Second home owners... what are you doing about your property?

[DareIask]

We haven't visited since September due to restrictions.

Becoming a little concerned as we've never left a property over winter and not sure what we'll go back to. There's no heating on, and although pipes freezing is unlikely I just worry about damp etc

Any experience anyone?

I know this is a privileged problem to have and I have no intention of starting a debate on second homes. Just empty ones

Thanks

[lljkk]

In my area people are getting fined for visiting holiday homes...

If you need to visit (to put heating on low or check pipes or lag pipes or empty pipes...) I imagine I would ring the constabulary in the holiday home area & explain my reasons & ask for their advice. Asking random neighbours you've never met, or posting keys to workmen you've never met... none of that makes sense to me.

[Lotusmonster]

For all those saying down with holiday homes or lets, like or not tourism now accounts for a huge % income in the West Country and they don’t all want big chain or large hotels miles away from the tourist towns. Are you going to bus people in each day? Please get real. The ice cream shops, fish mongers, restaurants, souvenir shops have all come to depend on a new tourist economy from March to September, they make money fast and hard during these months and shut shop until the season re-opens. It is an accepted way of life. This started to happen decades ago when just mining tin, just catching fish, just producing milk became unsustainable and unprofitable with global economies and the growth of cheap imports.

[Robbybobtail]

If you can't afford a house you could do what I did and buy one in a bad area where there are no jobs and dozens of abandoned houses. You can get one for less than a car. They are not always mortageable. Mine isn't. It wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea.

Exactly. What people on threads like these tend to mean is “I can’t afford a house in the specific 10 mile radius where I would like to live”. Well tough, our first house was awful, in a run down area with many problems. We did a lot of the work ourselves, sold it and moved up the property ladder. It was really hard work.
We are now enjoying the fruits of our labour and I certainly don’t feel guilty for having a second home - when we bought it no one else wanted it as again it was run-down and had been on the market for ages. Sold to us by a local couple who nearly bit our hand off when we made an offer.

[DareIask]

@lljkk

In my area people are getting fined for visiting holiday homes...

If you need to visit (to put heating on low or check pipes or lag pipes or empty pipes...) I imagine I would ring the constabulary in the holiday home area & explain my reasons & ask for their advice. Asking random neighbours you've never met, or posting keys to workmen you've never met... none of that makes sense to me.

Tbh I'm glad they are being fined. I may own a second home but I completely understand why we shouldn't be using them and anyone who is should be ashamed of themselves.

My post was about how do I make sure it's ok when it's been left over winter.

[flamingflamingos]

I have been down to drain down and adjust heating once lockdown was announced and I will conduct a property check every month.

I have a property which requires inspection and maintenance. It is a buy to let so it's technically "business" but never the less, no government in the land is telling me I cannot access a property I own in law.
What bizarre fucked up world are we accepting where the government can prevent us from accessing property we own in law?

[Lotusmonster]

Before doing a day visit to our let, I rang the public health department at the county council, explained the intended nature of my day trip and got them to ‘ok’ it in the event of a knock on the front door from anyone while I was there.

[DareIask]

@flamingflamingos

I have been down to drain down and adjust heating once lockdown was announced and I will conduct a property check every month.

I have a property which requires inspection and maintenance. It is a buy to let so it's technically "business" but never the less, no government in the land is telling me I cannot access a property I own in law.
What bizarre fucked up world are we accepting where the government can prevent us from accessing property we own in law?

I have struggled with this. I own a property. I pay council tax. I am banned from visiting even though I wouldn't pose a risk ( would stay at home and take shopping).

I get though that mixing communities isn't wise and have stayed away, and am trying to take on the chin others that do abuse second homes are ruining it for the rest of us

[battyberyl]

A local estate agency or letting agency will charge a nominal fee to inpect the property for you and report back.Many insurance policies stipulate that they must be notified if the property is empty for more than a couple of weeks or that their is evidence it is inspected regularly.In my area there are a lot of holiday homes and this is a service that is provided

[Galaxyofstars]

I'm a public sector worker, as is my partner. We'll never be rich and that's ok. We've also both turned down more lucrative opportunities because they didn't fit with our values. I'm good with what I have knowing that no-one else has been disadvantaged or exploited and that I'm not depriving someone else of the chance of a home

I'm also a public sector worker. For nearly 40 years. We have a second home because my parents, my in laws and DH's sibling are all dead. Lucky us

[BeepBoopBop]

@SpaceRaiders

I should just accept that age 33 earning £33k and DP earning the same we will never own property.

A combined income of over 60k and you’re complaining about not being able to afford a house?! Plenty of 2/3 bed terrace houses below 100k from Midlands and beyond. I’ve bought a whole house for £33k! Granted it was in a state. But you either lower your expectations and buy a tiny flat where you can afford. Or buy a doer upper with finance, then remortgage. Take some risks whilst you’re still young. I’m only a couple of years older than you and I’ve done just that, as a single parent!

I do wish people thought creatively about home ownership, instead of waiting for things to change for their benefit. We don’t live in a perfect world.

You've got nearly £70k pa between you and you can't afford a property? I am really surprised.

[BeepBoopBop]

Oops, quoted wrong post. Sorry.

[DareIask]

@Galaxyofstars

I'm a public sector worker, as is my partner. We'll never be rich and that's ok. We've also both turned down more lucrative opportunities because they didn't fit with our values. I'm good with what I have knowing that no-one else has been disadvantaged or exploited and that I'm not depriving someone else of the chance of a home

I'm also a public sector worker. For nearly 40 years. We have a second home because my parents, my in laws and DH's sibling are all dead. Lucky us

Ditto

[HarrysMummy17]

Just putting in my 2p on "second homes" my mum has a flat near me. She lives in England and I live in Scotland. There is no room for her to stay in our tiny cottage when she visits so she brought somewhere she and my brothers could stay. I guess she'll eventually move when she retires.
She's not entitled. It works for her and for us. Luckily I've got keys and can keep an eye on it. I've left her heating on first setting so it should it should never drop below about 10 degrees

[dressedupinyou]

Well I'm definitely not getting into a fucking contest about how many dead parents we all have. Jesus.

[Okki]

Sorry if I've missed someone mentioning it, but it might be worth checking if you're covered by insurance if you've not had the system drained. We had our house empty for more than 30 days and when I queried with our insurance they cancelled it on the spot - we had wanted to leave the heating on very low, so we had to get specific insurance. 3 months cost us more than a year of normal cover.

[Okki]

Oops missed a page. See insurance been mentioned 😁

[candide47]

OP I would contact a local cleaning company to go in once a fortnight for an hour or two. You can post them keys. I'm sure they would do a check for any problems and report back. If all is well, they could use the time to open the windows, freshen the place up and do some light cleaning. I'm sure they have had cancellations due to Covid so a bit of extra and easy work might be very welcome.

[garlictwist]

My parents have a second home. They left the Heating on a timer and turned the water off. I think that's all you need to do to avoid burst pipes.

[Doomsdayiscoming]

“You've got nearly £70k pa between you and you can't afford a property? I am really surprised.”

Work just outside Cambridge. Average terrace is £428k.

[dressedupinyou]

@BeepBoopBop having a decent salary doesn't mean you can save a huge deposit.

[Roselilly36]

I can understand your concern OP, ignore the judgement on here.

Can you get in touch with your neighbours? If you don’t have their phone name directories may have it, if that’s no good, write to them and ask if they would mind checking the property for you, put your number in the letter, and then you could post them a key incase of emergencies if they agree. I would happily help a neighbour.

I hope you get it sorted out & everything is ok, I am sure it will be.

[OrangeSamphire]

We live next door to a second home. It’s empty every year from October to April and acts like a fridge making one side of our house extremely cold. It’s very irritating. I wish the owner would just sell the place to a permanent resident. Anyway...

This year she hasn’t visited at all. Not for 18 months now. She asked us to go in periodically but we have too much on our plates.

We said no and directed her to our cleaner instead who she now pays to go in once a fortnight and check things, for her hourly rate.

[lemonsquashie]

Just go there and do what you need to do: who is going to stop you? What's the worst that can happen?

[OrangeSamphire]

I’d be really cautious about going to the property if you can’t get there and back in one day OP.

In our area the police are very active in challenging and fining people for ‘covid breaches’ and they have said in press interviews that 90% of breaches locally relate to second homes.

[Cyw2018]

@lemonsquashie

Just go there and do what you need to do: who is going to stop you? What's the worst that can happen?

People are watching and reporting (whether or not you agree with this type of behaviours has been done to death in other threads so I won't go there).

My friends partner runs a holiday cottage management company and is getting regular angry phonecalls about people, which are in fact cleaners and maintenance staff, being seen going in and out of the properties he manages, so I can only assume these curtain twitchers are also onto 101 about it.