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How hated will we be?

620 replies

SecondH · 10/06/2026 15:08

DH and I are looking at buying a second home by the coast. I would love to hear from other second home owners and people who live in areas where there are lots of second home owners. How hated by the locals would we be? Do neighbours ignore you etc?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
homebytheseanearme · Yesterday 20:46

Honestly, some of the responses on here! Dreadful.
The thing is op, you can be “hated” wherever you go. Decades ago I bought a new build on a very small development (not a 2nd home, nor a tourist area). Moved in and the “locals” were fucking awful. There had been huge opposition to the build (of 4 houses!) but it got planning and that’s that. Much side eye and sniffing and sarky comments at DH and I because we were in one of “those” houses. Fucks given? Precisely zero. We enjoyed living there, did some work to the house and sold after 4 years. Made a decent profit too.

Passingthrough123 · Yesterday 20:51

Regardless of what the locals will think, the proximity to Newquay airport that the PP mentioned would really put me off. You know that it's been named as one of the airports that would get a boost from a third runway at Heathrow? We have friends who live in Falmouth and they were saying a third runway, which is looking more and more likely, would mean they'd resurrect the Heathrow-Newquay route that was scrapped years ago. That doesn't sound like retirement bliss to me, being under the flightpath for loads more aircraft!

https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/26122082.cornwall-newquay-airport-heathrow-link-likely-third-runway/

Clontash · Yesterday 20:51

MulberryBrandy · Yesterday 20:40

No the tourist industry is very important to Cornwall. There was a boom after the Covid restrictions but people have returned to going abroad again.

When walking the coast path I have found there are a lot of visitors from overseas who are enjoying their holiday - I have stopped to speak to people from the US, Hong Kong, and many from Germany.

I think people from abroad will not know about the hostility from locals.

MerchWill · Yesterday 20:52

Goldenbear · 10/06/2026 22:56

I don't think they should, I was responding to a post about how somebody would know if a stranger was Welsh or not. Presumably if they spoke English but they were Welsh they would have a Welsh accent? If they were from England, Scotland, they wouldn't?

There is no single "Welsh accent" any more than there is a single English accent.

But to get back on topic - we live next door to a second home in a seaside location in a National Park. The owners visit a handful of weekends a year. It has fallen into disrepair. It is a frightful mess and looks neglected and abandoned. Do we, and other neighbours, enjoy living next to such an eyesore? No. Do we hate them? No. But we wish they would have more of a sense of community and repair the fences (we patch up as best we can), weed the front garden, paint the exterior - or just sell the place as they use it so seldom.

Clontash · Yesterday 20:55

This thread has made me grateful to live where I do. I def don’t have money for a second home; I can barely pay for the small house I am in! But we have people from all over the place move in and out of our road, and we make them welcome.

ChurchYardFromMyWindow · Yesterday 20:57

Clontash · Yesterday 20:39

I wonder if people from Cornwall ever leave and start up a new life elsewhere? I presume not because then their attitude would be hypocritical.

A lot of the young do @Clontash . They have absolutely no choice because of the shortage of housing.

Pleasering · Yesterday 21:00

ChurchYardFromMyWindow · Yesterday 20:57

A lot of the young do @Clontash . They have absolutely no choice because of the shortage of housing.

They probably get a warmer welcome where they go than the incomers to Cornwall do.

MulberryBrandy · Yesterday 21:06

Clontash · Yesterday 20:51

I think people from abroad will not know about the hostility from locals.

I am local.

ChurchYardFromMyWindow · Yesterday 21:11

Pleasering · Yesterday 21:00

They probably get a warmer welcome where they go than the incomers to Cornwall do.

Possibly, but I imagine they are going to live permanently in their new homes, work in the town, use the local services all year round, commute on the bus to keep the service running, send kids to the local school to keep it running etc.

Pleasering · Yesterday 21:14

ChurchYardFromMyWindow · Yesterday 21:11

Possibly, but I imagine they are going to live permanently in their new homes, work in the town, use the local services all year round, commute on the bus to keep the service running, send kids to the local school to keep it running etc.

Just like incomers to Cornwall then

Boopydoo · Yesterday 21:16

Skinnysaluki · 10/06/2026 17:30

I think most people would rather local people could stay and find affordable housing if they wanted to. And that second home owners would pay double council tax. And that people didn’t play games with housing and use it for pensions, investments etc because housing is a basic human right and a social need. No one would be rude to your face or dislike you personally but god it really stinks, the situation with housing inequality in this county. And people would rather point fingers at immigrants than look at the full picture of issues with housing stock, rents, holiday lets and second homes

This, totally agree.

I have lived in rented accommodation on a terraced street in a seaside town in Cornwall, the town I was born in. During covid and pre covid it had one holiday let in it, owned by local business people. By 2021 there were over twelve holiday lets in that street and it was very noticeable how our lovely community of neighbours had been obliterated. Some of the houses were private lets, most of them let to local families and one by one a lot of those landlords sold off the houses. Being private lets, they were already once removed from being viewed as a nice family home by the landlord, they were income, pension pot etc etc so they have little care as to the condition of the property and would decide they wouldn’t want to actually spend any money and provide somewhere nice for renters to live - it's an investment, people aren't investments. But I digress, as a resident on that street, life started to get unbearable, families turning up with three cars and realising they'd have to parallel park, if they could find a space first of course. They don't like the idea of a twenty minute walk to and from their car but that's the reality of living in that area. They'd park up on double yellow lines and block the street, they'd arrive after dark and be joyfully shouting and yelling "John bring in the shopping/cases etc ooooohh look at this quaint little street isn't it pretty" car door slams, front door slams, front door opens, car door opens, car door slams, front door slams - on and on and on - you catch my drift ! Then imagine that at 4 or 5am on the day they leave but in reverse, shouting and yelling, "Check the bedroom, can't find the babies blanket/teddy, check the fridge too, did you put the bin out?". Changeover days are relentless, that's just one property arriving or leaving, times that by over ten. There were the holiday lets that had relentless parties night after night, loud music thumping through the walls. A lot of the guests were considerate at the start, the majority seemed respectful, but as time went on you ended up with more and more people who just don't care, it's all about them and sod everyone else, they are on their holidays and god dammit they are going to have a wonderful time making memories.

Move on another year or so from there and I was the tenant who's landlord put the house on the market, prices were high and he wanted profit, told me so, he wasn't evicting me, he was just seeing how the land lay. It was horrific to live like that, not knowing if you had to leave or not, you scrabble to desperately try and find somewhere else to live but there isn't anywhere, nothing available that you can afford, totally priced out of the market. Stuck in limbo, the stock of housing to rent that had been around for years and years obliterated by private rents being flipped over to airbnb's or the landlords had simply sold up with huge profits especially after the Covid years, everyone wanted a place to escape to. The trouble is you are escaping to a place where we used to live. I nearly had a breakdown with all the stress and worry of that time period and the knowledge that very soon we might become homeless.

My parents were born in two areas that are now predominantly tourist areas with precious few actual locals left and no shops, cafes or village amenities to be found. The two villages they lived in had always been touristy but the difference was locals ran their homes as little b and b's, they'd sleep in the back room, a family all huddled together and living out of one room for June, July and August, whilst holiday makers had the rest of the house. They'd be up early and provide breakfast to the holiday makers, go make the guests beds and head off to work for the day. They made extra money over the summer months to see them through the long winters when the farming and fishing was poor. The wages in Cornwall are still not much better nowadays. Our average income is far below the national average. But back in those days, people had their holidays and locals got to be able to afford to live a basic life in the place they were born.

I don't know what the answer is, I wouldn't be rude to you, I wouldn't love you either. For now can't you just settle on finding somewhere regular to stay, I urge you to come and stay for January and February when the tourist hotspots are closed up and there's not much going on in the area.

The long drive in and out of the very south of Cornwall becomes very tedious for many very quickly. The roads are gridlocked in Summer with times to get anywhere doubled and tripled. The trains are so very unreliable at the moment, constant cancellations, not enough seats, tickets are oversold on every train and then the cancellations happen and its like sardines, standing room only from Paddington is very common on the trains to Cornwall. Going back up you're ok if you get on at say, Penzance, first on the train you'll get a seat, but by the time the train arrives in Truro its packed.
We, Cornwall are historically underfunded by the Government. That has a huge knock on effect for the locals here. For all the pretty towns and villages there are equivalent towns and villages of hidden disadvantaged children and adults living in shocking poverty. Cornwall seems to be picture postcard perfect, but it's far from it day in, day out.

MissAmbrosia · Yesterday 21:18

I would hate you for taking a house out of use for locals, along with all the other second homes that mean locals can't afford to live there. I think second homes should be taxed really, really highly. There needs to be a focus on providing dedicated holiday accommodation for tourists and less 2nd home, airbnb type set ups. There is a flipping housing crisis and no-one should be allowed to leave property empty for most of the year or buy up housing stock for holiday lets.

TeaPot496 · Yesterday 21:20

Pleasering · Yesterday 21:00

They probably get a warmer welcome where they go than the incomers to Cornwall do.

This thread is about second home owners, not incomers.

I don't know of anyone personally in Cornwall who gives a shiny shit about people from upcountry living here full time, but plenty who despise those who spend so little time here whilst tying up market housing.

Pleasering · Yesterday 21:22

TeaPot496 · Yesterday 21:20

This thread is about second home owners, not incomers.

I don't know of anyone personally in Cornwall who gives a shiny shit about people from upcountry living here full time, but plenty who despise those who spend so little time here whilst tying up market housing.

Not true, the OP is planning to retire there so both second homers and incomers have been discussed in this thread and prejudice against incomers as well as second homers has been expressed.

MsAmerica · Yesterday 21:26

Of all possible things to worry about, this may be the most peculiar.

PyongyangKipperbang · Yesterday 21:33

TeaPot496 · Yesterday 21:20

This thread is about second home owners, not incomers.

I don't know of anyone personally in Cornwall who gives a shiny shit about people from upcountry living here full time, but plenty who despise those who spend so little time here whilst tying up market housing.

In certain places, Cornwall being one of them, they equate to the same thing.

Because it is so beautiful and sought after, incomers pushed up prices with money made in London and started bidding wars with other incomers. You just have to see what happened during Covid with Londoners buying in very sought after areas and pushing up prices significantly. Although many then got fed up with true country living and moved out again.

Posted about this when it happened but we had city people move to the next village along which is very farming centric, the whole area is. The wife was all over the local FB group moaning about the smell and demanding that the farmers warn people about muck spreading, she got the (literal) shit ripped out of her. They moved and it was later posted that they lost quite a lot of money as they sold for much less than they bought for!

CrushingOnRubies · Yesterday 21:41

SecondH · 10/06/2026 15:29

We have our heart set on a specific place in Cornwall.

On behalf of my friends who are struggling to buy or rent houses to live in 365 days of the year. So that they can be near families and jobs and don’t have to uproot their dc from their schools and everything they hold dear. Please don’t.

second homes and holiday homes are a huge issue in Cornwall. They eat away at communities.

Clontash · Yesterday 21:41

MulberryBrandy · Yesterday 21:06

I am local.

I know. But the tourists you meet won’t know about it if they come from abroad.

Clontash · Yesterday 21:43

TeaPot496 · Yesterday 21:20

This thread is about second home owners, not incomers.

I don't know of anyone personally in Cornwall who gives a shiny shit about people from upcountry living here full time, but plenty who despise those who spend so little time here whilst tying up market housing.

Read the thread. There is plenty of contempt for people who want to live permanently in Cornwall too. What a friendly place!

OuEstLaPlage · Yesterday 21:45

SecondH · 10/06/2026 15:33

Maybe. I just don't want to feel open hostility from neighbours every time we visit what is intended to be our dream home and one we would hope to retire to.

Then, if you don’t want to take a chance on this, wait until
youre a year or so away from retirement and buy it then.

TeaPot496 · Yesterday 21:46

PyongyangKipperbang · Yesterday 21:33

In certain places, Cornwall being one of them, they equate to the same thing.

Because it is so beautiful and sought after, incomers pushed up prices with money made in London and started bidding wars with other incomers. You just have to see what happened during Covid with Londoners buying in very sought after areas and pushing up prices significantly. Although many then got fed up with true country living and moved out again.

Posted about this when it happened but we had city people move to the next village along which is very farming centric, the whole area is. The wife was all over the local FB group moaning about the smell and demanding that the farmers warn people about muck spreading, she got the (literal) shit ripped out of her. They moved and it was later posted that they lost quite a lot of money as they sold for much less than they bought for!

I was just saying I've had this discussion with my Cornish friends (I'm Cornish, born here, live here, spent 10 years away) and none of us had an issue with people who make a net positive contribution, apart from second homeowners (who don't).

falmouthdoglover · Yesterday 21:47

I'm an incomer with enough of a northern accent that no one is ever going to mistake me for a born-and-bred local. I've been here 20 years and I've literally never experienced any hostility. Even when presumably I'm taken for a tourist sometimes.
You'll see a few 'fuck your second home' bumper stickers, but that's about it in my experience.

Pleasering · Yesterday 21:47

TeaPot496 · Yesterday 21:46

I was just saying I've had this discussion with my Cornish friends (I'm Cornish, born here, live here, spent 10 years away) and none of us had an issue with people who make a net positive contribution, apart from second homeowners (who don't).

Read this thread then

TeaPot496 · Yesterday 21:51

Pleasering · Yesterday 21:47

Read this thread then

I've been contributing to it all along. My lived experience is that people who want to contribute, are welcomed in the main, just like anyone living anywhere.

I am helping to provide more affordable homes with S106 with local connection, but these things take a long time and demand for our housing is still at a premium.

All visitors should tread lightly. Second home owners are the opposite of that.

Okiedokie123 · Yesterday 21:54

SecondH · 10/06/2026 15:21

Ah that's interesting. So you'd rather it stand empty for periods of time rather than have tourists in and out?

No obviously not. The best option for the local community is people living and working there year round.