Renting by Watford Boys, Dame Alice Owen, Camden Girls

[nctoday]

We're looking at how to look after aging parents ourselves, and avoid care home risks reported in the newspapers too often.

Do you know what the interest would be if we rented out a few homes near schools like Watford Boys Grammar, Dame Alice Owen and Camden Girls? Would flats or houses be more attractive? I know only of one from the hundreds of DCs we've come across who moved for this reason, and that to the catchment of a school not even in that 'league'.

We could stay at work and pay a care home, and you can rant about how unfair this is to those who cannot bring themselves to pay a reasonable rent for good homes within 10 minutes' walk of these schools. But we're not trying to please you, so do us both a favour and walk by if you don't actually know anyone who has done this, or if it would be of interest to you. Thanks in advance.

Do you mean rent a house yourelf to get your child in or buy a house to rent out or you already own houses by all of these schools?

Don't understand your post.

Sorry, but whilst I appreciate your aim (and it's a laudable one, to be considering your parents), you're not doing yourselves any favours coming out with lines like "we're not trying to please you."

Not exactly endearing is it, your tone?

Sorry, bread, was trying to keep it brief.

We're decided to be SAHCarers, are not impressed by arm's length investments, and looking at the possibility of being landlords, but are obviously new to it! The London student market is a possibility, but the idea of ordinary families with children appeals. Hence those schools. Ideally families that will stay for the duration, but having to be realistic.

Moving into catchment generates a lot of heat, but we know of only one family who did this, and we've seen some mighty impressive hoop jumping and covert school gate activity over the years. Incidentally the one case we know of moved their lives, to next to their DC's school, were very open about doing it and have since remained. Less suspicious minds might see that as being the most sensible thing to do. Having half a dozen tenants like them would be ideal, but perhaps cathcment renters are quite rare, after all.

I still don't really understand!
I don't usually bother to help rude people on MN though so whether I understand is irrelavant.

Jeni, I really don't want to waste anyone's time. This life decision is even more important in my view than DCs' educational decisions were, so being endearing is not even on my radar. Whatever reserves of positivity I have are already earmarked. The tone was specially crafted to repel boarders of a certain kind. Thanks for the feedback.

Wish you'd saved your breath, threadwatcher!

If you want people to help you it helps if you are not rude.

just sayin'

I am pretty sure that there is only one street in the DA Owens catchment and that's top end of Dugdale Hill Lane. You would need to check current catchment very carefully before buying and obviously property is very sought after in that area!

Repel boarders of what kind? Ones that might be minded to help, if the OP isn't quite so arsey?

Where I live there's a dearth of family housing ("affordable" or otherwise) to rent. In fact, my lottery plan is to become a landlord myself to serve this untapped market. I'll charge a reasonable rent, and look to have long term tenants; not philanthropically (although there'd be a strong element of wanting to be fair) but with a view to minimising voids and maintaining a steady, reliable income. Might that be a better, less dicey approach?

DAO have very detailed set of criteria to prevent people renting in catchment and other types of address-fiddling. The first flag in their list of things they look out for is people applying from the same address that other people have previously applied from, so for Owens at least your plan wouldn't work.

Thanks, most informative.

The risk is to the applicants if they choose to use the homes as short lets. Tightness of admissions criteria is a useful indicator of demand. I would have thought most people would relocate for at least the initial 3-5 years of secondary, but it's a free market.

The central London market continues to be very solid, but DF/DM have expressed a preference for families with children, ideally more average income families, hence the schools concerned. I'm also warming to the idea of helping out those attracting the vitriol in catchment threads.

Jenai, have you got any specific about the schools in question, or just enjoying yourself? Since you chose to ignore the reasonable rent part, I guess you're playing. Let's hope that in your or your LOs' dotage, you'll enjoy plenty of games. We could get more arsey together, only I can't be arsed.

The OP was being 'rude' to the people who usually turn up to criticize rather than offer advice.

If you fall into this category then you may be offended but since you weren't going to offer any advice anyway the OP isn't losing out.

I don't fall into this category so I'm not offended :)

I've read that some schools spot check residencies ie if you have a one bed flat then the school isn't going to believe that you, DP and your two kids live there.

That aside, the people that I know that do this prefer to rent a cheap flat as a mail box drop for however long it takes to secure a place.

We considered doing this for Dame Alice but we couldn't find any rental properties within the guaranteed catchment area that we could afford to keep going for a year. We could have rented within catchment and took the entrance exam but this wasn't an option because if DS failed then we would have got Onslow which is a pretty crap school.

Thanks, Poosh.
If we go down the route, we'd aim to make it so families could stay for a few years, at least until their DCs were old enough for them to think about a commute rather than a few minutes' walk.

DAO will cover boys and girls but you're right. there would be more homes near Watford Boys and Camden Girls.