For which period do I need to live near secondary school for applications

[Mallowmarshmallow]

I am considering renting a property close to our favoured secondary school and move into it for a period in order to get a place at the preferred school.

Does anyone know for what period I would need to have the property?

I realise this is using a situation to benefit me, however we would genuinely move into the property for the required period.

My understanding is that I would need to live in the property at the end of October application deadline, up until the point of accepting the place in March. At which point I could move out. Is that correct?

You know that’s fraud, right?

If you are genuinely living there and registered/GP/paying bills I dont see how its fraud. People do move in and out of properties quickly

Also they will check when your child starts secondary school and can withdraw the place.
Why would you do that?

I suppose OP can remain living there until the September then?

Surely it's not fraud if I'm living in the property, which I explained I would be.

There is no mention on admissions regarding a requirement to still live in the address in September. Places are allocated in March and that is when proof of address is required. People move addresses all the time.

It's not clear if the OP is renting now and will rent a home closer to the school or if she owns a home and is looking to rent an additional property. If the latter, the LA may query whether the rented home is a genuine place of residence for the children.
If an applicant has an owned home in Newcastle but is renting in Reading because of work, it would presumably be easier to see the rented home as main place of residence as the child couldn't commute. But if an applicant has an owned home in Newcastle but renting in Durham, or has owned home in Reading but renting in Henley, the admissions authority may query if the owned home is actually the main place of residence I think

I got my daughter in a secondary out of our catchment area by emailing them my reasons why they would be good for her. Good luck 🤞

If you own another house then most places say you have to use that unless it's far too far away to use.

Do you own a home currently? If you do, and plan to keep it, then there is a good chance they will investigate and treat it as fraudulent.

If you are currently renting or will sell your home, then they are more likely to accept it. They may still investigate but it would be trickier for them to prove it was fraudulent.

It is not a victimless crime. Some other kid won't get a place because you gamed the system.

Do you live in England or Wales? If so, they HAVE to allocate based on the admissions criteria. You getting a place was lucky, but not because you emailed to say your DC needed school A because of XYZ.

Depends where you live. We're in a selective county and lots of the grammars require you to have been here for some time and quite restrictive provisions about second properties.

I live in England

You may have done that, but she git the place bc you lived near enough, or she quslifued as a sibling. Schools have to follow admissions rules.

@Mallowmarshmallow do you own another house? Many popular schools are wise to this procedure and may check further.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/amiibeingunreasonable/3188832-Renting-in-school-catchment-area-temporarily

No sibling and I had to plead for a place on the bus which thankfully I got. They provided a taxi to take her and a few others to the nearest bus stop

It's morally wrong. You are moving into a catchment area with absolutely no intention to stay there to secure a gain for yourself/your child. You are taking a place off another child who would have got in had you not done this. That's pretty reprehensible behaviour in my book.

Why do you think what you are proposing is acceptable?

If I were you, I would find the secondary schools admissions brochure for this year and read it very carefully to see how your local authority decides on home address. Certainly where I live (a London borough) you are expected to remain the address you applied from until at least the September your child starts at the school. And that you have to provide them with details of all addresses you are connected to so they (the LA admissions team) can decide which ones can be disregarded, and if you’ve moved in the last 12 months they will ask for more information. If you’re renting whilst also owning a property, they want to see evidence the owned property is rented out - if you’re renting because it’s being renovated, then it’s the home being renovated that’s treated as the home address as you know you’re moving back (I know this as it was our circumstances when we applied for secondary schools for DS).

Thanks for all opinions. I'm clear on the morality, or lack of. I was questioning the rules.

In case I wasn't clear, although I thought I was. Twice.

I would live in the property. I own a property which I would move out of.

They will check your council tax records and you are likely to be caught.

I own a property which I would move out of
Then this will be your address for admission purposes.
Some schools require you to provide evidence of your council tax bills for the preceding two years.

They will know exactly where she lives and pays council tax for. She wont have to provide anything, the LA will look it up on their internal systems.

They'll see 2 addresses linked and start questioning it.

@Mallowmarshmallow I suggest you check your area's secondary admissions brochure to see what it says about address checks. Ours has about 2 pages on it. Anyone in my area who rents a temporary address whilst also owning a permanent home will be allocated a school based on the permanent address, not the temporary one, and they could be prosecuted for address fraud.

They even prosecuted one of their own councillors for this a few years ago. They moved out of their permanent home while it was being "renovated" and rented a property next to a popular primary school on the other side of the borough.

No you will need to sell the property you own and even then if you rent rather than buy that too will be questioned.

To add, our LA expect to see proof that you have sold the owned property.

Local authorities look at where you’re paying Council Tax, so if you’re still paying it on your old property they will expect that to be your address.
I heard of a family close to me who rented a place to get into desired school, got their place then moved between offer day (March) and actually start date and the school investigated. Not sure if the outcome but a lot of LEAs won’t accept this type of behaviour, so irrespective of the morality of it, you need to check the exact rules of your LEA/school.