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Primary education

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Original poster

Landlord is selling our house in the school catchment area

37 replies

Octavia09 · 05/05/2010 17:45

Hi everyone!
I wonder whether you could help me.
We got accepted at the primary school we wanted and it is in our catchment area. Now the landlord is selling the house and we have to find another one by the mid June. We have found one which is not far from the place where we live but out of the catchment area. I do not really like the house but there is nothing else to choose from. If we do not take it then we might not find anything close to the school. Now my worry is whether the school will not change its mind because we will not be living in the catchment area. It is not our fault that the landlord is selling it. I hate it my self because he told us about his decision two month after we had moved in. So, should I worry or not? Probably we should show the school a letter from our agent confirming that our landlord is selling the house.

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colditz · 05/05/2010 18:01

I don't think the school can change their mind. You got offered a place, therefore there is a place for you, no?

goldenticket · 05/05/2010 18:06

Hmm, I think you need to check with the school or the county council - some schools will withdraw places if you move out of catchment within a certain time frame.

Sorry you're having this hassle

belly36 · 05/05/2010 18:07

As far as I know the school can't take the place back now where ever you move to.

Do you have June as confirmed or can you hold out and hope something you like turns up?

Original poster

Octavia09 · 05/05/2010 18:07

There is a place, yes. Sometimes, parents move into the school catchment area to get a place and then move out and some schools investigate such cases. But our case is different so I hope it will not become an issue.

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scurryfunge · 05/05/2010 18:09

Is there any way that you can delay the move?

Original poster

Octavia09 · 05/05/2010 18:10

June is confirmed but the house is not sold yet. I really hope something come up in the area. The area around the school is very nice and most of the houses are owned. Also, it is not easy to find a house in the area you want with the same agents.
May be if something nice comes for July or AUgust and if the house is not sold by that time then we could ask a landlord to stay.

OP posts:

scurryfunge · 05/05/2010 18:15

Would it be really evil to put off viewers when they visit? (think I know the answer to that one )

Original poster

Octavia09 · 05/05/2010 18:31

The house is a bit overpriced and the viewers of course look what needs to be done if they buy it. Many things need to be changed.

OP posts:

Original poster

Octavia09 · 05/05/2010 18:32

I try not to put the viewers off because I want to get the deposit back.

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MoneyNoPockets · 05/05/2010 18:33

Did you only sign a monthly rental contract then Octavia09?

LadyLapsang · 05/05/2010 19:31

I think you will find that the offer of a place for your child is dependent on there being no change in circumstances and that the onus is on you to notify the LA / school that there have been. Would have thought your best option would be to offer the landlord a financial incentive to stay until after the start of term in September. However, do bear in mind that if you have another child they may not get in in the future.

admission · 05/05/2010 20:16

Octavia,
If you were in the property on the date of the Local Authority handing out the places then I would expect you to be OK, that is the key date in most LAs.

One question will be about the time that you have been in the property, because of some parents who rent short term to get into their preferred school. If you have been in the property for at least 6 months then there is no issue. The other question is whether the LA may not be happy about the fact that you knew 2 months after moving in about the decision to sell. Again it is about the time you have been in the property and how the time you were first told of the intention to sell fits with the admission timeline.

There is no need to inform the school until you are actually moving in mid June or later so that they can arrange any information that may be sent to you as parents of new school children.

veritythebrave · 05/05/2010 22:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Octavia09 · 06/05/2010 07:43

veritythebrave, thanks, this information helps. We will provide the school with the letter from our letting agents with regards to the selling of the house.
We did not want to inform the school a few months ago because we wanted to get a place in the school. That is not our fault that the landlord is selling it. We still hope to find something within the area.

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 06/05/2010 07:45

That sucks. I hope he never sells it, haahaaa. Bastard.

notnickgriffinschick · 06/05/2010 07:51

If I were you ......Id keep dead quiet until you know for certain that you have to move- lots can happen before then perhaps your LL will decide to improve the house instead of selling - perhaps the new owners will be a buy to let family??

Tell school only when you are certain you will have to move and only then tell them in a casual oh ive had to move way ....dont anticipate problems.

bellissima · 06/05/2010 09:09

Agree Goldenticket - you need to check the local rules. Here in Bucks (grammar school area and - allegedly - quite a lot of address fraud) you need to be in the house that was on the application for at least six months after the child starts school in September, at least for secondary schools. So there are variations although you might well be fine - but check. You can always do that anonymously!

mummytime · 06/05/2010 09:14

Do look up the details for your school/ LEA, probably on the website. It maybe anything from no problem, to a major issue. You need to know, you can always ring annonymously, as a prospective parent for next year who lies in rented, or get a friend/relative to do it for you.
You need to know as it will affect where you would consider moving to. But also nice houses can go fast.

Don't inform them until you have to, things could change.

Good luck!

Original poster

Octavia09 · 06/05/2010 10:29

I will keep quiet. Cannot even tell mums at the nursery as you never know.
Thanks so much everyone! Have a nice day, X

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MilaMae · 06/05/2010 12:31

Is it worth having a word with your LL to see if you could stay a bit longer (however long you need to qualify) after all it doesn't make much odds to him.

You could offer to pay a bit extra(don't know if that's possible).

An old landlord did this to us once at Xmas,they really don't give a stuff do they.

luciemule · 06/05/2010 12:42

The school can surely take back the place because it goes by distance from the school as the bird flies. Say for example, there is another child going to our school from a village that has it's own primary but out of choice, their child goes to our school. When we moved in, we live 2 ins from the school, they said officially, if there were no places for our children, they would have to ask a child from a village further away with it's own school, to go there instead.
I think this is similar. Otherwise, (people saying they have to keep the place once offered) if you moved 200miles away, then you're saying you should still keep the place (I obviously know this wouldn't happen as you couldn't commute 200 miels to school). But do you see what I mean?

admission · 06/05/2010 12:46

I was somewhat surprised by what Bellissima said about Bucks but having checked the admission arrangements that is actualy what it says for rented accomodation - not bought houses.

I would be really interested in knowing what the Schools Adjudicator would make of this as it seems somewhat draconian along with the statement that if you move house after the allocation process for a school that is over-subscribed they may remove the place. That seems to go completely against the admission code. But until someone challenges it those are the rules.

This just confirms that you have to be very very careful about moving house if you are involved in school admission process.

bellissima · 06/05/2010 12:54

Yes but surely the OP is talking about rented accomodation.

I only know the Bucks stuff as I have a Year 6 DC about to go to secondary school - I don't spend my time scouring the admissions criteria before going train spotting on the Chiltern Line - honest....

titchy · 06/05/2010 13:20

The Bucks policy would seem to be discriminatory too - different rules for renters as for owener-occupiers

Original poster

Octavia09 · 06/05/2010 14:24

This is going to be our third house since last July. And I hate it. When our 2nd child was born we lived in a flat. I was really tired with two kids trying to go out every day. Then we started having problems with our windows and the landlord did not want to change them. So we found a house and moved in. Both the agency and the owners were dodgy. They did not want to do anything. Then later they sent us later of eviction for no reason. The agents said the landlord left them as well after many years. ANd I did not believe them. Later they posted an advert for that house, it was £50.00 more. They could not increase the rent with our six-month contract so they had to evict us. Fortunately we found a lovely house (this one) and moved in just before Christmas. We spend our holidays cleaning two houses: the old ones with the broken boiler, cold water, no heating and two kids. ANd then this one because the landlord was not bothered to pay someone to clean the house; he could have taken a bottle of bleach to clean the toilets at least. We said we were not going to move out that soon. And then in two months time the landlord told us about his plans to sell it. It was such a shock.
Well, he mentioned to us that if the house is not sold by Septemeber then we could stay in it but may be he was just trying to be nice. Lets see.

OP posts:

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