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?

It’s the vast disparity between top and bottom most people hate. Is that so unreasonable?

The ultimate cause of housing shortages is the continuing high levels of net migration

I can't believe people still believe that crap

It’s the vast disparity between top and bottom most people hate. Is that so unreasonable?

the top is the Royal Family, not the poor sods who have saved hard and made sacrifice to buy a holiday home that will be their pension pot (or their home and they'll sell their city home instead, just the same).

Is it, dear?

Totally agree and refuse to use ait bnb for this reason

Alsohuman

Is it, dear?

Stop being goady.

Surely if the sellers weren't 'selfishly' looking for the highest price, they could sell to local families? Second-homers can't move into an area if no-one is willing to sell to them.

In 2011, 13 per cent (7.5 million) of the resident population of England and Wales were born outside the UK, compared to 4.3 per cent (1.9 million) in 1951. While the total resident population
of England and Wales increased by 28 per cent (from 43.7 million to 56.1 million) between 1951 and 2011, the non-UK born population almost quadrupled. This means that migration has
contributed to just under half (45 per cent) of the total population change over the last 60 years

That's the ONS. Is it too obvious for you?

I am more annoyed at the amount of foreign investors buying up properties in hotspots and then renting them out. My area built a whole load of new builds in the last few years, they sold very quickly only to be put on rental market almost instantly. A report released showed 60% went to foreign investors/buyers looking for additional properties

Why are such people not villified for taking more than they need in such an extreme way?

They aren't taking anything, they're paying good money for it.

There is no 'shortage' of housing. There is a shortage of council and housing authority housing. We have almost 4,000 properties empty in Liverpool and more being built every day. That is not a shortage. That is corporate (RedRow) greed. They have just started building 120 £450k homes on an old Priory that could've been public park land or event space closer to the poorer areas of Huntscross and Speke... But nah 🤷

People pay taxes they earn the money they can do what they damn well want with it. Its their money.

I feel like a really large understated issue is salary. Salaries have not been keeping up with where they should be. I do think there should be more laws around minimum wage and perhaps removal of zero hours contracts. Also there are companies like Subway who advertise for apprentices that are abusing the scheme, Subway doesn't need apprentices in other countries and it shouldn't abuse the apprentice system in the UK.

According to today’s Times, salaries have risen faster in the last quarter than since 2008.

Also alot of 'locals' in these holiday spots own 2nd homes in the town that they live in to to holiday let. Is that any better?

@Screamanger, a moderated take on your thought would be more accurate, I suggest. There are millions of MNetters, around the world, and not all of them are militantly poor or abrasively successful. Most of us trudge along trying to do our best. Some are old, some very young: it's (err) unhelpful when folks get very political or triumphal about their situation or crisis. The middle is a big old place. Outliers are just that.

We live in a capitalist free society. I wouldn't have it any other way. It would be a rare city that the main reason some people can't afford to buy a home is because of people who pay over the odds for holiday homes

No one owes you a property we don't live in a socialist society. If you can't afford to buy, then there will be other reasons for this, and it won't be predominantly because people pay over the odds for a holiday home.

Sometimes. Just sometimes, it's not someone's else's fault.

Come on, @Bluntness100, that’s disingenuous to say the least. Without second/holiday homes property prices would be nowhere near as high in places like Cornwall or the Yorkshire Dales.

Sometimes. Just sometimes, it's not someone's else's fault.

There needs to be regulations so that we live in a fair society. This doesn't effect me (I'm a foreigner who owns property) but I can see how an unbalanced system is deteriorating the general quality of life of the populace in this country. It wasn't so bad while the pound was strong but now that it has gone down so much, it has become atrocious how badly paid people are here when it's juxtaposed with the cost of living.

Surely if the sellers weren't 'selfishly' looking for the highest price, they could sell to local families?

Some do - we bought our house under the asking price when there were higher offers on the table because the vendor wanted to sell to locals. I know another person this happened to as well.

Interesting how many assumptions and generalisations are being made on this thread. I don't have problem with people being well off but I do care about rural communities and know there need to be permanent residents alongside holiday makers and a range of housing to suit different circumstances for those communities to survive.

The trouble with regulation is the unintended consequences. With all good intentions, civil servants lovely people, the ones I've met tend not to be as imaginative and clever as the people whose job it is to defeat the regulation and create loopholes so their clients (who pay a lot for their advice) can tiptoe around the edges and profit perfectly legitimately.

Our councillors decided no free months on council tax, a large motor company made redundancy and stopped being in as many workers, the consequence is that 2nd and 3rd home landlords would rather lower the rent & fill the properties with tenants (160 empty 2 bed flats) than pay the council tax month after month. Renting in my area has decreased by around 15-20% in 12 months

People end up with multiple properties for many different reasons.

I inherited a cottage in the Lake District. I could sell it, but it's full of happy memories from my childhood and I love it.

I bought a holiday home with inheritance before that, in a location which is central for my family, who are dotted around the country.

I own a static caravan, which I bought before the holiday home and before I inherited the cottage.

If someone said I had to pay council tax then so be it. At both homes I use local services to maintain the houses and gardens. When we're there we use local businesses.

I think people forget how many empty houses there are. We don't have a shortage, it's how they are managed which is the problem.
Lots of new houses being sold on round here, not to investors but due to that Gov scheme, people can't keep up with the payments.
The houses are priced ott to begin with.
Generally speaking and I am generalising with grown up dc we found a lot of their peers didn't want to do any work on an older house, a two up two down terrace isn't enough to start off with.
There are plenty of affordable terraces near us, but they want new and modern.

@Annabk. Your aunt will become a burden to the state with no offspring to pay taxes to support her. Your other Aunt has produced 7 taxpayers. Who has been more selfish.....