Should people be allowed second homes?

[Soubriquet]

I’m not talking about those who have second homes to rent out, I mean ones who leave the house empty 90% of the year and visit maybe once or twice as a holiday home.

Surely it’s bad for the area to have so many empty houses that can’t be used as they are holiday homes especially if they live abroad and only visit once every few years. If ever

I’m also concerned that there is so much homelessness in this country that could easily solved by reducing the second home movement and allowing people to rent cheaply

So. What do you think?

Blanket bans wont work, though as in "no one should own more than one property"
While a lot of people in rental property would love to buy their own house and are priced out, there is demand for some private rental properties.

Students or new graduates
People on short term contracts
Recently separated couples
People having structural work done to their own house

Just some examples why people might need to rent
I know that's not exactly the same as second homes being empty but just to counter several pps suggestion that everyone should only own one home.

I live in an area which is rural and beautiful and has the largest percentage of holiday homes in the country. For most of the year there are so many houses neglected and empty usually with chains on the gates. It really isn't great. At one point we were the only year round occupied house on our road (of 9 houses).

I think some sort of tax which goes directly to the area and tied in with maintaining the property would be a better way to tackle this problem. In my local (small) town there are a couple of large business premises which are owned by people who live abroad. They have no interest in tidying up their properties and won't let the neighbours even paint them to make them look better. It brings the town down but there are currently no laws to stop this happening. The charm and appeal of the area which first attracted the owners are threatened by their neglect.

@ClarkeGriffin holiday homes in the U.K. are not mostly owned by the super rich. Either people with inherited wealth or people with pretty high salaries (pulling in c 200K plus a year).

The REAL rich own holiday homes abroad ...!if you’re actually very rich with all due respect the last place you’d want to holiday in is England and its flighty weather

*The pasta example is an interesting analogy. Do we need to prevent people from bulk buying pasta? No, because there's plenty to go round. But during the first lockdown, pasta was one of the things people bought excessive amounts of and it quickly went out of stock. So shops had to limit the amounts people could buy so there was enough for everyone.

Now apply this principle to houses.*

Indeed. There was food rationing in the war which meant people couldn’t panic buy and everyone got enough even if it wasn’t as much as they would have liked.

It is a selfish thing to do to be honest, it drives up house prices and has a massively negative impact on the area with the empty home.

When idly pondering what I'd do with a lottery win, I often thought I'd love a second home by the sea. After reading more about the effects on the comminity, this is not something I'd aspire to anymore and personally, I wouldn't.

There would be no way of policing this if it were illegal though. Houses would be put in family member's names etc. There would always be a loophole and I dont really feel comfortable with the government deciding who can own what, although I do think, personally, think its morally wrong.

I'm probably unreasonable, but absolutely yes. Second home buying was one of the reasons I could never live where I grew up. It's not just the fact that homes for locals are being taken, pushing up prices so young people can't even get on the ladder, it makes others aspects of the local area worse. People in second homes declaring themselves 'practically locals' for visiting twice a year, whilst usually having no respect for the local culture, people, environment or (in my case) language. I'd quite happily ban second home buying. Realistically, I'd have them taxed to oblivion.

That should be 'absolutely yes they should be banned' in my first sentence...

@Soubriquet

I’m not talking about those who have second homes to rent out, I mean ones who leave the house empty 90% of the year and visit maybe once or twice as a holiday home.

Surely it’s bad for the area to have so many empty houses that can’t be used as they are holiday homes especially if they live abroad and only visit once every few years. If ever

I’m also concerned that there is so much homelessness in this country that could easily solved by reducing the second home movement and allowing people to rent cheaply

So. What do you think?

Just tax the shit out of it win-win

The REAL rich own holiday homes abroad ...!if you’re actually very rich with all due respect the last place you’d want to holiday in is England and its flighty weather

Plenty of rich people with houses in Cornwall and I'm sure other beautiful parts of the country. More UK bashing.

I don't think we can police what people want to buy with their own money. However, I personally would support a scheme like in the Channel Islands (or used to be at least) where there's an internal market for people who grew up/living permanently in the area and an external market for people who want to have second homes/migrating into the area.

I’m sure it’s been said already but you’d be better placed getting irate at the lack of new social/council housing being built to help those and address supply, rather than imposing restrictions and criminalising citizens.

One of the biggest causes is the huge disparity in wages, that denies local young families from buying, even if both are working. The gap between high and low earners is similar to Victorian times - it was at it's narrowest in the 1970s.
The whole housing situation is now in such a mess that even if we could level up the income issue it would cause as many problems as it sorted.
Any attempt at a cure would have to be quite draconian so we know that isn't going to happen.
And it should be said that not all homelessness is people on the streets. Being unable to afford to even rent, let alone buy, in the town or village you come from and work in is a form of homelessness.

@Soubriquet

There was someone on here the other day posting about their town in Cornwall. Those who are born locally are struggling to find a house because so many are actually owned. In reality, they are empty 95% of the year as they are just used as holiday homes

It means the people who want to stay in the area can’t, because no houses are available for them to buy.

Sometimes there is a restriction on the sale of houses, in that they cannot be bought as 2nd homes. I'm not sure who gets to impose the restrictions, possibly it's the vendor or maybe it's a local government issue?

I think it should be banned, absolutely yes. If it, then and like the idea of taxing the hell out of them so that the local community at least gets some benefit.

[quote TheLastLotus]@ClarkeGriffin holiday homes in the U.K. are not mostly owned by the super rich. Either people with inherited wealth or people with pretty high salaries (pulling in c 200K plus a year).

The REAL rich own holiday homes abroad ...!if you’re actually very rich with all due respect the last place you’d want to holiday in is England and its flighty weather[/quote]
I never said super rich, I said rich. But it's odd that you think earning 200k or getting a massive inheritance doesn't class them as amongst super rich when the average salary in one of these areas we are discussing would be around 23k. With house prices at 300k upwards.

But yes I'll feel sorry for those who own the second homes, they shouldn't be taxed extra, they've had such a hard life. Inheriting a ton of money or earning a good salary is just so difficult, they need the second home to go and recover from the stress.

I'd imagine though in other countries these people are still hated. Second homes that lie empty for most of the year.

Agree with you completely.
People are seriously comparing home ownership to going on holiday and having too many cars?? You don’t NEED a holiday people cope fine without them but you NEED a home to live in. Some people are selfishly hoarding more than they need and it’s not right.

We have a second home ( not for much longer )
It was a investment for me and we used it as a holiday home and also rented it out at a fair price for family holiday that were not over priced in the holidays.
I am now selling both and combing to buy a bigger first home.

I don’t feel guilty sorry 🙈

@Firefliess

If we were prepared to build enough houses so that there wasn't a shortage (including in attractive rural areas) then I don't think it would be a problem people having second homes. But there aren't enough houses, meaning prices are high and some people are badly overcrowded and others homeless I struggle to see it as morally acceptable. Having a second home and then taking any part at all in opposing new housing developments in either of the places where your homes are I think it offensive.

There are plenty of houses. There are just too many people. If we keep building there will be literally no green space left in 100 years.

I don’t think it should be banned but they should be taxed a huge amount with that money going to the local area to improve services for the community who actually live there. Hopefully enough to discourage people from buying but if it’s not then at least there’s a small benefit for the community.

I live in the CI and the local/open market isn’t ideal. Still very high rents and companies pay people a premium to come to work here which pushes up the local housing rents, making it unaffordable for locals who aren’t paid a premium. It isn’t just finance, but health care too. The problem is that if you don’t pay them an increase in salary then people don’t relocate and you don’t have a functioning health service.

FWIW I don’t know anyone with a second home that they only use for a couple of weeks a year. Is it that prevalent? I grew up in London and do t know anyone who did this.

In the examples shown I wonder if the Saudi owners have lost track of the property tbh

@Soubriquet

Because it isn’t just about Cornwall

now this is out of most people’s budgets but it’s an example of what I mean by houses being left to rot

Yes the average person can’t buy one of these houses but what’s the point in them being there if no one lives there and it’s just festering?

Can you talk us through your proposals to “rent properties cheaply” in a bit more detailed?

How would properties be selected? How would candidates for cheap renting be vetted? Have you assessed the number or cheap properties available compared to where the need for properties is? Is there a homeless register to ensure that only those really in need get picked first? What happens when they’re in? Do they get to stay permanently or just long enough to sort themselves out? How are we going to fund the buying back of empty properties from russian oligarchs people?
If I quit my job can I apply for a 5 bedder in Mayfair please?

Sure! If you also ban second cars, people underoccupying their homes (elderly people in large scarce family homes), recreational caravans (homeless people could live in those)! Unfair distribution of assets is an economic problem fundamentally! Why are so many people only comfortable investing in bricks and mortar? Why is property overpriced? Why do some earn loads and some a pittance? Answer = it is government policy and you (the collective) keep voting for them!

I think there is a legitimate case for taxing second homes reasonably heavily. for example, applying a factor of two to the council tax bill for these houses. All cash raised could then go into an affordable homes fund. Too many second home owners have changed some of the villages in Norfolk where I live. Nothing wrong with people coming to live here and contribute to the community, but wages are lower here and in my view it is unfair to ask young people to compete for small village houses against second home owners earning much higher financial services London wages.

Of course not.

Russia is that way 👉🏻