Holiday Home

The only comment I would make is I would be bored out of my mind going to the same place all the time to get value for the investment. I know OP said they travel elsewhere also, but I'd still feel the obligation to use it to the max. Instead, I'd rent for the whole Summer in a different place every year. No pressure, no council tax, no maintenance, no bills!

I don't need nor want a holiday home, but I don't judge anyone who does. Their money, their choice and until disincentives are introduced by tax or other laws, it's a free country.

Had you wanted an average family house near a school etc then I can see why people would be against it, but once you’re looking at higher price points then I see no real reason why you can’t enjoy having a holiday home.

@coulditbeme2323 To be honest, at that price point you’re not going to be depriving the average family of a potential home. Anyone with that budget will have plenty of options. If you love it then go for it!

We have a house in France. The kids love it. We tend to go there every summer (possibly with a road trip elsewhere one week) with various visitors popping in. We try to get there every couple of months for a weekend or sometimes for a half term or Christmas. We have a cleaner who goes in every month to ensure it is all fine, and a gardener who keeps the outside under control.

ETA: we lived there when the kids were little and may do so again once they finish school, or certainly plan to be there a lot more, so for us it us worth keeping

We have a small inherited holiday home in a quiet rural area. We very rarely go now as kids are just so busy at the weekend and we live outside the city so the perks of a quiet weekend are far fewer. In honesty the house is a pita to maintain and check in on not to mention the expense. Is there an option to think about where you currently live and what you are missing that makes a holiday home appealing and see if you can move your main residence to combine them. Like others have said I find the idea of second homes hard to justify with the housing crisis and the effects on communities and yes I'm aware that makes me a massive hypocrite.

I understand and I honestly don't have any view on the morality or otherwise of second homes, I've got enough to worry about 😄

If it happens to be outwith London, and has two underground parking spaces and space for an exercise bike of sorts, it's stunning. Go for it and enjoy.

If that makes no sense to you, then just ignore me 😂

We did but have recently sold it.
In some ways we miss it but don’t miss having two properties to maintain and upkeep plus if friends/ relatives use it who does the cleaning and changing the beds, buying essentials etc? All sounds like petty things but I was finding the first day down was spent sorting out and doing the garden.
it also limited where else we went on holiday as we always felt we should be at the holiday home and as the children got older they had other things they wanted to do at the weekends, parties, school things, sports etc,
Overall I’m glad it’s gone, we now have more freedom over our free time.

What’s the specific question (sorry, I couldn’t see one).

Unless it was your first sentence in the OP, in which case everyone who has or had a holiday home with kids will have different experiences.

Why don’t you just buy it if you want it and can afford it?

My brother has just completed on a house in the part of the country they love. It’s quite a drive and a ferry to get to so weekends would be difficult but they still do it. They will be renting it out for part of the year to help fund it. They are lucky that the house has an annex so they can use it even if rented out but if they invite family, would need both side. I would love to have something like this, and 1:20 drive is fine, even on a normal weekend.

I have a second home in an area I grew up in. I use it as a holiday let primarily and then we as a family visit when we can. It’s not worked out for us in terms of work/kids/life - getting there is tricky with other commitments and although the kids have some happy memories of it I don’t think it would’ve been vastly different from just taking them on holidays.

Running your second property as a holiday let is a different kettle of fish and is fraught with problems. If you already have a demanding job I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s a lot of work and stress and some people are never happy.

For the naysayers about second homes, the house was on the market for three years before we brought it, no local person had shown any interest. The guests have been there all year round and have contributed £££s to the local economy. Many of my local friends and relatives make money out of tourism (and yes that means renting out houses that local families could live in) because beyond a small amount of local work there isn’t much that was going to fund a large mortgage on a big house.

The decimation of public services in areas like mine is more complicated than blaming second home owners. I suggest you lobby your council to charge more council tax or place covenants allowing only local people to purchase which happens in the county I come from. Its made no difference there. There’s hundreds of houses for sale there now and no-one is buying them locals or otherwise.

I’ve out my house on the market now and I will sell it to the highest bidder because my priority is my children’s future.

I don't see why that isn't a family home. Yes a home for a family with money but some people LIKE to live in flats. Especially with older children.

Sorry but my condemnation is in full force. You are being selfish.

Not really as the kids would moan about the walk 😂But we would just drive straight to the town first (5 mins from the house) and have a chippy tea on the sea front. Let the kids play on the beach a bit and then head straight to the holiday home.

The kids loved it. When they were a bit older we let them bring friends too occasionally.

The beauty of it is you can go when and how often you like. It wasn't always an option if the kids had Birthday parties or we had other stuff on but we did definitely get a lot of use out of it.

south coast but not Devon or Cornwall

We had one for a good few years when the kids were young and it was fabulous!!

Long weekends whenever we wanted, and the school holidays whenever we could. We also let family and friends use it.

We had a second set of everything there already, including clothes, so we would finish work on a Friday, jump in the car and head off. it was a 90 minute drive and we were there by about 6pm on Friday evening, straight to the sea front, chippy tea and a chill out. And then two full days there and back home early Sunday evening ready for bath time and bed. Bliss!!

If you can afford it, why not?

Can't help but think you're playing with the good people on MN OP

I’m assuming your second home isn’t in Wales OP. The Welsh government have,thankfully, clamped down hard.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/19/owners-second-homes-wales-council-tax-tourism-communities

So it isn't somewhere that any out of a couple / a family/ a retired couple or anyone else might live.

However it is big enough for you and grown up children to visit regularly.

I can't possibly think of any building that applies.

Actually if you are talking of a mobile home in a caravan park with restrictions on how much of the year you live there then it is at least less morally abhorrent. There are still issues but I withdraw the level of condemnation.

I grew up in a village that is now dead. I hate seeing it when I go back. There are less than 20 houses that still have locals living there and they are likely to have to move soon because of the lack of services.