Module 03
Get expert guidance when stakes are real.
Some questions don't belong in a forum thread, and some belong only in one. We've built both — a verified parent community for shared experience, and an independent advisor roster for the high-stakes calls. Roster going live shortly; until then the founding team triages the queue.
school commission on any advice
median turnaround on written work
Expert Opinion · per child
parent community rooms
The advisors
Who sits behind a Houseroom answer.
The roster is being onboarded now. The principles below are what we recruit against — and what every advisor's profile will publicly show before you book.
Former registrars and heads.
We recruit advisors who have actually run admissions at independent schools — registrars who read application piles, heads who chaired interview panels, senior tutors who prepped candidates. Not generic education consultants.
Independent by structure.
Advisors are paid by Houseroom on a per-question basis, regardless of the recommendation. No commission from any school. No tutoring agency on the side. No paid sponsorship.
Publicly named, publicly credentialed.
When the roster is live, each advisor is publicly named with verifiable background. You pick the advisor whose experience matches your question.
Roster going live shortly.
We are onboarding the first cohort now — London-based former registrars and current senior tutors with 11+/13+/16+ specialism. Until then the email queue is read by the founding team and routed appropriately.
Independence by structure
Why the answer you get isn't bought.
Independent advisory is only useful if it's actually independent. Here is how we enforce that.
- No school affiliation: our advisors do not work for, represent or hold loyalty to any school.
- No referral commission: advisors are paid by Houseroom, not by any school for any outcome.
- No sponsorship: a school cannot pay to be recommended in any expert answer.
- Public credentials: each advisor's background is documented and shown before you book.
- Usability guarantee on paid tiers: if the work isn't useful for the decision you asked about, we redo it with a different advisor or refund in full.
Tiers
Pay only when the question is worth paying for.
Most parents never pay. The free community covers most of what comes up. The paid tiers exist for the cases where specialist input is worth booking — priced per child, per entry year.
Ask the community
Free
Post a question to Houseroom Answers and get answers from the community of verified parents. Public; no time guarantee; great for sense-checking general questions.
Expert Opinion
£149
per child
A specialist written opinion on one school or one decision. Plain-English reply within 3 working days. One follow-up included. Best for a specific yes/no admissions call.
Review + Call
£499
per child
Up to 3 schools reviewed in writing against your child profile, plus a 30-minute specialist call to talk through the findings. Two follow-ups. Best when you have a shortlist and need to commit.
Full Guidance
£1,500
per child / year
A named advisor takes you from research to offer day. Builds your shortlist, preps the family, stays close through every registration, assessment and decision. Best when you want one person responsible for the year.
The community
Verified parents, focused rooms, real recent context.
A focused, verified community for UK independent-school admissions. Threads are tagged by cycle year so the advice you read matches the cycle you're in.
The parent community is where most general questions get answered. Nine focused rooms, verified members, cycle-year tagging so 2024 advice doesn't muddle a 2027 decision. Bookmark threads, follow rooms, get notified on replies — all free.
Verified members
No anonymous burner accounts. Members are verified before posting, which keeps thread quality high and stops drive-by negativity.
Nine focused rooms
11+ Applications, Bursaries & Fees, Senior School Visits, Sixth Form (16+), SEN Support, Prep → Senior Transfer, International Families, Music Scholarships, Siblings & Priority.
Cycle-year context
Threads can be tagged with cycle year (2026, 2027, 2028) so a piece of advice from three years ago doesn't muddle a decision today.
School and topic tags
Filter by school to see all threads about a specific place. Bookmark threads. Follow rooms to get updates on new questions.
FAQ
Parents most often ask.
Are your advisors truly independent of schools?
Yes. Our advisors have no school affiliation, no referral commission, no school-paid sponsorship. They are paid by Houseroom on a per-question or per-engagement basis, regardless of whether the recommendation is 'this school is right for you' or 'this school is not'.
When would I pay for Expert Opinion instead of asking the community?
When the question is specific and stakes are real. Bursary strategy. Interview prep at a top selective. Choosing between two offers. A child profile that doesn't fit the standard mould. For general 'what should we expect on open day' questions, the community is usually enough.
What's the difference between Expert Opinion, Review + Call and Full Guidance?
Expert Opinion (£149) is a written opinion on one school or one decision, replied within 3 working days. Review + Call (£499) reviews up to 3 schools in writing, then includes a 30-minute call to walk through the findings. Full Guidance (£1,500/yr) assigns a named advisor for the full admissions cycle. All three are priced per child, per entry year.
How quickly do advisors reply?
Expert Opinion within 3 working days. Review + Call within 5 working days for the written review. Full Guidance kicks off with a call within 5 working days of booking.
Are members in the parent community verified?
Yes. Members verify before posting, which is why the threads stay useful. We do not allow anonymous burner accounts and we moderate against drive-by negativity.
Do schools see what I post in the community?
Public threads are visible to anyone with an account, including school staff who join Houseroom. But your child's profile, your personal contact data, and your shortlist are private to your account. We never sell parent data.
Does the paid advisory replace a traditional admissions consultant?
For most families, no — and yes for specific high-stakes decisions. A traditional consultant costs £2,000–£10,000 over a cycle. Expert Opinion (£149) or Review + Call (£499) gives you specialist input on a per-decision basis. Many families never need more than that on top of the free directory, matcher and tracker. Full Guidance exists for families who want a single advisor responsible for the whole year.
What if the advisor gets it wrong?
Usability guarantee on paid tiers — if the written work isn't usable for the decision you asked about, we redo it with a different advisor or refund in full. Refundable in full until the work has started.