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?

"You can sell your house to whoever you want. Your house, your property. "

When Gwynedd council applied a rule that its former council houses could only be sold to local people it was branded racist and people talked of human rights abuses.

A care worker’s a care worker. A cleaner’s a cleaner. No amount of experience puts the rate up.

Hi StoneofDestiny the ability to access education and healthcare, have financial autonomy, a legal status, and assume equality of opportunity is privilege. It has not been afforded to all, and we should acknowledge that. We believe these are rights, but they are not universal.
I’m not talking about having a nice home and piano lessons, I’m well aware that there are many many successful people who’ve fought tooth and nail for everything they’ve got, but in the uk we enjoy some basic freedoms that we should acknowledge and protect.

Not at all. When I went to uni, 20 years ago, official advice was that a degree in ANY subject would help you get a better job. I still have an official leaflet somewhere with this written in it. We were actively lied to.
This. At my college (we must be similar age) anyone remotely bright was encouraged to go to uni. My sibling went and, as the first person in the family to go to uni, my parents (or sibs) had no idea the difference between old polys/russel group unis, and there was no obvious info about it.

When Gwynedd council applied a rule that its former council houses could only be sold to local people it was branded racist and people talked of human rights abuses

There are many properties in some areas (ex council for example) that must be sold to locals as first refusal - and other rural properties that can only be sold to people who work in farming. All fine - brand but what they will, doesn’t change it is possible.

However, if your house has no ‘tie’ like that - you can sell it for £1 or give it away free if it’s your house.

Gwen. No the reason they can’t afford a house is because they’re in a NMW job and apparently won’t ever get a pay increase.

If you don’t earn enough to save for a deposit it doesn’t matter what the property market is doing, you won’t get a mortgage full stop.

When I was younger I pined for a holiday home until I got a training job that took me to all corners of the UK and heard the stories from residents of places who had lost local amenities because there wasn't enough demand. Oh, and their kids had been priced out of the market. I'm pining for a motor home instead now.

Herocomplex - don’t disagree we are privileged to live in a UK that has ‘free’ education, healthcare etc.

Herocomplex
(Posted too soon) and I for one fear these being lost - watching them being downgraded every year and those who provide these services being increasingly disillusioned. Do we really think having Bozo Johnson as PM will give any attention to these areas? It was his party that sold off council housing!

Exactly Stone it’s why I feel so worried, I don’t think people realise what we’ve got to lose. And despite what some pp’s seem to think I’m not speaking from a position of envy of the ‘haves’, I’m one of them, and I’ll be fine.
What I’m worried about is people feeling they’ve got nothing left to lose and the fabric of our society disintegrating. People put a lot of faith in a rising property market, and the vanishingly small interest rate continuing. None of it’s set in stone.

A care worker’s a care worker. A cleaner’s a cleaner. No amount of experience puts the rate up.

Both will have numerous options to go for a bigger wage during their life. Either direct move to supervising positions, or bit sideways like industrial cleaning, more niche services, residential care workers etc. And also, yes experience can put their wages bit up. Not much so it's obviously better to move up or sideways.
Not easy, but possible. Every worker can progress wage wise but only if they don't stay where they are all their life.

I think another problem is the banks. They created a financial mess but now lending criteria is too strict. Help to Buy hasn't really helped, in my opinion, means the government has a vested conflict of interest to make sure they get profit on equity loans.

I think rules should change on lending so rental history is taken in to account, and perhaps 100% mortgages when time in a job and credit score are taken in to account. Help to Buy should end because it is artificially inflating the market and only really benefiting the middle classes. Loosening lending criteria may raise house prices but I think it would do more to help poorer people who cannot save for a deposit.

@gingerbreadsprinkle current HtB ends in 2021 and new version will start then. Not sure what the difference will be.

I don't think 100% mortgages unless PROPERLY secured are the best idea tbh. Value of house can fall and it would be the same mess like before with people stuck not being able to afford repayments because they can't remortgage and so payments are high on variable. We already had that.

Residential care workers are paid minimum wage @NinjaInFluffyPJs, as are industrial cleaners. Why won’t you just concede that someone else’s point might just be right?

What’s the difference between having a holiday home and having a house too big for your needs? How many people have a spare room/ rooms in their house they barely use, surely it’s the same thing albeit on a smaller scale?

I don't think 100% mortgages unless PROPERLY secured are the best idea tbh. Value of house can fall and it would be the same mess like before with people stuck not being able to afford repayments because they can't remortgage and so payments are high on variable. We already had that.

This is one thing I don't understand but why aren't mortgage rates fixed for longer terms like 30 years? If that were the case people's payments would remain static through the life of the loan so I think 100% mortgages would be less risky unless the market crashed when you wanted to move (but that could happen regardless).

@Alsohuman erm. Industrial cleaners go 10ph as a minimum where I am, tema leader 15ph+. Residential care workers are anywhere between 16-24k depending on experience according to job ads.

I give up.
Final thought though. Maybe instead of arguing to death that someone just poooosibly can't do any better, the energy would be better spent on telling them they can. That there is a way and possibility. You know, take them out of that dark place when people can't see any better options so they get stuck🤷 Because it is possible for some NOT to be on NMW ALL LIFE...

@gingerbreadsprinkle bad for business I guess. I know I saw a 10 year fix and was so surprised at it!
Ha! Found it.
But they all have higher rate to cover increases. Which is understandable since that's how banks make money

Fundamentally I think everyone has the right to spend their money on a legal purchase. To prevent people buying a holiday home we would need legislation in place to stop an owner selling property to anyone who has an existing property which is not sold on completion. Another option would be for everyone in the area where you live to agree to a covenant against the title of their property to only sell the property to an owner occupier or alternatively that the property cannot be let. If the community all agrees then your problem would be solved; you property value is likely to fall. Really the issue is the seller.

Wow. I do hope that most anti 2nd home posters vow never to stay themselves at UK holiday cottages, foreign villas (same thing / same problem, different country) or even air bnbs and instead book into hotels, guest houses or b&b's all the time.

We have a second home - in fact I’m here now. We live in London, DH’s business has to be in London, we escape to the country to unwind for Easter and summer holidays and quite a few weekends. It’s what we chose to spend our money on. We have less of a carbon footprint due to not flying for each holiday, the kids see a different way of life and there are people doing a lot worse than having a second home. Might retire here one day. When the Royals give up their multiple extra homes which we help to fund then I’ll respect Queenies example and give up mine. No worries that that will happen, at least we paid for ours!
We don’t trust pensions, one of the houses will be our pension.

bad for business I guess. I know I saw a 10 year fix and was so surprised at it!
Ha! Found it.

But they all have higher rate to cover increases. Which is understandable since that's how banks make money

This is where I think people are getting taken advantage of. Banks offer 30 year fixed rate mortgages in other countries, usually the life of the loan, and still get plenty of profit off the interest. There should be some regulation where banks are forced to offer fixed rates for the life of loans to some customers, at least the ones with good credit. I think the banks are the ones really at fault. If this happened though landlords would probably see a loss of renters so I think it could be controversial.

Some people rent for good reason, namely flexibility.
I own a rental and a second holiday home, although jointly with my siblings. Its my retirement plan.
Also the holiday home is because its far cheaper to pay for a whole year rates etc than pay for a week I school holidays for somewhere with 4 kids.

Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. Windsor Castle has 1000 rooms - add on the rooms in the holiday houses of Sandringham and Balmoral ........and etc etc etc all sitting in thousands of acres in desirable areas .....
All funded by taxpayers! Not sure criticising a few folks with second homes bought with their own money is fair at all (and I don’t have one!)

"Either direct move to supervising position"

Just because you're a cleaner, doesn't mean you can be a cleaning supervisor. Most jobs like that are like a pyramid: more people at the bottom than at the top. Some people might get promoted, but others won't. It's not guaranteed by any means.