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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

660 replies

Letshaveablackcelebration · 13/03/2022 13:54

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.

OP posts:
Original poster
Letshaveablackcelebration · 13/03/2022 15:36

@Theluggage15 we are the only country in Europe not taking refugees in the numbers that other countries are. We have put up massive barriers because we are no longer an EU country. And our state of mind and approach is clearly completely different.

OP posts:
Roselilly36 · 13/03/2022 15:36

Let’s see how many MP’s will offer, Gove didn’t seem sure 😂 and the RF who have lots of properties. Not likely, I expect but it’s fine to expect ordinary folk to do so. £350 will not cover the extra costs, people that live alone, will no longer (I am guessing) won’t qualify for the single person council tax subsidy, with food & utilities soaring, many just won’t be able to do so, it could be a long term commitment sadly.

WonderfulYou · 13/03/2022 15:37

They absolutely should especially people with holiday homes. They cause massive issues in this country (and I’m sure many other countries) and this is a no brainer.

Badbadbunny · 13/03/2022 15:38

@girlmom21

You can't just force people to give up their properties.

Who's going to pay the mortgages, the water rates or to fix any damage?

You'd also need special home/contents insurance if you're letting it out. It's all not as easy as it looks.
Maireas · 13/03/2022 15:39

@Blossomtoes - I think that's just been confirmed.

Blossomtoes · 13/03/2022 15:41

£350 will not cover the extra costs

It would in this house. Additional costs would be another shower or two a day, a few more loads of washing and in the dishwasher, lights on in one or two more rooms. Those costs would be about £50. We’re offering our spare room and have done the calculations.

Makeitsoso · 13/03/2022 15:44

Most holiday homes in the UK will be paying mortgages or contributing to family finances (e.g rising gas bills!) and
Can be rented out in peak times for 1000s rather than £350/month.

However, some aren’t in that category or their owners are willing/able to take the hit.

It’s no different to a spare room really, it’s just on a greater scale. Do you have one at all? Is it being rented out? Do you have family reasons for having one? Can you make the sacrifice to not have it?

I don’t think it’s a special category. We can all be asking ourselves these questions.

AngelinaFibres · 13/03/2022 15:45

[quote Letshaveablackcelebration]@GucciBear no one ever does a background check on me when I book a cottage! Or check if I am covid jabbed 🤷🏻‍♀️ You don’t get vetted on booking.com[/quote]
You would only be staying for 2 weeks maximum.
You have to pay in full in advance
You have a home and a job in the UK to go back to.
Not the same situation at all

Original poster
Letshaveablackcelebration · 13/03/2022 15:46

@Maireas that’s certainly the impression that we are giving to the world at the moment. I think the U.K. had taken about 1000 refugees at the moment. We are hardly giving the impression that we want anyone to come here

OP posts:
Puzzledandpissedoff · 13/03/2022 15:46

Wales has increased council tax on 2nd homes by 50 - 100% and is moving to up to 300%

Makes a change from setting fire to them I suppose Hmm

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8408447.stm

woodhill · 13/03/2022 15:49

@Blossomtoes

£350 will not cover the extra costs

It would in this house. Additional costs would be another shower or two a day, a few more loads of washing and in the dishwasher, lights on in one or two more rooms. Those costs would be about £50. We’re offering our spare room and have done the calculations.

What about the food and if they are there all day with heating on etc.
ValkyrieVik · 13/03/2022 15:50

It’s no different to a spare room really, it’s just on a greater scale. Do you have one at all? Is it being rented out? Do you have family reasons for having one? Can you make the sacrifice to not have it?

Exactly - when everyone in this country who has a spare room going gladly allows some refugees (or even homeless people in this country? Doesn't charity start at home?) live in it for free il gladly let people stay in my holiday home for a while.

Hopefully they'll move out when the time is up without a fuss or my having to go through the minefield of hoops that is getting an eviction order (which is highly unlikely to happen as anyone involved in the property business will know).

A LOT of naivety on this thread.

balalake · 13/03/2022 15:51

Chequers and Chevening, and perhaps Sandringham and one of the central London royal palaces could be used in my opinion.

If second homes of non-oligarchs were to be used, remember that these are not just coastal homes in Wales, Devon and Cornwall. Plenty in the Cotswolds for example.

Somehow I cannot see that happening, even if we had a Tory government that had responded as quickly as countries such as Ireland.

crosstalk · 13/03/2022 15:52

I think my main concern would be the accessibility of holiday or any homes to transport, work and shops for any refugees let alone Ukrainians. I would love also to know what the government (Home office and Treasury) are planning for payment of food, services, doctors and education given most refugees have left with nothing and have no access to any money esp since bank closures.

CannaBelieve · 13/03/2022 15:53

@Maireas

So, your point is that the people of the UK are inherently meaner than everyone else in Europe?
Op is a bit clueless to be fair....go easy on her
Maireas · 13/03/2022 15:53

[quote Letshaveablackcelebration]@Maireas that’s certainly the impression that we are giving to the world at the moment. I think the U.K. had taken about 1000 refugees at the moment. We are hardly giving the impression that we want anyone to come here[/quote]

To be fair, it's early days. We don't know how it's going to pan out. It's hard to believe that as a nation we're the meanest in Europe. We shall see.
We're not in the EU, but that's not the point. We're in NATO. If Poland gets hit, we're part of the conflict.
Holiday homes will be the least of our worries.

Original poster
Letshaveablackcelebration · 13/03/2022 15:57

I would really love to know though what people would do if you were left in the same situation as these refugees. If you had no money; no access to health care, you were relying on the care of strangers for everything. What would your expectation be? That someone would be kind enough to provide all those things for you? And not put up loads of barriers to you having a secure safe place to live with your kids. You’d go anywhere and wouldn’t worry if it was rural Cornwall or not to be honest as long as you were safe. Some of the comments on here are unbelievable to be honest.

OP posts:
Letshaveablackcelebration · 13/03/2022 15:58

This reply has been deleted

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TheOnlyMrsMac · 13/03/2022 16:00

[quote Puzzledandpissedoff]Wales has increased council tax on 2nd homes by 50 - 100% and is moving to up to 300%

Makes a change from setting fire to them I suppose Hmm

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8408447.stm[/quote]
The burning down of holiday homes in the 1980s is mentioned in this article I linked to here about the current holiday/second home situation:
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/12/abersoch-second-homes-holiday-wales

AngelinaFibres · 13/03/2022 16:00

[quote Letshaveablackcelebration]@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]
Holiday homes need to be let to people paying large amounts in order to cover the off season weeks when they generate no income. Most owners have mortgages.
During covid there was panic about all the second homes being occupied at once and the hospitals not being able to cope. How is filling them with totally traumatised refugees going to be managed.
Holiday makers dont need school places, doctors places, dental treatment. They come down , have a lovely time and leave.Refugees will need all those things, immediately.
Holiday areas rely on tourists to rent boats and eat out every night, have an afternoon pint, book a fishing trip, go for a Cornish cream tea. If the cottages are no longer available for holiday people who is going to use all these mainly tourist things. If they aren't used those people will go out of business.
There are limited jobs in tourist areas and a greater level of poverty amongst a large proportion of the population. If there are no tourists there will be no need for all the extra seasonal jobs. There will be no work for either the local population or the refugees .

Lovemusic33 · 13/03/2022 16:03

Most holiday homes will be already booked up for Easter and summer holidays, it would be unfair to move a family into one for a few weeks and then they would be made homeless? These people need som kind of stability which is why they are asking for somewhere that can accommodate for 6 months.

KateTheEighth · 13/03/2022 16:04

@PourSomeLove

I literally have no space in my house so can’t host anyone but I’d be willing to take in any refugee if I did, including men or teenaged boys.

But you don’t have space so you can’t. So why are you telling us? And if you did have space are we’re going to do it, why tell us? Just do it.

Absolutely 100% this. All this "I would if I could but I can't" bullshit from so many posters on so many threads. Virtue signalling at its worst.

TerraNovaTwo · 13/03/2022 16:04

To stop a world war, those privileged enough to own holiday homes should be opening them up to Ukrainian refugees. Most with holiday home big flashy cars, ski trips and 3 x private school fees have more than enough inter generational wealth...

CannaBelieve · 13/03/2022 16:05

[quote Letshaveablackcelebration]@CannaBelieve oh do fuck off[/quote]

I'm going nowhere love...

Cleothecat75 · 13/03/2022 16:06

I’ve been thinking a lot about this the past couple of day. Our house is full (5 of us), no spare bedrooms, but there are 18 spare bedrooms on our street (family sized homes 3-4 beds, and the average house has 2 people in it) so space wise someone could take in a refugee. But then I thought about the several stately homes in the area and all the spare rooms they have. Are they being asked to hand over the many rooms that they have doing nothing except be decorative? Whilst I am a royalist, the crown own many, many properties that are mainly empty. The same with chequers- Could the prime minister manage with just one property (Downing Street) for 6 months and let some refugees live at Chequers for a few months? I appreciate these properties are full of important stuff/art/history etc, but Ukraine is in the process of loosing their history in the shelling, so surely ours could be moved to make space for the refugees?