How hated will we be?

[SecondH]

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?

What a lot of wealthy people don’t realise, is that second homes/air bnbs are pricing families out of places like villages and small towns. This has the knock-on effect of leaving village/small schools with unsustainably small pupil numbers, meaning they eventually have to close. This is happening all over the villages & small towns around North Yorkshire. We’ve lost some beautiful, historic primary schools. Then once they’re gone, the rest of those village’s businesses often go because there’s not enough full time residents patronising them.
A village local to me lost its school (est. 1801), pub, post office and now even the church has closed. Aside from one little house in which the lady has lived there 60+ years, the entire village is purely Airbnbs. It’s fucking tragic.

I think it is essential that visitors feel welcome. I would just be telling them the best path to take or where they can see seals.

I am sometimes a visitor to somewhere else. I have lived in many other parts of the UK where I was not a local, etc. There are pressures on housing in holiday areas that have transformed communities beyond recognition - I would hope people will be understanding of that.

Of course it's selfish to buy a second home in an area like Cornwall and not plan to live there for 6 years. Of course it is. Simple as.

@Boopydoo that sounds awful. I think the internet has a lot to answer his ( conscious of the irony as I type this on an internet forum). People create holiday envy by posting photoshopped pictures of their hols, air bnb makes it all so easy etc. I am put off Cornwall by the over tourism of the place, lovely as it is. I like to holiday in the uk and I avoid air BnB and stay in youth hostels, B&Bs, hotels, even boring old premier inn. I just find air BnB unethical.

Not really. We’re talking about vast swathes of the original population of desirable holiday areas being excluded from secure affordable housing.

I live in a coastal area with a lot of second homes and we despise them, for the reasons already mentioned. Interested to understand on what basis those who think it won’t be a problem arrived at that conclusion.

Wow, I'm impressed you read all of thst rant OP. We retired full time to a small village in Lincolnshire and there's no pubs or shops unless you go to the surrounding villages or nearest town. We actually live here but the people who have lived here for decades hate newcomers. I think they would rather see empty houses going to ruin. They go on about how they've lived here since forever and don't believe you can move to a village and care about it as much as they do. Honestly, I'd just do it. If you rent it out to family and friends, ask them to support local shops and be respectful of neighbours. Maybe have a regular cleaner and gardener pop round once a month when you are not there so you are still supporting people locally. Good luck with your home and retirement.

Must be arrogance or wishful thinking.

I agree with you - but every interaction online and in person with a Cornish person has been unpleasant. Went on a group tour in Feb and the two Cornish people were bloody horrible - rude to the staff, complained about everything -they were like travelling with a dark cloud.
Online they are all bloody horrible too. There are so many nice places to live and to visit - I won't waste my dollar on them - and they won't give a hoot - they will whinge about being poor though but that has nothing to do with them and will always be someone else's fault. Life's too short to deal with Cornwall and it's issues.

But why would you experience any hostility. You’ve lived down here for decades you’ve paid taxes down here you contribute to the local community throughout the year. You get to have a say by voting in local and general elections.

But when you’re only down here during the good times not during the bleak Novembers and Januarys you aren’t contributing to keep the fires going in the snug in the local pub you’re not supporting local clubs and groups which are vital for those which are experiencing loneliness. And as such are closing down.

You know what, OP? The vast majority of people do what is best for themselves and really don't worry about this.

On threads about house prices, if someone tries a cheeky offer or negotiates down at the last minute cos the market is dropping, everyone piles in to say- keep the price high, tell them to f off.

5 million people holiday in Cornwall each year. They don't all stay in specially designated holiday parks, do they? That's 5 million people who don't care too much about over-tourism, they like to holiday in beautiful parts of the country and that's that. How do you think the Air B and B's get full up?

No-one takes a low offer on their house to 'help out' the young people, no-one. It's just a Mumsnet fantasy people do this type of thing.

No-one rents out their home for much less than the market-value unless the person living there has been there for yonks. Otherwise the market-rate wouldn't be the market-rate, would it?

The Cornish people sold their homes to outsiders, that's what led to this! They could have refused and sold only to locals, they didn't, no-one would do that either.

Old people sit in their huge homes, they don't all move out to cheap one beds, do they? They only do that if they want to downsize, they don't do it as a moral duty.

Basically people sell to the highest bidder, move where they want, holiday where they want and don't over-think it.

Most people accept the system is bad, that council housing should not have beeen sold off, that not enough social housing is being built, and that the market needs 'help' to correct but very few will sacrifice their own personal interests and that of their family for the 'greater good' (see Hot Fuzz). Corrections such as high council taxes are now being put in place.

If you are going to be thinking about this property, the view and the life there, buy it. You might end up working from home and living there much sooner than you think. Your sacrifice in not getting it won't solve Cornwall's problems and that's not how most people make life decisions.

Depends. A friend lived in a popular twin that gets overrun with DFLs in the warmer months but she likes it, and also enjoys the quieter months . She doesn’t hate them at all, unless they make lots of noise late at night. Both her neighbouring houses are second homes

I agree! I was responding to the posters who've said that incomers face hostility. I just don't recognise the 'cornish people are horrible and unfriendly' stuff you read on here. I mean, some undoubtedly are, but that's true of any large sample of people!

I always think "hate" is a very strong word. You shouldn't be hated. I definitely don't think you'd receive a nice warm welcome though!

Ahh ok sorry! Oh I agree we are a lovely and really friendly bunch. Love your user name btw

The OP posted the link to the property. It is well over £1 million and needs a lot of money spending on it. How will her buying it impact your friends?

It was an horrific time and not one I would wish on my worst enemy.
I do use airbnb selectively, and have done for a good few years now since I realised the flipping of private rents into airbnb's was becoming a real issue. At the start airbnb wasn't even what it is being used for today, it started as more the type of thing my ancestors were doing, sharing parts of their homes with holidaymakers cheaply, allowing people to holiday without being as expensive as hotels etc.
I seek out annexes, garden shed type properties, or places to stay that are on purpose built holiday sites and I avoid all properties that originally would have been someone's home. Airbnb is blamed when in fact all the holiday cottage franchises are just as bad., I think airbnb is just quick catchy word to say.
There are a lot of holiday sites in Cornwall, purpose built holiday lets, unfit for living in all year round, that are not getting the bookings they should because of the numbers of houses being rented out as holiday lets. People unable to find housing are basically squatting illegally on these holiday sites in sub standard buildings and unable to find anywhere else to live and the rest of the sites are partially empty in peak summertime with half the amount of guests they could actually cater for.

I live in a coastal area so definitely know there is a feeling of animosity to some second home owners. I also have friends who have an Air BnB, but because they are there when people come to stay as it is a separate part of their property perhaps that stops issues.

However last Summer we went to Cornwall, one of many holidays there, and stayed in a cottage in a very small village. I would take my dog for a walk daily over the week we were there and I had so many conversations with people who lived there. They were so welcoming. I imagine if this cottage had poor guests then the majority of the village might know about it. I don’t know if it made a difference that the beautiful cottage we were staying in was inherited and rented out but there was a feeling of being welcome as soon we got to the property and the neighbours said hello.

I would say that if you were to let you can put stipulations on who stays-no large groups, no all male or female groups if you are worried about stag and hens, no pets, no children under a certain age(I say this because the garden we had was too dangerous for young children so it wouldn’t have been a good idea and they stipulated this). It also depends on the location-this was quite an isolated Cornish village with no easily walkable shops etc and one pub just outside the village. Probably unlikely to attract a party crowd. This was also done through a cottage company-so using a company would perhaps be better.

Ok I'll just not bother at all then because I might die old and alone in 20 to 30 years time. Conversely, I could just drop dead next week. It's not really a way to life your life is it?

Please see my other posts about how it’s not just the housing crisis. although it does effect the trickle down effect and the local property ladder and house prices. Due to supply and demand

But also the lack of integration into the community. From not using local businesses year round or not joining hobby groups. To not voting in local and general elections. A voice of a local would be muted. Not being registered at local GPs so they reduce services and the infrastructure is affected.

I and 57 and have lived in North Yorkshire for 50 years (minus a short post grad session in London).

The village that I grew up in and then lived in again with my young family 25 years ago has been destroyed by 2nd homes. No children- so school closed, shop closed, hairdressers, gp went. 2/4 pubs closed.

I then lived in one of the largest NY towns for 20 years but recently moved back to the moors

It is heartbreaking.

Our home had been a holiday home for 20 years before we bought it (previously on business rates but also described by the estate agents as a much loved family home!) .

We initially had a luke warm reception when we moved in as everyone thought we were buying a 2nd home- we were not- we sold our home and moved here. When they saw we were here to stay they were amazing.

As a guess of the 15 nearest houses to us- 4 are lived in and the rest are holiday homes. Deserted for at least half of the year.

In both the village that I grew up in and the 1 that I now live in if you walk down the street on a Tuesday in November then no lights are on in any houses,

Next door is a 2nd home. Owned through a limited company and on business rates. Occupied for less than 50 days a year but those days include being up til 1a m on a Tuesday in June in the garden drinking. playing music in the garden. It is anti-social.

You don't need to be Cornish to deduce that it's overpriced. I've said that myself in other comments. I also agree it isn't 'anything special.' I'd plan to change that.

I really don't see your point. I don't plan to be annoying so why would I be asking MN how annoying will we be?

The responses suggest otherwise.

It looks like the reception wouldn't be much better in that case anyway. I know MN is notoriously catty, but if this is a reflection of the general feeling it might be best to let the place rot.