Home ownership and school catchment areas.
Discussion
Hello all,
Having recently landed a new job my wife and I now have a combined income that will just allow us to buy a house in an area we have always favoured, primarily because it has a couple of good schools for our kids for the near future (they are 3 and 1).
Having never had enough spare cash to pay into a pension my long term plan was to have just one buy-to-let property paid off to supplement my state pension, or perhaps just pay for university fees! Given we already own a house we know and, aside from the sentimental significance it has having been in the family for 70 years, have spent time and money on, what would be ideal would be to keep this one and rent it, move in with parents and save for the deposit on the new home over the next two years. This solves the problem of having to apply for a school place before we can afford the house in the catchment area, in this scenario, because parents also live in the catchment area. They are happy with this proposal in terms of living with each other for that time.
I know this smacks of having our cake and eating it, and I am aware of the seriousness with which the council will take any issues surrounding families moving to areas temporarily to secure school places. It is not our intention to deceive, it is our intention to live in that area and attend that school and not move back anywhere else. It is merely a question or poor timing, by 18months or so.
So, what I am concerned with is if we apply to a school from parents address, whilst owning a buy-to-let property that we lived in shortly before, what problems are we likely to encounter with the council refusing or withdrawing a school place? Has anyone had a similar experience? I really have no idea if any of it really has any significance, but applying from a parents address must wave all kinds of flags.
If the solution is clear cut and we must sell and buy in the catchment area then so be it, my pension plan will be dead and buried. We will most likely be out of money for anything other than maintaining that address for the school, in an effort to give our kids that start which, compared to the schools where we are right now, is like night and day.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Having recently landed a new job my wife and I now have a combined income that will just allow us to buy a house in an area we have always favoured, primarily because it has a couple of good schools for our kids for the near future (they are 3 and 1).
Having never had enough spare cash to pay into a pension my long term plan was to have just one buy-to-let property paid off to supplement my state pension, or perhaps just pay for university fees! Given we already own a house we know and, aside from the sentimental significance it has having been in the family for 70 years, have spent time and money on, what would be ideal would be to keep this one and rent it, move in with parents and save for the deposit on the new home over the next two years. This solves the problem of having to apply for a school place before we can afford the house in the catchment area, in this scenario, because parents also live in the catchment area. They are happy with this proposal in terms of living with each other for that time.
I know this smacks of having our cake and eating it, and I am aware of the seriousness with which the council will take any issues surrounding families moving to areas temporarily to secure school places. It is not our intention to deceive, it is our intention to live in that area and attend that school and not move back anywhere else. It is merely a question or poor timing, by 18months or so.
So, what I am concerned with is if we apply to a school from parents address, whilst owning a buy-to-let property that we lived in shortly before, what problems are we likely to encounter with the council refusing or withdrawing a school place? Has anyone had a similar experience? I really have no idea if any of it really has any significance, but applying from a parents address must wave all kinds of flags.
If the solution is clear cut and we must sell and buy in the catchment area then so be it, my pension plan will be dead and buried. We will most likely be out of money for anything other than maintaining that address for the school, in an effort to give our kids that start which, compared to the schools where we are right now, is like night and day.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Thanks for the replies so far.
It's the reach of the council's investigative power that I have no clue about, but if I can ask them about the as bluntly as that I will do so.
Good point about shifting addresses on documentation.
Moving in with parents is not an idea I have taken lightly, believe me. It's a means to an end.
It's the reach of the council's investigative power that I have no clue about, but if I can ask them about the as bluntly as that I will do so.
Good point about shifting addresses on documentation.
Moving in with parents is not an idea I have taken lightly, believe me. It's a means to an end.
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