6 Month Tenancy and In Year Secondary School Place

[OneCoralReader]

Hi there all
Need some advice please, I've now made offers which were accepted on two flats to buy over the past few months - both within catchment of a secondary school - in Camden, which have both fallen through - the first was unmortgageable after the survey, the second the 95 year old lady who lived there decided she understandably didn't want to go into care and appealed to the council for funded care to stay.
I can't find anything else to buy, and feeling quite despondent, so have been looking at rentals. I can only afford a one bed rental (4 x the amount my mortgage was going to be) - and it's 0.1 miles away from the school and being offered on a 6 month basis. I am worried though that it won't be accepted for a secondary school place and be seen as a tactical move? It's for year 9, the school is over subscribed. Does anyone have any experience of this? We are currently just staying between friends as we already sold our flat, so technically homeless.
Thanks so much for any help.

Where are you moving from?

If the school is oversubscribed how will you get a place in year 9, even if you buy a flat locally?

If you don't own another property then the council have no choice about accepting your address. Some families spend decades on 6 month contracts and have no security. You will be fine for using that address to apply for the school place.

Thanks for your help. I'm moving from Battersea, however already sold that so were just staying between friends now. The school is oversubscribed but children do move, it would be waiting for a place - you get added to a waiting list and then it's whoever is first on the list gets a place.

Ok, so you're a 'mover in'
You will need to complete an In Year Admission application.
If the school has a place in Year 9 then I will be given to you. If they are full then you will be offered a place at another school 'within reasonable distance'
If you refuse the place offered then the local authority doesn't have a duty to provide another place, but you will have 'right of appeal' for your preferences on your application.
If the admissions department find that there are no Year 9 places within a reasonable distance then your application would be discussed under your local authorities fair access protocol and a place allocated that way.
6 months tenancy is fine, just provide it with your application as proof of your current address.
You need to get your in year application in as soon as possible.

Thanks - the woman renting to us wants to keep the bills and council tax in her name, but we will have a tenancy agreement, will this affect her place?

If you have sole occupancy and a proper ASY then the bills are your responsibility and the council tax needs to be in your name. There's no legit reason the landlord would have for keeping them in her name.

No that's not acceptable. The education authority will need the council tax to be in your name to accept it as your proper address and the landlord wanting to keep it in their name would likely be due to some kind of fraudulent behaviour ie if the landlord is claiming to actually live there

Yeah I also thought it was strange - she sent me the rental contract yesterday, originally asked for all 6 months rent upfront - which I said I couldn't do - so she said every 3 months... there's no deposit, and said she wanted all the bills to be kept in her name. It's definitely raised an eyebrow that I haven't quite put down yet, any thoughts?

She might be intending to use it as an address for school admissions too, that will certainly ring alarm bells if you do too.

Only a problem for the landlady though!

No deposit would raise many red flags for me (I've privately rented before) and rent every 3 months in advance even more. As others have said, you need the council tax and bills in your name otherwise it sounds to me like she's subletting! I'd avoid (difficult I know when you're looking for somewhere to live) but the more you've added the more red flags there are

I've sent her an email asking for the council tax to be in my name, so we shall see what she says. It was on openrent but she doesn't want to use the features of it, instead wants to use reposit - which I've never used?

The landlady sounds dodgy, I’d avoid if possible.

Can you look at other areas to move to?

Have you updated the current school when you sold and moved in with friends? Did you provide the new address?

Sounds very odd about the landlady wanting to have the Council Tax and bills in her name. I wonder if she is in receipt on benefits and could be committing fraud by living elsewhere. If there is a cross check with Council Tax you won’t show up.

Is your plan to keep her in a Battersea’s school until you gain a place? if so be aware others may leap frog you for a place as may have higher priority.