is most certainly not the case in London. We had to provide copies of council tax bills for both current year and previous year.
Op, why aren't you paying your own council tax bill? I'd imagine that will be a huge red flag when they require evidence that you actually occupy the house.

Dear lord. Just realised this is in primary. So sorry!! Don't know how I managed to ignore that.

Rural Wales. Completely kettle of fish. Combined with me not reading topic title. Feel like an idiot now.

Consider yourself lucky it's not London, poor. Sounds much less stressful, believe me!

Surely primary and secondary have the same rules?

Don't see why you need to actually be the bill-payer to prove you live there, though. What about people who live with parents/grandparents?

oh in london they check! we moved weeks before the application deadline, i had to have a letter from my old landlord & letting agent to prove we had moved out of old house, along with last utility bills for the old address and all the bills for the new dress and the new tenancy stuff. I got a 3 phone calls confirming my address and threats of a visit to check if i really lived here.

if your LL is letting out space in his house then you should be registered to pay council tax, he shouldn't still get a single person discount. I thought CT was how they checked, if they were so minded.

I've just done a London application and you have to out your Council Tax ref on it.

You don't have to pay the council tax, surely you just need to be registered there (otherwise you can't vote either)

just registered there yes, surely that's it. 1000 thanks

I had a visit at home for both my children when they started primary. Have just applied for secondary and had to scan and attach council tax. There was a list of alternative documents, can't remember what was on it, but pretty sure tenancy agreement was one. Will you have some legal paperwork stating you live there?

I think they ask the primary school to check it accords with their records, and then nothing else unless some one flags up a problem when they check the electoral roll