To be conflicted by the crackdown on 2nd homes

[chairz]

I complete understand the problems they cause & do agree with a higher levy but thenI have used holiday cottages lots of times in the past & plan to in the future.

So if we don’t live in a beautiful area we should just put up with it all year round and never even get to have a week in a beautiful area so that a few more people get to live there all year round?

Literally no one has said this @Nutellaonall. What everyone is saying is that there are plenty of other holiday accommodation options. No one has a right to own two homes, one of which is largely empty, when others are homeless.

Ours is right in the middle of Newcastle. There is no issue at all of a lack of community, or facilities, or of us not being there damaging the local economy.

Much more of an issue seems to be the students, with beautiful family homes being rented out room-by-room to people who also spend little time there but also spend little money.

This is not true, you are misinformed. There are no restrictions in the UK on owning a second property.

How incredibly unethical and greedy. Nobody needs four homes.

No-one is priced out of Newcastle, it has very reasonably priced homes.

Let's play a fun game of Spot the Tory!

In my view it is pure jealousy by those who have not got one.

How can it be jealousy though? that completes ignores that it's harder for younger people homes.

to buy

I think a second home that sits empty most of the year is very different from a holiday house that's let out as a business venture, requires local cleaners, the guests visit local restaurants etc

We do, that is the one that we still rent out, but it’s not something a first time buyer would be looking at, it’s a very big three-bedroom one on the river. We rent to a couple who both work in banking.

@coffeecupsandfairylights

I have dogs 1 DC has food allergies and also have a rainy day contingency when holidaying in this country.

Hotels - to expensive if they allow dogs
Pubs with rooms - does not appeal to me for a weeks holiday
B&B's - again does not appeal and often expensive
Satic caravans on holiday parks -expensive and cramped been there done that
Campsites - done my fair share of camping and want a proper bed
Stay with family/friends - not really a holiday, more of an visit ...

That really just leaves a holiday cottage with a kitchen, sitting room & garden for my family. And while they are reasonably priced in comparison to your other options, I will continue to use them!

This is pretty much my view on it too. Especially as there are certain parts of the UK that people will holiday to all year round. Something for someone to live in for a couple of months a year and sit empty the rest? I can see the issues with that.

I don’t get to vote in your general elections, and am not a member of any political party.

In English, when people say 'a right' they may be referring to either the legal right or the moral right. In this case I imagine the poster meant the moral right.

The government of the day has a right to tax second homes as they see fit. Taxation policy would not interfere with the legal right to buy one, second home owners would just have to pay more for the privilege to compensate the state for the negative impacts it has in terms of social/housing policy.

But it all trickles down.

The couple who work in banking can't afford to buy that flat, so they look for a flat in Balham, which then prices out people in Balham, who have to move to Croydon, and so on, until we get to people who can't afford to buy anywhere despite having decent jobs. Don't be obtuse. You know what you're doing and you just don't care.

I own a small flat in a popular UK holiday destination. I used to use it as a holiday let, but tbh I did feel guilty that there wasn't a lot of housing for locals. I still own it but rent it out to a local couple who work in hospitality. I know that's still not popular on MN....but you know what, I'm doing my very best to be a decent landlord, get all work requested by the tenants ASAP and want it to be as comfortable as possible for them. I also work as a community mental health nurse and have seen first hand the shocking conditions some people live in cos their landlord is only interested in the money. People living in rooms with holes in the ceiling, unsafe electrics....shocking. No way will I be one of those landlords.

The legal right to have second homes is not in question.
It means the moral right.

This has been a commonly-held misconception for some time but is now becoming more widely apparent that in terms of the destruction of communities, there is little difference as both price locals out of the area.
The situation in the SW has got very extreme.

We do own a second home but rent it to locals on a long term lease. We will move down to Cornwall when we retire and live in it (we’ll that’s the plan!).

A lot of holiday let owners will intentionally let the property out for the minimum numbers of days required to get the tax breaks (both income tax breaks on FHLs, and business rates vs council tax), and then just keep it empty for their own occasional use the rest of the time.

People know how to play the system and don't give a shit about the knock on effects.

holiday homes stop locals buying in the area - they tend to be bought up by people with £££ to spare. who runs the local economy/amenities? locals. And if they can't afford to live locally, they can't work there. holiday makers only pay into the local economy for a few months of the year - the rest of the time, everything has to be funded by locals. best bet is to place a number cap on the number of second homes allowed in a given area.only problem is, there are always those who will find a way round it!

@FemmeNatal but my point was you must be aware that affordable housing in general particularly for young people is a major issue in London.

Owning a rental property is a separate policy area IMO. This is now being taxed more than previously and of course governments retain the right to further tax or introduce other laws that affect landlords.

They can afford to buy. They want to rent, as they prefer to not tie up their capital. Stamp duty would also be over £100,000, which they do not want to pay. They want to rent, we own a home which we rent to them, everyone is happy.

We had a holiday in a cottage in Aviemore at Easter - the whole town is built on tourism and there are dozens, probably hundreds, of holiday lets. We want the flexibility of our own space on holiday - separate bedrooms, a living room, a proper kitchen. The "home from home" experience. I do not want to stay in a hotel every holiday, or a travel inn, and definitely not a tent or caravan. I want a HOUSE or apartment which is just as nice as what I have at home. And I'm not alone in that wish.

Holiday homes provide jobs for management companies and cleaners. While we were there, we ate out, used local coffee shops, shopped in the Tesco, filled the car with fuel at the local petrol station, visited local attractions, got pizza delivered etc etc etc. I don't think there are many people who use self-catering properties who arrive with everything they need for the week and don't contribute to the local economy at all.

It's a balance.