Has anyone given a 'false' address on application?

[user68634]

Hear me out, I'm not planning on using a friend or relatives address to try and steal a place at an oversubscribed school or anything. But I'm in the process of buying a house. I've read all the official info and know that I can change address officially after the January deadline until the end of Feb. But I'd then have to provide hard copy proof of new address. We're in a chain and with Covid delays I'm really worried exchange will wind up being early March or later. I'm wondering about seeing how far along in the buying process we are by the initial January deadline and applying from what will be our new address if everything is close to exchange by then. I know this is against official advise, but... Has anyone done this?

The issue is if the chain totally collapses you may loose that house and then that would be complicated.

It’s not “against official advice”, it would be a fraudulent application. You have to use the address you are living at when you apply and then depending on your LA they will have rules about what happens in situations like yours. Ours will take a completion statement as proof of new address if timings are tight, for example.

It really does suck and I feel for you but if the chain breaks down then you’re shafted.

Yes, we “lived with family” as it was a better school

I would suggest you ring the application number and see what they say. I can't imagine yours would be the first time this has happened.

Otherwise you make it clear that your are in the process of buying the house on the application - the reference to completion statement above is a good one as proof of address.

Point is you wont be the only person who has been in this predicament so hopefully that is a comfort.

I did the opposite and used the address I lived at (v close to school) knowing that we were soon moving to slightly further away. But I didn't see what else I could do as we hadn't exchanged until after the place was given.

Schools often ask for proof of address when you need to confirm the place so that could be an issue?

Wouldn’t they check against council tax records and be suspicious when your name is different to the person who lives there? @fruitpastille I think you did the right thing it’s about the address you live in at the time not something that might happen in future.

Ah, that's a good point I hadn't thought about council tax! I think that makes it too big a risk.

When is a Completion statement usually issued? I'm a first time buyer so this is all new to me, I pressume before exchange then? Sounds hopeful.

If I was allowed more choices than 3, it would make things easier . There are a lot of schools that I'd be happy with that some years we might get a place from either address but it's impossible to guess which ones to put down because it's so inconsistent. I guess we will likely have to put down current address, not get any places on the list, and then because I have a longer list of schools I'd accept I could try and negotiate a place at any of those after offer day. Or go on waiting list for all of them?

The completion statement is usually issued after exchange but before completion.

You must use your current address, not a possible future address. You should use one of your choices for a school that is acceptable where you are almost certain to get a place.

If you don't get a place at any of the schools on your list you will be offered the nearest school with places available. That may be a school you really don't want and may be a long way from home. All you can do at that stage is go on the waiting list for schools you would like, but the council may limit you to three waiting lists.

You can't negotiate a place. The system doesn't work like that. You can only get a place through the waiting list or through appeal, and appeals for primary school places are generally very hard to win.

We had to show proof of address so couldn't put a future house on it.

If you get a completion date ask your solicitor to verify this in writing. This may help with the time frames?

Otherwise it is fraud.

I’m in exactly this situation. I called the application department for the council which were moving to (we’re moving 150 miles away) and theirs advice was to apply in both our current area and for the area we are moving to adding a note in the notes section regarding exchange and completion dates.

Ah yes, the council already say you need to have exchanged but not completed.

By negotiate I simply meant asking if any schools I like had any spaces after offers day and if not asking which waiting lists would be the best bet to go on @prh47bridge not sure what else you thought I meant... Offering cash?!

I won't be putting catchment from current address down, it's only 1.5 miles from new address but it doesn't have a before or after school club and no childminder so I'd have to stay part time at work indefinitely which I don't want to do. The catchment schools for the new house won't be on my choices either, I really don't want it, but it is very large and always undersubscribed so if I don't get any of my other choices at least I know I won't have to travel miles to go to one I didn't want, only round the corner.

Do you know what proof of address you need to provide?

Your post got me thinking, we’ve lived here 9 years but no one seems official letters anymore it’s all online

Is it that we are registered here to vote? And pay council tax?

I don't think they usually ask @OverTheRainbow88 they didn't when I applied for my older children. But sometimes they can apparently so it is a gamble. Proof of address will be anything recent with your address on. Any kind of bill should work. We recently had this problem with our house purchase, the estate agent needed proof of address for money laundering purposes and I couldn't find anything at the time because everything is now online. We ended up sending a screen shot of our online Council Tax bill because that was the only online bill I could get our names and address in the same screen shot, which thankfully was accepted. I don't think councils will ask routinely, only if they have suspicions or maybe if you are applying to a heavily oversubscribed school with a history of fraudulent applications.

Please listen to prh47bridge. Bottom line is that if the local education authority considers your actions to be fraudulent they could remove your child’s place.

Ah thank you.

Good luck’ hope you get the school you want.

I've decided not to. I'll just have to accept the very close school I don't want if it comes to it, at least it will save me a longer school run.

I had to supply council tax reference number (unique to each successive occupants) when we applied for my youngest, so I think lots of authorities are tightening up their processes.

@user68634 - I wasn't sure what you meant but you occasionally see people on here who think you can get a place at a school by having a word with the head teacher or similar.

In your position I would be putting pressure on everyone in the house buying chain to exchange/complete by the deadline. Get your own ducks in a row, of course, and then start pushing everything along saying the latest you can exchange is X date for school application purposes, otherwise you’ll need to stay where you are.

Surely they require council tax bill when you apply?

In my county (Kent) you don't have to supply any evidence when you apply - the address evidence is requested by the school after the offers are made.

Im currently living this nightmare but with high school application. I just can’t see us moving in time for first choice and catchment school of new house. 2nd choice school, which she would definitely get, she couldn't get to or home from on her own from the new house

I had to do this last year. I applied with the rental address (out of catchment) but there was a section of the application where you could add a note and I explained that I would be moving to a house within the catchment. The admissions team rang me a few times to ask if we had moved yet, which was delayed due to the first lockdown. As soon as we were in I had to send them council tax bill and a letter from the doctors surgery with our new address and my daughters name. I got in to our chosen school, but I don't think it was over subscribed this year so perhaps not that helpful. Just explain everything to the admissions team, I found ours really helpful.