Can you rent a basement of a house and go to that local school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are living there yes.

Not true. MCPS can't prove where its students live. They don't have the staff or the resources, or the inclination to go after residency violations.

OP, you don't even need to rent a basement. Do you have a friend who lives in the cluster you want to attend? Simply ask if you can use their address.

Most notices now come by email, or by robo-call. Not much that MCPS really mails, other than report cards. DD has a friend who does this, and the only issue is that her report card takes longer to get to her. It gets sent to the other address, so the mom has to go pick it up. Other than that, it's a non-issue.

Acceptable Proof of Residency in Montgomery County

Homeowners: A copy of your current property tax bill. A copy can be obtained from the Montgomery County Department of Finance at 240-777-0311 or at Montgomery County Department of Finance.
Renters: A copy of your current rental lease. If the original term of the lease is expired, a copy of the lease and a current utility bill.

Shared Housing Residents: If living in shared housing with a homeowner or renter who has a bona fide residence within an MCPS school area:
Shared housing with a homeowner: A completed, signed, and notarized Shared Housing Disclosure (MCPS Form 335-74), a copy of the current property tax bill of the homeowner, and two other supporting documents to demonstrate that the parent/guardian or eligible student is living at the address. The supporting documents must be in the name of the parent/guardian at the address shown on the Shared Housing Disclosure Form (see below for supporting document examples).
Shared housing with a renter: A completed, signed, and notarized Shared Housing Disclosure (MCPS Form 335-74), a copy of the rental lease and two other supporting documents to demonstrate that the parent/guardian or eligible student is living at the address. If the original term of the rental lease is expired, a copy of the lease and a current utility bill is required. The supporting documents must be in the name of the parent/guardian at the address shown on the Shared Housing Disclosure Form (see below for supporting document examples).


Examples of acceptable supporting documents include communication from the following types of entries:
Financial institutions (e.g., bank, insurance company, etc.)
Utility companies (e.g., phone, water, electric, gas, etc.)
Governmental (Federal, state, or local)
Medical organizations
Religious institutions
Nonprofit or community organizations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I rent a basement of a house in another school boundary - but still live in current home, Can I use the rental as my address to get DD into school?

Yes. You can absolutely do this. Many families do.

You'll get some posters on here who feign outrage, but in many cultures, you do what you need to do to get ahead. So, many families in MCPS use relatives' addresses, or friends' addresses to attend schools that are out of their boundary. It's NBD, and nobody every gets caught.

My coworker even lives in Frederick County, and her daughter attends MCPS because they are using an aunt's address. It's very prevalent, though I'm not an MCPS fan, so not sure what the appeal is!

Not feigning outrage here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a first grade teacher I work a lot on helping kids learn their address and how to write it correctly. There is always one kid telling me a completely different address than he is registered too. It makes me really in a terrible position. Just don't be that mom.

Don’t be that teacher! You don’t know the whole story so don’t make assumptions.

Exactly. Maybe the child's parents are divorced, or they live with grandma sometimes. My child lives with me 15 days per month and his dad 30 minutes farther away from his school 15 days a month. According to some PPs on this thread, he wouldn't qualify in bounds at ANY school because he lives in both houses less than 20 days/nights per month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People can report you. Like your DD's friends' parents and such. Think about that.

Nobody reports you for this kind of thing. NOBODY.

We have several families who use false addresses to attend my kids' school. It's pretty well known where the kids live (they play sports together, etc). In 8 years at our ES/MS, I have never seen it be an issue. People are really not inclined to report this kind of thing.

So several = NOBODY?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I rent a basement of a house in another school boundary - but still live in current home, Can I use the rental as my address to get DD into school?

Yes. You can absolutely do this. Many families do.

You'll get some posters on here who feign outrage, but in many cultures, you do what you need to do to get ahead. So, many families in MCPS use relatives' addresses, or friends' addresses to attend schools that are out of their boundary. It's NBD, and nobody every gets caught.

My coworker even lives in Frederick County, and her daughter attends MCPS because they are using an aunt's address. It's very prevalent, though I'm not an MCPS fan, so not sure what the appeal is!

Not feigning outrage here.

?? Not sure what you're saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are living there yes.

Not true. MCPS can't prove where its students live. They don't have the staff or the resources, or the inclination to go after residency violations.

OP, you don't even need to rent a basement. Do you have a friend who lives in the cluster you want to attend? Simply ask if you can use their address.

Most notices now come by email, or by robo-call. Not much that MCPS really mails, other than report cards. DD has a friend who does this, and the only issue is that her report card takes longer to get to her. It gets sent to the other address, so the mom has to go pick it up. Other than that, it's a non-issue.

Acceptable Proof of Residency in Montgomery County

Homeowners: A copy of your current property tax bill. A copy can be obtained from the Montgomery County Department of Finance at 240-777-0311 or at Montgomery County Department of Finance.
Renters: A copy of your current rental lease. If the original term of the lease is expired, a copy of the lease and a current utility bill.

Shared Housing Residents: If living in shared housing with a homeowner or renter who has a bona fide residence within an MCPS school area:
Shared housing with a homeowner: A completed, signed, and notarized Shared Housing Disclosure (MCPS Form 335-74), a copy of the current property tax bill of the homeowner, and two other supporting documents to demonstrate that the parent/guardian or eligible student is living at the address. The supporting documents must be in the name of the parent/guardian at the address shown on the Shared Housing Disclosure Form (see below for supporting document examples).
Shared housing with a renter: A completed, signed, and notarized Shared Housing Disclosure (MCPS Form 335-74), a copy of the rental lease and two other supporting documents to demonstrate that the parent/guardian or eligible student is living at the address. If the original term of the rental lease is expired, a copy of the lease and a current utility bill is required. The supporting documents must be in the name of the parent/guardian at the address shown on the Shared Housing Disclosure Form (see below for supporting document examples).


Examples of acceptable supporting documents include communication from the following types of entries:
Financial institutions (e.g., bank, insurance company, etc.)
Utility companies (e.g., phone, water, electric, gas, etc.)
Governmental (Federal, state, or local)
Medical organizations
Religious institutions
Nonprofit or community organizations

Sure, that might be 'policy', but there is no enforcement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I rent a basement of a house in another school boundary - but still live in current home, Can I use the rental as my address to get DD into school?

Yes. You can absolutely do this. Many families do.

You'll get some posters on here who feign outrage, but in many cultures, you do what you need to do to get ahead. So, many families in MCPS use relatives' addresses, or friends' addresses to attend schools that are out of their boundary. It's NBD, and nobody every gets caught.

My coworker even lives in Frederick County, and her daughter attends MCPS because they are using an aunt's address. It's very prevalent, though I'm not an MCPS fan, so not sure what the appeal is!

Not feigning outrage here.

?? Not sure what you're saying.

PP is actually wrong. I have reported someone myself when my kids were younger. So, definitely not nobody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, get a signed lease.

Also make sure the owner has a rental license and that the basement meets the requirements for light, ventilation and emergency egress.

Not in Montgomery County. Montgomery County rarely cracks down on illegal rentals. We have several on our street, and they have not been shut down, even though the owners have no rental license.

"Rarely" =/= never. Would you want to risk it? Especially if something goes wrong and someone gets hurt? I sure wouldn't.

I don't do this. But, many people do. It's an easy way to make money. Like it or not, Montgomery County looks the other way on housing code violations, because there is a push for 'affordable housing' for recent arrivals.

Landlords recognize the opportunity, and take full advantage of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I rent a basement of a house in another school boundary - but still live in current home, Can I use the rental as my address to get DD into school?

Yes. You can absolutely do this. Many families do.

You'll get some posters on here who feign outrage, but in many cultures, you do what you need to do to get ahead. So, many families in MCPS use relatives' addresses, or friends' addresses to attend schools that are out of their boundary. It's NBD, and nobody every gets caught.

My coworker even lives in Frederick County, and her daughter attends MCPS because they are using an aunt's address. It's very prevalent, though I'm not an MCPS fan, so not sure what the appeal is!

Not feigning outrage here.

?? Not sure what you're saying.

PP is actually wrong. I have reported someone myself when my kids were younger. So, definitely not nobody.

And, what came of it?

Nothing.

My neighbor also reported someone. The person was definitely NOT living in our neighborhood. Kids lived at a completely different address. Did not have a COSA, but the parents used a grandparents' address. They said it was 'shared housing', even though the kids slept at their actual home every single night. Mom drove them to and from the bus stop daily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I rent a basement of a house in another school boundary - but still live in current home, Can I use the rental as my address to get DD into school?

Yes. You can absolutely do this. Many families do.

You'll get some posters on here who feign outrage, but in many cultures, you do what you need to do to get ahead. So, many families in MCPS use relatives' addresses, or friends' addresses to attend schools that are out of their boundary. It's NBD, and nobody every gets caught.

My coworker even lives in Frederick County, and her daughter attends MCPS because they are using an aunt's address. It's very prevalent, though I'm not an MCPS fan, so not sure what the appeal is!

Not feigning outrage here.

?? Not sure what you're saying.

PP is actually wrong. I have reported someone myself when my kids were younger. So, definitely not nobody.

And, what came of it?

Nothing.

My neighbor also reported someone. The person was definitely NOT living in our neighborhood. Kids lived at a completely different address. Did not have a COSA, but the parents used a grandparents' address. They said it was 'shared housing', even though the kids slept at their actual home every single night. Mom drove them to and from the bus stop daily.

That's a totally different situation. Using grandparents address is accepted practice because many families rely on grandparents for after care. Totally legal.

As for what came of my reporting, how do you know nothing came out? You really shouldn't BS things you don't know about. Dont' get worked up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Report people who do this. It's theft.

It's not theft if you are a resident in the school district (but zoned for a different school). It's still lying and fraud, though.

It IS theft because you are stealing that school's resources. You may also sometimes be stealing a seat for a child who actually lives in bounds and could've gone to preschool there (as happens often in DC many kids don't get into their preschool because slots are full).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I rent a basement of a house in another school boundary - but still live in current home, Can I use the rental as my address to get DD into school?

Yes. You can absolutely do this. Many families do.

You'll get some posters on here who feign outrage, but in many cultures, you do what you need to do to get ahead. So, many families in MCPS use relatives' addresses, or friends' addresses to attend schools that are out of their boundary. It's NBD, and nobody every gets caught.

My coworker even lives in Frederick County, and her daughter attends MCPS because they are using an aunt's address. It's very prevalent, though I'm not an MCPS fan, so not sure what the appeal is!

Not feigning outrage here.

?? Not sure what you're saying.

PP is actually wrong. I have reported someone myself when my kids were younger. So, definitely not nobody.

And, what came of it?

Nothing.

My neighbor also reported someone. The person was definitely NOT living in our neighborhood. Kids lived at a completely different address. Did not have a COSA, but the parents used a grandparents' address. They said it was 'shared housing', even though the kids slept at their actual home every single night. Mom drove them to and from the bus stop daily.

That's a totally different situation. Using grandparents address is accepted practice because many families rely on grandparents for after care. Totally legal.

As for what came of my reporting, how do you know nothing came out? You really shouldn't BS things you don't know about. Dont' get worked up.

LOL, not actually legal. I mean, can I use my nanny's address? You don't know the rules, you're just an unethical human being who is being a selfish jerk.

[Anonymous]

I personally know a child who was removed from their school this year for "boundary fraud." It was bizarre because the child was actually living in-boundary, but the home belonged to relatives.

So, there is enforcement, and sometimes over-enforcement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, get a signed lease.

Also make sure the owner has a rental license and that the basement meets the requirements for light, ventilation and emergency egress.

Not in Montgomery County. Montgomery County rarely cracks down on illegal rentals. We have several on our street, and they have not been shut down, even though the owners have no rental license.

"Rarely" =/= never. Would you want to risk it? Especially if something goes wrong and someone gets hurt? I sure wouldn't.

I don't do this. But, many people do. It's an easy way to make money. Like it or not, Montgomery County looks the other way on housing code violations, because there is a push for 'affordable housing' for recent arrivals.

Landlords recognize the opportunity, and take full advantage of it.

Are you posting on the correct thread? This thread is about somebody in the DCUM demographic who wants to know about fraudulently renting a basement in a house presumably zoned for a "good" (i.e., affluent) school cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally know a child who was removed from their school this year for "boundary fraud." It was bizarre because the child was actually living in-boundary, but the home belonged to relatives.

So, there is enforcement, and sometimes over-enforcement.

This makes no sense. I rent. Will my children be thrown out of school? What are you trying to stir up here, PP?