What counts as your address for school waiting list purposes?

[howlongisitnow]

Hi. Flat sale went through (thank goodness) but house purchase collapsed. Can’t stay with parents because of Covid. So we’re likely to be in a short term rental / Airbnb for the next few months. Possibly longer.

Does this count for a primary school waiting list? We own no property and will genuinely be living there.

Thoughts? Thanks

if you're living as your family home there then it's your address - they may ask for proof of address so be sure to have council tax/bank statements in that address.

Thanks. But would we be paying council tax or bills in a short term rental? I would have thought it would be bundled up in the price?

It’s such a weird situation because normally we’d just be at one of our parents houses. But we can’t, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon

it depends on how short term. For a 6 month lease we paid council tax and bills. Any less than 6 months and they may think you are only living there for school place, if it closer to school than your previous address. If you have proof of offer accepted and exchange date if may well bypass their doubt.

Are you already on a list for a school place or are you looking at applications later this year?

I would try and call your local council to check their specific rules.

So the planned house purchase is no longer happening - thanks Covid! We don’t own any property and are back to square one in looking for a house to buy (and with no idea how long it will take)

We have a school place - which is fine we think - but are on the wait list for the five schools we listed above.

The question i guess is, can we update the council with our ‘new’ address (which I know we’re obliged to do anyway), when it’s a month-to-month rental or Airbnb?

In any other time this would look like an attempt to game the waiting list. But it’s honestly a reflection of where we’ll be living. Given the choice we’d much rather be with one of our parents!

Why not take a 6 month lease, would be no more than a 3-4 month Airbnb surely and solves the school place issue

We may have to do that. But we’re reluctant to sign up to a lease when there’s a chance (a small once admittedly) that we can find a house to buy. We can move super quick now we’re not in a chain.

But you’re right, we could well be stuck in house buying limbo for months!