To think that owning a second home to use as a holiday home is extremely selfish?

[benadrylcucumberpatch]

It would be a different story if there was a surplus of vacant properties . As it stands holiday home owners turn communities into ghost towns, inflate prices in desirable areas (many of which are rural with low wages) and displace people who would live in the property full time.

Aibu to think this is selfish and reprehensible? Why are such people not villified for taking more than they need in such an extreme way?

How on earth can you 'hate' people because of their money? There is a lot more to a person than what they have in the bank or in the way of property they own

This is absolutely true of course but I do understand the frustration.

And suggesting that if people just 'put their energy into working more' will lead to wealth is just laughable really.

I'm from an area where this happens. It has destroyed the community and young people have to move away as they can't afford to stay local.

Every property sold to a second home owner must, in the first instance have been sold to them by a local person/family. So all these young people who have to move away should be blaming their relatives and neighbours who sold to incomers in the first place. Therefore, surely locals have played a large part in destroying their own communities.

My family live in a coastal area very popular with tourists.

Many of the quaint cottages are now second homes. Where these are rented out as holiday cottages they provide year round income for the local economy: shops, tourist attractions, jobs (lettings, cleaning, maintenance).

Where they are empty they have indeed turned the High St into a dark dead zone in winter.

But locals have either moved away to seek more lucrative employment in cities, or sold their cottages to live in more spacious modern new builds, with a drive.

Locals live in the 1950s council houses beyond the playing field, or in the 60s bungalows and semis on the other side of the main road. Not in the picturesque bit.

None of my parents' neighbours have adult children who have stayed in the area. All gone to London or the Middle east (oil) to work.

Coastal and rural deprivation is real. There is very little public transport, the hospital is bloody miles away, jobs are dwindling. Houses are falling off the eroding cliff in one nearby village, while others will be underwater within a few degrees of global warming.

The village's problems aren't mainly caused by second homes, not by a long chalk.

I live in the Lake District in a popular 'holiday' area. I honestly worry for my children, that they might need to move away just to afford a place to live. The local economy doesn't support the cost of the houses or costs of living.

Surely most people see that's a problem?

They stick local occupancy clauses on homes but the prices of them, even though below the 'holiday' homes costs are still inflated.

I’ve commuted into London on that hellhole tube for nigh on 30 years and live in a busy town. Every day I have a headache from travel, pollution, work stress. I’d give me right tit for a nice holiday home to escape to.

@mummymeister you are taxed
For a second home. It’s called stamp duty. And when you sell you pay capital gains tax.

I own a home in Italy and one in the UK. We are constantly finding creative ways to prevent either being vacant. I do understand the resentment toward foreign investors buying houses for investment and never living in them and london darlings having s weekend place. But Uk property doubles every ten years. We are an island. That’s how it goes. If local children want to buy one let them save up like everyone else and buy one. It’s not the person who buys it fault that it was on the market and they had the moneyz

gingerbreadsprinkle

Like most of us, I can't afford to live in central London near my job 🤷

There are some beautiful council housing next to million pounds flats - I qualify or can afford neither. I still wouldn't begrudge someone who has bought a second home there. Unlike some posters, I am not jealous.

Have a word with the royal family and the Duke of Westminster to ask them if they really do need their countless properties subsidised by the tax payer (or avoid inheritance tax because why should the wealthy be charged any!)

@Alsohuman

Nobody works harder than health care workers who earn a pittance. It really pisses me off that MN believes hard work = affluence when it’s so demonstrably untrue.

Sooooooo true Some of the laziest, most entitled, grabby feckers I know (some who retired at 50-55,) seem to rolling in money, and many people I know who have earned minimum wage all their lives, and work waaaaaay harder, have fuck-all - and never will have.

Should have tried harder at school eh? Got better educated/gone to uni blather blah blah....

SOME fecker will come out with that in a minute!

The over privileged on these kind of threads stand out a MILE! And they are CLUELESS to the real life struggle of the JAMS (just about managing,) the poor, and the low paid.

Infuriating, but not surprising.

We have terrible wealth inequality in this country. If someone has worked for their money, then fair enough, but there are an awful lot of rich people who don't know the meaning of a day's work. user1491678180 is right to be upset.

Thanks to @ScreamingValenta too.

In Guernsey they ration housing for sale to those with no links to the island, and where my aunt lives in Ireland you have to demonstrate that you have ties to the area such as being born there or a long residential term (usually for children whose parents qualify) I really feel for those who cannot live near family and friends as housing is too expensive.

Loopytiles
What about “buy to let” and landlords owning multiple properties to rent out?

What about them? As long as the rents are fair and the properties well maintained, owning the properties is just a 'job' with a taxable income, like any others. Can be quite a headache too.

Moving away from an area to get a house / job isn’t a new thing

I had to move away from where I grew up 30 years ago to get a job.

user1491678180
clearly you don't work hard enough or you are in the wrong job, what can I say.

I don't even work that hard, (obviously, as I am on MN at work) and I can afford a holiday home. I couldn't even speak English when I moved in your country!

I’m sick and tired of the jealousy trope being trotted out every time someone objects to the vast inequality in our society. Some of us have no reason to be jealous but can still see how bloody unjust it is.

I had a similar discussion with my son who was visiting but was talking about the bedroom tax if you are on housing benefit you pay extra for a spare bedroom ( even if it's not big enough to swing a cat) if you can't afford the bedroom tax because you're on low income you are moved to places outside of London including Manchester and Birmingham ( where there's even less employment) when I was able to go back to work full time after caring for my disabled DD I rang to pay my bedroom tax and they said 'you don't need to pay it because you're working' 😵 talk about social cleansing.

gingerbreadsprinkle

I'm never jealous of twats, oh and my family has more money than yours so try again.I'm that scary overseas investor! Foreigner ahhhhhhh!!!

good for you, so why are you so angry now?

WhenOneFacePalmDoesntCutIt

Calling people jealous is silly. There are no limits to protect locals and the market is actually ridiculously cheap if you compare it to San Francisco or Manhattan. Eventually all those great deals further afield in Cornwall, up north, and in Scotland will be scouted by us dirty foreigners not just London and the immediate area. When that happens and the British are priced out of the UK as a whole, is it fair for me to sneer at you and call you jealous?

Alsohuman I’m sick and tired of the jealousy trope being trotted out every time someone objects to the vast inequality in our society. Some of us have no reason to be jealous but can still see how bloody unjust it is

Seems to be a British trait to criticise hard working people for spending their own money. Better not to do anything much and have people feeling sorry for you. As I said above, its easier to buy a holiday home abroad and spend your money there instead. Some people are so jealous that they seem close to arguing that forced holidays in state-owned British hotels is all people dumb enough to actually go out and find a reasonably well paid job will be allowed.

At least if you buy a holiday home somewhere in France or Italy, you won't have to listen to British people moaning and whining about how its not fair you can afford it and they can't.

It’s unjust but what’s the solution? Communism, socialism? We all know how well they work.

gingerbreadsprinkle

well, it won't. There are much more desirable countries so we are quite safe from a full foreign invasion here.

Wishing people to be destitute because they have more than you is still pathetic.

Another post equating hard work with affluence. Can we just stop with it? It simply isn’t the case.

Alsohuman
Have you read the actual post it was in reply to?

Why is it ok to rant at people but not ok to reply to the bitter and angry poster?

The answer to the OP, is this: it depends.

Posters talking about others not working hard enough or being in the wrong job - I recommend you Google the 'On a Plate' cartoon.

good for you, so why are you so angry now?

I'm not angry, I'm bored of the same trope being trotted out to "win" an argument
and deflect rather than discussing the topic. It's lazy and annoying. Plus you have no idea who I am so accusing me of anything is bullshit.

I do know one thing though the salaries in this country are RIDICULOUSLY LOW. So it is very easy for us dirty foreigners to snap up your English property with our higher incomes and familial wealth.

o it is very easy for us dirty foreigners to snap up your English property with our higher incomes and familial wealth.

yes dear