If you own a second home how do you get treated by locals?

Getting rid of holiday homes isn’t going to solve the housing crisis as they are still out of the reach for most people.
What you need to solve is the job opportunities in tourist areas and wages. And if you drive tourists away it’s not going to create other jobs/industries. Some of these areas did have traditional industries that have died and been replaced with tourism. So you free those homes up and they are bought by retirees or people who work from home, there’s no way to stop that.
I live in a part of the country where there are few opportunities for young people, so they will move to cities like London and displace locals.

I do stay in holiday homes, staying in hotels doesn’t work for us. I’d be happy to stay in purpose built flats for tourists no issue.

Hosing in this country is a finite resource.

What if as the rich poor divide widens it becomes trendy for the rich to own 10 houses dotted all around the UK- would that be OK? Other people having to live in tent villages so the rich can have 9 empty properties because they are rich? No? But one empty is OK? How about 2? Rich people should not be able to buy up resources that are a requirement for a basic standard of living.

Totally separate from loads of homes being unoccupied - how so?

The fact that people are living in b&bs and sofa surfing is a totally separate issue. The homes released from second home ownership, unless they're buy to lets wont help these people. Only building social housing will help here.

It's not only first time buyers that need homes. All people need homes.

People upsize, and people upsize into their properties and somewhere along that chain a first time buyer is able to buy or a first time renter to leave home - or a family living in a B&B to get a home.

...but you know that. So it must suit your purpose to pretend that because a first time buyer can't afford to buy the second home/holiday home/air b&b that they are morally fine and doing no harm. Each home used for these purposes is a home lost to residential property increasing the pressure on housing.

It is complete madness that individuals and families are living in b&bs, sofa surfing and camping while houses lie empty or are used by holiday makers. We should get the holiday makers back into hotels and purpose built holiday accommodation and keep residential property for permanent residents.

When you sell another permanent residential home will be available.

Funny how many people believe their particular holiday let is of no use to anybody else while being suitable for you/ your parents/ your son....

As for appealing - what would your grounds be? "These rules shouldn't apply to meee?"

Edit to say - no need for a new kitchen to sell - just price it what it is worth as it is.

But that’s never going to happen is it? The ‘super’ wealthy are not stupid. They’re not going to invest in ten holiday properties in the UK, and leave them all empty. Wealthy people might already own multiple properties, but not as holiday homes for themselves, but as investments to generate income. They rent them out to holiday makers or private local renters. These types of homes are not going to be your standard one one down back to backs that might benefit first time buyers.

Hosing in this country is a finite resource.

What if as the rich poor divide widens it becomes trendy for the rich to own 10 houses dotted all around the UK- would that be OK? Other people having to live in tent villages so the rich can have 9 empty properties because they are rich? No? But one empty is OK? How about 2? Rich people should not be able to buy up resources that are a requirement for a basic standard of living.

The multiplying council tax on second/empty homes could also be introduced in London, as could requiring planning permission for air b&b and requiring a local connection/no second homes for the sale of new properties. Sounds good to me!

I bought a flat in my home town so that when we went back to visit my family we wouldn’t be stepping on their toes every time. This is a part of the UK that is in no way a tourist destination or in any way desirable. Think ‘most deprived cities in the UK’.

I had vague plans to either pass it on to my ageing parents as their current home is far too big for them, or to my son when we are gone so that he retains his connection to ‘home’ (we’ve moved about a lot - can’t be helped, it’s just how it’s been). It’s never been seen as an investment and I’ve never wanted to make a profit of any sort.

In 7 or 8 years time I’ll be paying at least 1200 a month in council tax. I can’t afford that. To sell it I’d realistically have to have a new kitchen and bathroom put in. I can’t afford to do that. To rent it out I’d have to do the same. If I sell I’m going to be absolutely whacked by the tax authorities in my country of residence even if it sells for less than I paid for it, so I’m going to be much worse off.

I want to appeal it with the council but I’m very aware that it sounds like an incredibly tone deaf thing to do given that I could afford to buy in the first place. At the same time it feels like I’m being punished for a problem (housing shortage and locals being priced out) that is non existent in the area in question. If I were to sell that flat it would be most likely to a landlord and then rented out….. probably to someone not paying any council tax at all, or at a discount.

Ive had so many sleepless nights over this and I don’t see a way out that isn’t going to leave me significantly worse off.

So yeah, OP. I’d be looking at council tax rates.

You make some valid points about retirees. In fact they're more of a problem than tourism.

They pop up on FB asking where's the NHS dentist, where's the best GP surgery, how long is the waiting list for hip/knee surgeries.

They creep onto committees, volunteer for charities, then set about trying to reorganize it all.

They're impatient, pushy, rude, write letters of objection to the council, especially if there are any plans to improve leisure activities for children.

It tends to be city/urban dwellers who retire here who are the rudest, especially in shops.

It's amusing though that just because someone owns their little bit of land which their home is built on, and theyvwere botnbthere..(and some dont even have that if they rent) that they seem to think they own the town or village they live in. They don't. Anyone buying a second home there has an equal right to be there. The village dwellers pretend that their concern is due to their children being outpriced by the incomers, when the reality is theyve created their own little ghetto and just dont like outsiders. Sad really..

If you want London boroughs to start taxing second homes and regulating AirBnBs, you'll hear no objection from me.

But people who are born and raised in London are told to suck it up and move out when talking about exactly the same problem.

@CitrineRaindropPhoenix agree, and it’s not just London! I couldn’t have afforded even a one bed flat in my home town when I started work, I had to move really quite far away and my home town isn’t a tourist town. Plus, that was almost 30 years ago, so it has always been an issue.
And I’m not so sure that buying a “wooden chalet” is better for the community. I had this discussion with a friend who bought one when I bought my house. She claimed I was “selfish”. But, as I pointed out to her, we paid second home stamp duty, she did not. We pay council tax (double as of next April) she does not. We have a weekly cleaner and a window cleaner, and gardener and we used local trades to renovate the property. She did not. We never get a supermarket delivery, we use the local shops, she does not. Plus we are there around half the week, every week, using local restaurants and cafes and the one local taxi driver, She is not.
Our house wouldn’t have been a first time buyers house anyway plus, we told the sellers (it went to BaF) that it would be a second home and they sold it to us.
I do agree that if people are buying second homes and never using them that it detrimental to the community but how you actually police that I don’t know.

I live in Canada and it's considered normal to have a holiday home, usually on a lake. Most often it's more of a rustic cabin, not some big fancy house. I live in my holiday home now and am trying to sell my city house. I can't see why anyone would judge anybody negatively for having a holiday home, since a large percentage of people do have them. In fact, people tend to be friendly in the hope you'll invite them to stay for a weekend.

I never really see the point in having a spare house. You can only be in one place at a time can't you.