To think holiday homes could be used to house lots of refugees

[Letshaveablackcelebration]

Uk has a LOT of holiday homes and empty second homes. Surely they could be used to take a lot of Refugees aswell as spare rooms? It could support local economies all year round too rather than just in peak tourism seasons? The crisis is going to escalate rapidly in Ukraine- there are 44 million people in the country and so far it’s about 2 million who have fled and now countries like Moldova and the Poland are starting to struggle so we need to step up.

Aibu? It seems like an obvious solution. Obviously using the empty homes of oligarchs too is a preference.

I read an article about a woman who gave her French holiday home to a refugee family.

I never said it did but none of us know whether the OP is a good person or not.

Plus plenty of threads are meaningless so...

I have locally seen those that have the least offering the most. The wealthy aren’t daft, they hang onto their money.

The infrastructure problems the UK already has are of its own choosing - we’ve been dictated to by the party who hates spending money on the people. Instead of spaffing billions on HS2, on dodgy contracts for PPE, and fucking Brexit, we could have put more towards stopping homelessness, on public services, social housing and things like cladding that doesn’t catch fire. Oh, and perhaps tax things like Amazon and energy companies so that proper investment in sustainable energy could happen. Maybe give up the second homes and get a job? There’s loads going, I hear. A bit of lorry driving, or food service, healthcare….

But if they’re relying on it for an income then it’s not a second home, it’s a business contributing to the economy. Why is it a sad state of affairs that this is how I earn an income, pay tax, feed my family and provide work for people?

@willweevergetthere

Would the places these holiday let's in be able to support an influx of foreign nationals? Transport, infrastructure, resources?

No hence the huge outcry when second home owners moved out of cities to holiday areas.Most of the jobs are also seasonal and based around people with disposable income staying in those homes and spending on 'tourist' type things whilst they are there. No tourists, no need for those businesses, no jobs for locals or refugees.

I don't know why some people on this thread are being so negative about my offer to help.

Because your naivety will potentially cause further upset to refugees. But mostly because I don’t like it when people tell others when they help someone. Just get on with it.

And I wouldn't say it's 100% meaningless since people in the UK are been asked to help house refugees & people are doing it and Gove was talking about using oligarch mansions.

I have a job. I am a foster carer looking after a child with complex additional needs.

But mostly because I don’t like it when people tell others when they help someone. Just get on with it.

Just don't engage then

Not. Just through taxes but also stealth taxes ie money printing causing inflation, reducing the value of our money and inflating away govt debt.

Thank you for what you, your son and your tenants are going to try to do @caringcarer - and to similar other pps on this thread too.

I never said it did but none of us know whether the OP is a good person or not.

The genuine people won’t be on mumsnet telling others what they are doing or what others should do, they will be doing it without telling anyone. Quietly helping, not using it as an opportunity to look good.

It’s actually the fact that they’re empty half the year that is killing the holiday areas. Not enough homes for locals to buy, and they’re priced out of the market because of all the holiday homes raising prices.

What people are basically saying is ‘I’m not sharing! It’s mine! I paid for it!’ I’m not sure how owning more than one property creates jobs? People have cleaners/renovations etc. regardless.

Shakey ground if the government suddenly decides it can take people's private homes that they have purchased off them for a refugee crisis. There is always going to be refugees unfortunately. There would be uproar if the government started taking people's private property off them.

There are also deserted holiday camps in this country that could be revamped.

Just don't engage then

It’s a forum, I’ll stay thanks. HTH. 😇

"When I read some of the replies here, the fact that we have such a self-serving and ruthless government in power is very clear."

This. With bells on. I used to wonder who voted the Tories in, time after time after time. I don't wonder any more. It's one of the reasons I read mumsnet; it reminds me that the mostly reasonable and kind people I encounter in the real world, including my job, have their voices constantly drowned out.

We are genuinely not in a position to help, space wise, with accommodation for refugees but we will help in other ways, as far as we can. And that has also applied in previous campaigns to help refugees from other parts of the world (including the ones where their homes were bombed into oblivion with British-made and British-sold weapons).

Oh, and anyone who thinks we're never going to be affected in Britain by becoming refugees (especially those in coastal areas and/or the south) might like to take a look at the flood map projections.

I don't care, particularly, I'll be long gone.

But in some ways this is yet another a dress rehearsal for the longer-term effects of climate change. I know I wouldn't be kindly disposed to help the British (English) after our behaviour over those needing help who come from the Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria...(I could go on).

Maybe they need them to provide income so they can er, live?

Why is it a sad state of affairs that this is how I earn an income, pay tax, feed my family and provide work for people?

I don't believe housing should be used like this either. Not when we have young people struggling to buy & wage stagnation. QE which had inflated assets is not a good thing, you can disagree of course.

It’s a forum, I’ll stay thanks.

And yet you want to police what others post? 😆

I've voted YABU, even though it's a good idea in principle.
You don't get to decide what people do with their own bought property, it should be personal choice.

As for the urban V rural location issue, this is often a reason for relocation requests from the asylum seeker or refugee themselves.

It is one thing living in a lovely rural area when you have money for a car or transport. When you have strong community ties and a nice job where you can WFH.

However, if you are being placed temporarily in a rural area you will massively struggle with isolation, lack of cultural support, lack of transport, lack of education / ESOL, lack of job opportunities.

I work in a big city that houses asylum seekers. It is so difficult to house people in certain areas because of the above reasons. And these areas are suburbs of a large city, not the middle of nowhere!

Yes it's really unfair on the young people already here. Don't they deserve an affordable home when the wages are so rubbish

we have always taken so many people from overseas especially since the 90s which has made affordable housing more scarce and property expensive

The genuine people won’t be on mumsnet telling others what they are doing or what others should do, they will be doing it without telling anyone. Quietly helping, not using it as an opportunity to look good

That's rubbish. It was a thread on here that saw about the etsy & air bnb thing which I hadn't thought about. doesn't mean i'm an amazing person though

OP you sound resentful. And I don’t think you’ve thought it through. Expropriation of people’s private homes is a dangerous route, even along the temporary and seemingly deserving lines you suggest, and even if they are second homes. If people want to offer their holiday homes they can. Forcing them to give up holiday homes to Ukrainian refugees might sound great - make the over-privileged help these desperate people. But it sets a very bad precedent. Once the government embarks on the compulsory requisition of private property (you’d have to change the law btw) for Ukrainian refugees and second home owners, it is a fundamental undermining of property rights. That could lead to a very bad place.
Oligarchs may be different matter. Assets purchased with the proceeds of crime can be forfeit.