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.

But our place was never “affordable property”; and it’s being rented to a couple who wanted to rent rather than buying.

I don’t understand why people seem to think that they should not be allowed to rent and we should not be allowed to rent to them.

There are so many houses available to buy on RightMove. If locals could afford to buy them surely they would. The reason locals can't buy them is because they can't afford deposit and mortgage payments

What about the local owner who sells the home? Should they accept less money for a home if it gets sold to someone born in the area? And what if the new owner sells it for a huge profit 18 months later?

So out of interest how do people feel about local people owning 2 homes and using one as income/a holiday let?

We've stayed in converted barns that were adjacent to the owners house. These barn cottages would have been very nice as a family home.

Is this the acceptable face of second home ownership and if so why ?

I totally agree!

The Welsh had the right idea in the 1970'/80's ''Come home to a Real Home Fire'' Where they burned down 239 empty second homes.

Second home owners push up property prices for locals, and kill local Communities.

Looks like there is dissent in the South West as well.
Don't blame younger at all people getting frustrated at not being able to buy where their families are.

Well, forced sale or seizure of all second homes should solve that.

They can get back what they paid/clear the mortgage and not a penny more.

Just to offer another perspective on this. I live in one of the most beautiful corners of one of the most beautiful national parks in England (and yes, I’m biased, but it’s also true!). We don’t have big hotels or anything nearby, because of the limitations on new developments, and rightly so. If people want to visit - which they do, in droves - then they book a holiday let. Many of these holiday let’s are owned by local farmers who have diversified. When people visit, they also spend money in the cafes, pubs, gift shops etc. With the best will in the world, it’s not the local farmers keeping these businesses afloat, they have too much to do and no time for fripperies!

So despite living in a village where holiday homes are ten a penny, I don’t actually mind them. They can be good for some locals (not all). They also give people living in towns and cities the chance to visit our area for an extended period. Why shouldn’t people living in urban areas visit to the country for a couple of weeks and stay in a local house if they want to?

Also, it sticks in my craw when there are section 106 notices on properties saying they can only be occupied by locals. I would qualify for this, so I’m shooting myself in the foot here. But, I previously lived in a city and nobody gave two hoots if I was priced out there! Locals in my area already have a head start on most people in the UK because it’s a wealthy area with good schools and many get gifted family property or land or receive nice inheritances at some point. So, these advantages aside, if they want an expensive house then they need to enter a well paid career and manage their finances appropriately, like everyone else. Not rely on local planning provisions to keep outsiders away and manipulate the free market…

It’s worth reading this posters history before deciding to engage - lots of very goady posts, all posted over the last 48 hours. Not worth taking the bait.

Camping
Caravans
Hotels
Holiday complexes
It's not hard is it.

@Dobbysgotthesocks
Sorry to hear you are ill and cannot afford anywhere to rent in your Community.

And what about student areas? They can be very odd out of term time.

Many of these have strict planning permission as holiday lets not homes, so they can't sell them as homes for locals.

Also these properties seem to have been slightly overlooked in the new second home laws in Wales, in that they must reach the 182 days criteria in order to pay business rates or pay additional council tax, but without the alternative to sell into the housing market should they be in an area where this is not a realistic target. Therefore, this is an ongoing issue which clearly needs clarification, possibly changing them to residential properties so they can be sold, if necessary, and lived in.

You don't seem to get the fact that you are depriving someone of a permanent home. People who will contribute not only council tax but keep local schools, libraries, shops and Post Offices open because they live there all the time.

I did see someone had ''🍪'' branded the username you mention.

If I was a local in the SW, I would not deface the properties (criminal) but I would potentially want to make the towns unappealing to tourists. There are ways to do this without breaking the law.

I think people in England are too servile, generally.

So you say that locals should just get a well paid job if they want to buy a house.

You also mention that the income the tourists bring is spent in pubs, restaurants, shops.

Who are you expecting to work in these pubs, shops etc? That kind of work tends to be NMW, or not much more. Those workers are going to need some kind of affordable housing somewhere in the area, aren't they?

It's the same in cities - all areas need lower paid workers as well as higher paid ones if they are going to thrive. If no provision is made for affordable housing, where exactly are less well off workers meant to live?

(I'm not in favour of preventing sales to non-locals btw, but I do think that all areas need some form of planning to ensure that a range of affordable housing is available for those that work in the area.)

There aren't enough of them. And the prices would be even more out of reach for people who already have to scrap by.

I am disabled so prefer a holiday let to a caravan etc. Plus we have dogs and normally go with other family members out of our household

FemmeNatal

but the suggestion on this thread is that’s it’s unethical to use holiday homes. I like holiday cottages right now as it suits my family better than an hotel, hate caravans etc.

Perhaps their ought to be restrictions on numbers in a certain area.

I don’t own a holiday home. Just like to use them.

Surely the tourists who rent out these holiday lets are bringing spending money into the local community by eating out, shopping, visiting attractions.

And the prices would be even more out of reach for people who already have to scrap by.

This is true, and it's unfortunate. But if I were balancing one family's need for a roof over their head against another family's wish for an affordable holiday, I know which family I'd choose to help.

@mirrorballer

As I said uptrend in response to an other poster, your suggestions do not appeal to me for various reasons.

Camping & Caravaning - been there done that, I really want a proper bed when on holiday.

Hotels & Holiday complex very expensive and often don't cater for my specific needs... dogs and 1 DC with allergy.

Where are you expecting the workers who staff these attractions to live? Because the reality is that many cannot find housing.

The knock on impact is that those local businesses end up unable to open or deliver a full service, and therefore cannot fully benefit from the tourists anyway.

@Octomore yes, finding staff is a real challenge, but honestly I don’t think that is because local people are priced out of housing. Most people of working age just don’t want to live as rural and isolated as we are. We have lots of retirees (born and bred, and incomers) and they don’t want to work in retail or hospitality at all! Lots of the business get by on the labour of the owners, some part timers (mums etc in the school day) and students that come home in holidays. It seems to work out, mostly.

Also, I’m not saying that there should be no provision for affordable housing, which you mention. A rare development of new build houses might be built soon in our village (very contested) and I think it should have more affordable housing than it does. My issue is with 106 notices that create an artificial market of only locals to try and depress prices. That doesn’t seem very fair to me. Better to have proper affordable housing schemes that everyone can access as long as they meet the financial criteria.

Affordable housing is needed everywhere. Some of the houses we stop in on holiday would be out of reach to buy or rent anywhere in the country on NMW. They normally fit 10 of us and 3 dogs. I'd never be able to buy it, I doubt a family struggling to buy or rent from the area would be able to either. Even if it wasn't by the sea.