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.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

Has anyone else noticed that there have been no replies to the many questions about "What happens at the end of the 6 months"?

I'm aware that Refugees at Home (and probably others) sat they "aim" to find alternative accommodation once time's up, but what's to be done if there isn't any?

I won't hold my breath ...

Well quite.

Holiday cottages to be rented out across the whole peak summer season for £350. When in the peak season it could easily be per week, and that income is needed to counterbalance the winter when there are next to no bookings.

So slash the summer income, and have no plan for the winter - that's not a good proposal.

Anyone know how many host families have volunteered a room? And how much other accommodation is being offered (eg second homes, converted office blocks etc).

How much more do we think the country should aim to find?

Yes maybe if my mum had said she felt vulnerable and was worried about the workload I'd of understood. However her attitude about having "those people in my house" she was implying they would be dirty thieves. As I said, I'm not expecting everyone with the means to do it, but atleast think about it. She thinks she's above having common muck in her house. She says refugees like it's a swear word. These aren't normal refugees looking for a better life, these are literally women and children with nowhere to go. I think it's tragic for a woman who had so many kids of her own to her think she's above helping. Sorry but stand by what I said.

It's not quite that easy with a near full mortgage, very young children and being pregnant. Not to mention we live three hours away from them and all have jobs, schools and lives here. They have the means, a fully paid off mortgage and so much empty space and I think it's a shame that he's so keen and she's not even thinking about it. That's my point. My dad rightly says they are in the perfect position to do it, it is a shame she is shutting it down for the wrong reasons.

You and your dad have decided your mums reasons aren’t valid. I know what I’d be saying to both of you.

@Mangogogogo

Do you think people would start trying to pick and chose who stayed in their home though? I mean understandably you’d prefer a mother and child over 5 20 year old lads for example, but will this then be pushed to ‘I will only take Ukrainian refugees and not others’? How far could we go? Would the homeowners have rights? Would they push these rights because the tenants are not paying rent? I’m just kind of pondering out loud here. I don’t own a second home so I don’t really know what my actual answer would be

I imagine you would have some say over who you would offer your spare room too ,it could all work out beautifully But on the other hand there might be awful personality clashes ,I would find it difficult enough to stay with family and friends for more than a few days ,let alone complete strangers ,it's going to be difficult for both those offering shelter and refugees .

You don’t like your Mum much, do you?

You can love people but not agree with or like how they are about certain things. I don't excuse racism just because I'm related to you. Ukraine is a poor country and her opinion of these people is based off that. I think that's wrong.

That simply isn’t true. Refugees are almost exclusively women and children. The men are staying behind to fight. I thought the men weren’t allowed to leave?
As I said refugee status takes a loooooong time to achieve. So when people are describing these people as refugees what they mean is “asylum seekers”, who cannot work and like the asylum seekers that are already here need housing. Are people saying that they will house asylum seekers if they come from Ukraine but not from the Middle East?

Yes maybe if my mum had said she felt vulnerable and was worried about the workload I'd of understood. However her attitude about having "those people in my house" she was implying they would be dirty thieves. As I said, I'm not expecting everyone with the means to do it, but atleast think about it. She thinks she's above having common muck in her house. She says refugees like it's a swear word. These aren't normal refugees looking for a better life, these are literally women and children with nowhere to go. I think it's tragic for a woman who had so many kids of her own to her think she's above helping. Sorry but stand by what I said.

If those are her views on refugees or people from other countries, of course that’s not a pleasant view and I obviously don’t agree with her. But if those are her views, it seems odd that your dad wouldn’t know this about your mum and therefore odd of him to ask it of her. And clearly if your mum holds those views, why on earth would you still fight for her to take in a family. As if they haven’t been through enough, you want them to deal with your mother and her views. It’s unlikely she’ll change her views...but also odd that your dad feels so differently from her. Doesn’t add up to me.

English people are just unbelievable. Ukrainians are fleeing WAR and people here are giving endless excuses, asking who will replace their £3k a month holiday rental earnings (!), moaning about wear and tear and not wanting 'strangers' in their home! 'What if they take a loan in our name?'!!!

While Poland is taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees, housing them in their homes and rushing legislation to allow them to live and work there, Germans are waiting at the border with coaches ready to take refugees home and poor European countries are opening their doors, but the English, as always, are too precious, insular and selfish to think of ANYONE but themselves, even in a major European crisis like this.

For all the doom mongers hosting a refugee really isn't that hard, and you can specify whether you want to host a woman or a man. We had a Congolese woman in our spare room for a year through a hosting scheme, a refugee who had had to leave her child behind, was traumatised and didn't speak English, but she was a lovely young woman and we got on well, and in the end she was given a flat of her own. We didn't get paid anything for having her but it also didn't really cost us anything, beyond what we voluntarily chose to help her with. She got a living allowance and was entitled to GP services etc, which I imagine the Ukrainian refugees will too if they are allowed here.

We are registering to host again tomorrow and I would encourage you to do the same. As others have said a time may come when we will need help and compassion from others.

@caringcarer you do not seem to understand the rules that residential landlords' have to obey with tenants
You cannot simply move the tenants (Refugees or not)from one rental to another - you have to give them notice & they do not have to move out until you do a section22 & get a bailiff via the courts. & I am sure that the said refugee would get legal advice to do this, because if they are a single parent, on UC & probably do not have permission to work or live there except as an emergency will cause all sorts of issues. They cannot after 6 months (unless the rules change & who knows with our incompetent government) claim housing benefit. & technically is the money you receive rent? You can't get a deposit so any damage done to your furniture or rental won't get paid for. How this work insurance & if you have holiday rental won't you still have to pay out for: electrical safety cert & necessary updates from same, gas servicing & safety checks, upkeep of property, callouts for things not working, & of course the property has to a be a minimum of D which you will have to test for - bong you are now in debit from the so called rent (which isn't rent but a reward & how does this work tax wise???) You could have a family of 4 living in your property & be paid for basically the cost of a single person in a single room (the government housing level not commercial please note)
Know what I think? The government is doing their famous " we can't afford this lets get the mugs to volunteers who have have no idea of what they are expected to do (act as social workers deal with families who may need medical or mental health support & not being able to speak the same language)
Its done on the cheap & without any recognition of problems that could arise. The countries that border the Ukraine often have assess to or understanding of a common language & we don't know how much support their governments are giving
I would rather give money to help & pressurise the government to do this support & accommodation properly - not the least because I can see the refugees being taken advantage of in their vulnerable state by crooks or by people who really don't know what they are getting into

There’s a war going on that has the potential and looks like it will displace many, many millions of people. The future for the world has changed irrevocably. We have to stop thinking about trying desperately to hang onto everything we have, and instead start looking to think about what we have that can be shared. Not just by giving to charity and saving the tax. Not by baking cakes and raising funds for the church. By genuinely. GIVING. We have so much, it’s utterly heartbreaking that we are determined to have it all, make the right noises, but genuinely giving, because you have 2 and they have none, it’s just not there.

The fact that this thread very quickly got so vitriolic and spiteful speaks volumes about the skewed sense of compassion to other humans. I doubt those poor people dragged into this can think much further than the next day, why are people here using ‘but after 6 months’ as a reason against using empty property? Of course culture and familiarity will be hard, fucking hell, they’ve been bombed out of their homes! But some acceptance and compassion would help, surely?

Obviously, if they’re met with the prevailing mood of ‘just not here’ then the UK will continue its reputation of being racist and unwelcoming.

I’ve not read the whole thread but just wanted to say that this basically happened in the Balkans during the 1990s. People displaced by the war in Yugoslavia would live in hotels and holiday accommodation during the winter and then during the summer they’d be moved out of town into tent villages so that tourists from across Europe could use the holiday accommodation. It’s no way to live. All this talk about a six month commitment is nonsense too. People won’t be going home in six months - I expect most people will be displaced for years, if not forever. Where do people think everyone is going to go after six months? What they need is a safe place to live where they can recover from the trauma they’ve been through and then start to plan the rest of their lives. Being moved on after six months is unlikely to be in their best interests.

@anotherday85

English people are just unbelievable. Ukrainians are fleeing WAR and people here are giving endless excuses, asking who will replace their £3k a month holiday rental earnings (!), moaning about wear and tear and not wanting 'strangers' in their home! 'What if they take a loan in our name?'!!!

While Poland is taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees, housing them in their homes and rushing legislation to allow them to live and work there, Germans are waiting at the border with coaches ready to take refugees home and poor European countries are opening their doors, but the English, as always, are too precious, insular and selfish to think of ANYONE but themselves, even in a major European crisis like this.

For all the doom mongers hosting a refugee really isn't that hard, and you can specify whether you want to host a woman or a man. We had a Congolese woman in our spare room for a year through a hosting scheme, a refugee who had had to leave her child behind, was traumatised and didn't speak English, but she was a lovely young woman and we got on well, and in the end she was given a flat of her own. We didn't get paid anything for having her but it also didn't really cost us anything, beyond what we voluntarily chose to help her with. She got a living allowance and was entitled to GP services etc, which I imagine the Ukrainian refugees will too if they are allowed here.

We are registering to host again tomorrow and I would encourage you to do the same. As others have said a time may come when we will need help and compassion from others.

English people are unbelievable?

Not some English people all of them?

Well, I suppose we will find out more once scheme opens up. We can all help in different ways. When the Afghanistan refugees came over I offered to take an unaccompanied child but was told they need Muslim households who can take them to prayer. Instead I bought one of the teen children who joined a local cricket club his cricket kit, so he could play in matches.

@Yebs

If you and your dad feel strongly about this and your mum doesn’t want refugees in her house, what about if your family moved in with your mum & dad and you gave up your home to a refugee family?

@caringcarer

Well, I suppose we will find out more once scheme opens up. We can all help in different ways. When the Afghanistan refugees came over I offered to take an unaccompanied child but was told they need Muslim households who can take them to prayer. Instead I bought one of the teen children who joined a local cricket club his cricket kit, so he could play in matches.

That's lovely.

I doubt those poor people dragged into this can think much further than the next day, why are people here using ‘but after 6 months’ as a reason against using empty property?

Because anyone who has any experience of this will tell you that what they need is stability, not more upheaval after a few months when they’ve been through such trauma already.

@Yebs

You don’t like your Mum much, do you?

You can love people but not agree with or like how they are about certain things. I don't excuse racism just because I'm related to you. Ukraine is a poor country and her opinion of these people is based off that. I think that's wrong.

But you want to basically railroad her into having total strangers in her home whilst thinking of/ hiding behind lots of reasons why you can't .

[quote Letshaveablackcelebration]@CannaBelieve you have offered nothing constructive to this debate at all. Apart from insinuating that I am somehow stupid. This thread just exposes how really, most people in the U.K. don’t want refugees here at all.[/quote]
You think what a few posters on a parenting website think about renting second homes to refugees can be generalised to most of the UK population?

[quote Kanaloa]@Yebs

If you and your dad feel strongly about this and your mum doesn’t want refugees in her house, what about if your family moved in with your mum & dad and you gave up your home to a refugee family?[/quote]
Previous page this is answered. Not at all possible tragically ( conveniently)

@anotherday85
English people are just unbelievable

I quite agree with your point about the English.

I am Scottish but, in the words of little George Washington when he chopped down the cherry tree, I cannae tell a lie - I won't be signing up to host a Ukrainian refugee chez moi either. I will help in other ways, but not that one.

@mumwon

Did you read the previous post? The legislation can be changed, the insurance can be changed, everything is possible - how are the other countries managing?

Polish and Russian have similarities but are NOT the same. Ditto Moldovan. German and Ukrainian/Russian are completely different. Why is it only UK who uses language difficulties as a reason to not help?!

Why can Poland, Moldova etc help with the mental issues? Health needs?

Those who rent offset their maintenance costs against their tax bills so that doesn’t wash either. You have no idea what rules will be applied around Right to Work etc (we are desperate for workers in this country - you know - the ones who go to a job rather than make their money out of making profits from providing basic shelter for fellow humans, those kind of workers).

Of course you would rather give money - keeps all that nasty mess away and the accountant can write it off the tax bill.

@Bunnyfuller

There’s a war going on that has the potential and looks like it will displace many, many millions of people. The future for the world has changed irrevocably. We have to stop thinking about trying desperately to hang onto everything we have, and instead start looking to think about what we have that can be shared. Not just by giving to charity and saving the tax. Not by baking cakes and raising funds for the church. By genuinely. GIVING. We have so much, it’s utterly heartbreaking that we are determined to have it all, make the right noises, but genuinely giving, because you have 2 and they have none, it’s just not there.

The fact that this thread very quickly got so vitriolic and spiteful speaks volumes about the skewed sense of compassion to other humans. I doubt those poor people dragged into this can think much further than the next day, why are people here using ‘but after 6 months’ as a reason against using empty property? Of course culture and familiarity will be hard, fucking hell, they’ve been bombed out of their homes! But some acceptance and compassion would help, surely?

Obviously, if they’re met with the prevailing mood of ‘just not here’ then the UK will continue its reputation of being racist and unwelcoming.

How many families will you be signing up for ?

But you want to basically railroad her into having total strangers in her home whilst thinking of/ hiding behind lots of reasons why you can't .

Yep. And she certainly isn’t thinking of the refugees at all, having to live with her mum who would think they are thieves and is racist.

But I suppose she would get attention for saying ‘my parents took in Ukrainian refugees’, and claim glory by association., cheered on by all the others who would have given up their second home....if they had one of course.