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.

@Alexandra2001

Many 2nd homes are just that and not rented, certainly many of the ones in our Cornish Village are just used as retreats by their owners.

No reason why the Govt couldn't pay a reasonable amount to the owners to house Ukrainians.

After all, many have used a council tax loop hole to zero rate their properties and then claimed 10k in Covid support - CCC believe approx 3000 home owners did this in Cornwall alone.

How did they get away with that, @Alexandra2001 ? It is immoral - surely these loopholes should be closed to prevent this sort of legalised fraud and theft?

OP how long are you willing to offer a room for? This war could go on for years.

That simply isn’t true. Refugees are almost exclusively women and children. The men are staying behind to fight.

There are plenty of male refugees. Both from Ukraine and elsewhere.

It's a good idea on paper but not as simple as that. Many holiday or second homes are not in fact empty for weeks on end, they are often let out as holiday homes and I would imagine most would be booked up for the upcoming summer season!

They would be in totally unsuitable places.

No, personally I wouldn't let people I don't know from Adam stay in my holiday home.

I only let close friends and family stay there as it is.

What if it got damaged? Who would pay for the costs of people living there, utilities etc? Who would pay for cleaners/painters etc if things got dirty or ruined.

Would you reimburse me OP or just expect it to come out of my pocket on top of the fact we wouldn't be able to go ourselves for 6months or a year? And where are they going to go after this period of time, is the government going to magically come up with accommodation for them when they can't even provide anywhere near enough housing for people who live in this country?

Get real OP.

@CannaBelieve oh jog on. It’s showing an uncomfortable truth isn’t it- that really people don’t want to give up their comfortable lives forgetting that this really could be us in 6 months time. Not one of those Ukrainian families wanted to give up their homes or comfortable lives and flee for their lives either.

And the government could requisition property if it was needed and it might well be needed.

[quote Letshaveablackcelebration]@Davros was I judging anyone at all? Massive assumption there. But if there are loads of empty homes & the government is willing to pay then what is the difference between holiday makers and refugees?[/quote]
Come on! You're either being goady or terribly naive.

The Govt are not going to pay, let alone holiday season rates.

The refugees are not going to have the security offered by holiday makers.

Mortgages/insurance...

Wear & tear.

I'm not saying people won't/shouldn't do it, I'm just saying your comment 'what's the difference' completely shows your total lack of forethought/understanding & a complete case of offering up OTHER peoples holiday homes.

(I don't have one any longer. If I did still have one I'd consider it IF there was suitable insurance)

@Letshaveablackcelebration

The outrage on here is very telling isn’t it. It’s fine to have strangers in your holiday home if they are paying loads or cash.

But it’s not fine to have strangers who are government subsidised refugee families fleeing war in your holiday home as they are somehow different.

Some people are saying that the holiday home is their income.
Not everyone can give up their income.

For most people their holiday home is an investment that generates an income on which they rely. Would the OP be willing to give up a similar percentage of her income?

No, you're right, OP. People "don't want to give up their comfortable lives".
It may get horribly worse, who knows.
Giving your holiday home to refugees seems very laudible, but in practice?

People willing to house women and children ,you do realise that children are not just toddlers ?
My fifteen year old son is a child he has a full beard he's taller than both me and his Dad and he has a big appetite ,how many people would be willing to house a women and two teenage boys ?

@ValkyrieVik

No, personally I wouldn't let people I don't know from Adam stay in my holiday home.

I only let close friends and family stay there as it is.

What if it got damaged? Who would pay for the costs of people living there, utilities etc? Who would pay for cleaners/painters etc if things got dirty or ruined.

Would you reimburse me OP or just expect it to come out of my pocket on top of the fact we wouldn't be able to go ourselves for 6months or a year? And where are they going to go after this period of time, is the government going to magically come up with accommodation for them when they can't even provide anywhere near enough housing for people who live in this country?

Get real OP.

Yes where are they all meant to live

I think this hasn’t been thought through properly. These are people feeling war having left family members behind many to die. They are not just going to slot into family life and accompany you down the pub on a Friday or cosy up in front of the tv when you come home tired from work. I don’t know what the solution is.

Exactly. Speak to people that foster children who have been through trauma but not on this scale. Many will tell you that it is extremely difficult and that is without the language barrier. The naivety from some is astounding.
There’s a lot of people who can’t cope with the upheaval that a new puppy brings into their house but they think they can cope with a severely traumatised family arriving from a war torn country that speak another language.

@Ossoduro

For most people their holiday home is an investment that generates an income on which they rely. Would the OP be willing to give up a similar percentage of her income?

That's the point that they don't seem to understand.

@Proudboomer

Micheal Gove wants Seize Russian oligarch mansions to house Ukrainian refugees which I think is a great idea. No doubt it won’t happen as to many rich NIMBY types won’t want them living next door.

Plenty of MPs seem to have 2nd homes or even 3rd (family home constituency home and London home) maybe they could give one up. I think Boris Johnson could offer Chequers, orphanages looking for places where they can keep children together. I bet they'd love Chequers.

're 2nd homes owners claimed they were holiday lets. That's about to be changed. Wales is has increased council tax on 2nd homes by 50 - 100% and is moving to up to 300%

So let's just say the government requisitioned 2nd/holiday homes. I presume they will be paying the mortgage and other bills of the homeowner and also paying to refund the people who've already booked. No, I thought not.

If people want to do it and can afford to then good luck to them. No one should be made to feel guilty for not offering a room or home. I've only ever had one experience of a lodger type situation and that was when DM took in a lodger through a council scheme and it was awful. It made me decide there and then that I never want to share my home with someone I don't know unless I had absolutely no other choice.

The thing about this thread too is that in Europe, people have opened up their homes and their lives and done all they can to welcome people from Ukraine. It’s obvious from this thread that Britain really is an outlier in Europe in that sense- it’s not an open arms approach by most people- it’s a ‘not in my back yard, not if it affects me’ approach. I read last week someone saying that if we had to flee for our lives, we would hope that people would welcome us in the way that Europe has welcomed the Ukrainians.

What do you mean in Europe? We’re in Europe.

So, your point is that the people of the UK are inherently meaner than everyone else in Europe?

@BeHappy91818 & @BlanketsBanned

£350 would be just enough to cover council tax, water rates, insurance. Refugees get £39.63 person which is really only enough money to eat. Is the £350 in replacement of housing benefit which would be set way lower than holiday let and if someone has a mortgage on the property will most likely not cover it. Housing benefit will not cover a business rate of council tax either.

Get we have a massive housing shortage in the UK but really it shouldn't be in reaction to event like Ukraine to sort it out. we need long term solutions and don't see how throwing money at councils helps short term for hosting just means hotels can be used which are not as nice a the media makes out at times.

@Maireas

So, your point is that the people of the UK are inherently meaner than everyone else in Europe?

This thread is certainly pointing in that direction.

I'm only waiting for someone to say Amazon should house them
It usually boils down to "someone who's richer than me" doesn't it? Or to put it another way, good old fashioned rancour

And FWIW I'm another who doesn't have a holiday home