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?

Well said 😘

I began reading this thinking "please not another one buying in Wales" then you said Cornwall and I let out a sigh of relief. You would be given a hard time here if it was empty most of the time. You would also have to pay a lot of extra council tax . Cose to where I live there are entire villages left empty through most of the time. It is extremely sad . Buy a holiday chalet built for the purpose and leave homes for people who need them

Happened to me in a petrol station in N Wales. It does still happen, far less in the touristy areas, but it does happen.

According to others here and in media it’s an urban myth. So my mum’s lying then is she?

Possibly? I don’t know her personally, but do I believe this happens a lot, no, I don’t.

From my experience, in Cornwall, you will be an openly hated emmett. A friend of mine moved down there and has recently moved back after finding the people to be mostly small minded racists who think they are something special just for being brought up in Cornwall. There are much nicer coastal places in the UK.

I don’t blame them at all. Not everyone who’s Welsh is like this. But don’t deny it’s never happened.

Why don't you just go on holiday to places rather than hoarding property that could house local people who bring life to the community and boost the economy. Seriously why do you need an entire other house you hardly use? It's so fucking greedy. Go on lavish holidays instead.

I don’t think it happens a lot. My mum was there in 70s/80s as close friends (English) of hers moved there.

@SecondH and what happens when you retire, move in and then one or both neighbours sells up and you're faced with Air BnBers all year round?

I live in an area where people don’t tend to have second homes, but there are lots and lots of Airbnbs, and you would absolutely be hated. You’re benefiting financially, whilst your neighbours are having to put up with antisocial behaviour of holidaymakers cutting loose.

The number of communities where people do all their shopping locally, not just at a national supermarket, is vanishingly small. Who cares where the boxes of food they turn up with were bought from - it will be exactly what all the other people who live there do anyway.

I wouldn't want to move to Cornwall right now, it's a long way away from anywhere, and since Brexit, I feel things are stagnating or going backwards in terms of development as EU funds have now dried up and I don't see the current government investing a lot down there. So, you end up with large amounts of rural poverty alongside very wealthy people using the area as a holiday destination. It's kind of weird for that. I prefer Devon and Dorset for that reason, less isolated and seems less emnity towards 'outsiders'. Not saying some of the same problems don't exist there, they do. There's plenty of towns that are essentially retirement towns and no-one seems to resent it as much plus the older population have money and do community activities so it's not as divided.

It's also true that even if you didn't buy the property, very few locals could except those in the NHS/essential workers, same as in London, because house prices are high and wages are very low in that area, as well as not as many jobs.

It's immoral but unfortunately incredibly common - and as long as it's legal it will happen.

My friend lives in cornwall and it's completely destroying communities - airbnb or leaving empty. Both are shit - and they take away a home from local families who we need to fill hospitals/schools etc with staff.

@ThatLilacTiger 100 per cent this!!

Just use your money OP to go on nice holidays instead of 'hoarding' a home that could be lived in all year round by people who are part of the community.

We have a holiday home in a coastal town in the US. It was a sleepy town with lots of large properties no one wanted at the time we bought, but it's since become a very desirable place and property prices have shot up astronomically, leading to big lack of housing for locals.

A while back, we decided to try to negotiate a halfway solution and found a married couple who are local teachers who lived in the house rent free in exchange for caretaking and the understanding that we'd want to use it at Christmas and in the summers and that they might be turfed out for a week or two here and there during school holidays. It worked so well they managed to save a deposit for their own house and we're now on our second local teacher (single). It does mean we've given up quick weekends there for us, friends and extended family, but that's seemed like a small price to pay. If we end up wanting to spend significantly more time there in the future, we'll revisit.

We also use all local gardeners, cleaners, decorators, builders, etc. etc., and pretty much shop only locally when we're there (including buying coffees from the local coffee shop every day even though we actually prefer our own 😅) . We also have very friendly relationships with neighbours, go to dinner at each other's houses, keep in contact when we're not there, offer to pick up groceries, etc. We do also get involved with local causes, go to events, contribute to things whenever possible.

When my cousin and her husband had to move (his job) to Wales to an area known to be very anti English they spent a small fortune for them and their sons to learn Welsh before they went. She said that they did eventually get accepted but they were openly hated for quite a long time even though they hadnt really had any choice but move, as it was that or redundancy in a very difficult industry.

Should add that this was 20 odd years ago and they stayed there, even though both are now retired and could leave!

"rydyn ni'n siarad Cymraeg yng Nghymru".

Thing is, Cornwall has depended on the tourist money- that's what the revitalisation of areas around the Eden project and mining villages has brought.

I don't think there's anything wrong with moving there in retirement and being part of the community.

Put yourself in their shoes. How would you feel about living next to a holiday let? Constant noise and disruption from people
who don’t give a shit because they’re on holiday? Of course second home owners are disliked.

" give work to the locals to clean the house" 😂😂😂
And send the filthy little urchins up the chimney🤣

Not all of us, who are from Devon/Cornwall have always been here ourselves. We have lived and worked away and then returned - so we know what it is like to live where we have not grown up. It is the second home that is the thing.

Many of the areas that people would like to live in are losing the facilities they once had because no one can afford to live anywhere near to work in the pubs, cafes, do the cleaning, sell the gifts, etc.

Honestly OP I feel like many people will resent you. Holiday resorts are a hard place to live already as council tax is high for very little useful infrastructure for those who live in the area as so much spending is diverted to resort-based things like parks which are lovely to have but rammed with visitors on the days that the weather is good when locals would like to enjoy them too.

I live in a normal 1930’s ‘three bed semi’ street where home would usually be full of families but it leads to the cliff top and path to the beach. I would say that 40% of the homes have nobody in them in Winter and Mon-Thursday for the rest of the time other than the summer holidays. These should be where young people are building their lives but instead they’re empty a lot of the time. Because owners aren’t there to look after gardens etc they are often paved over as this also gives parking. It makes the area soulless.

Before you do buy this seaside idyll think about whether you’d want your children to be priced out of their local area or to have to travel further to schools and amenities like GP’s as there’s not enough critical mass of local people to sustain these services. And when you do come you obviously won’t mind the 10 hour wait in A&E on a bank holiday or there being no parking, no access to a chemist or GP as services are overwhelmed.

Instead of buying property that you don’t live in just come and visit holiday resorts. Put some money into the local businesses. Have a look at the data on wages and cost of living in the place you’re thinking of and actually consider if you want to be part of taking away people’s livelihoods and opportunities or contributing to the economy if this place that you obviously like.

Don't be ridiculous. Many jobs in Cornwall are low skill/ minimum wage because there is no infrastructure, nobody puts their Head Office there.

My cleaner earns £45k a year.

I live somewhere with an increasing number of holiday homes and it really, really pisses off the locals who end up not being able to buy anywhere near where they work and have grown up.

Why can't you just stay in a hotel and buy a property when you actually want to live there full time?