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.

I also know villages with not one single resident living there anymore. Awful.

Not in the North East, no, and not in the part of France I’m from, where I inherited my childhood home. It’s the opposite problem there, a declining population and homes that no-one wants to buy.

But tourist can only stay where greedy and wealthy people have bought all the properties to use as holiday lets.. if those homes were occupied by local people as they should be, yes you would get tourism but they'd have to stay elsewhere, in caravans etc.

I've yet to find any of those that have useable disabled facilities.

There may be places to rent on Rightmove, mostly small flats and crummy terraces, but almost no decent sized family homes. I know this because my husband and I are now actually homeless after selling our house, as we cannot find a rental. Our belongings are in storage and we are staying with a relative. Those few houses that come up each week are gone in a day. İt is because of selfish wealthy people like yourself and greedy holiday let owners.

Was just about to say this also, we have predominately holidayed in the UK, usually with the dog, finding accommodation with him was tricky anyway. Hotels are usually far more expensive per night than a holiday cottage or apartment, also we take bikes and lots of equipment, so need a back garden with lockable storage for the bikes, off street parking.

Ive also found that 'holiday lodges' or 'static caravans' are invariably on holiday sites, something I would rather poke my own eyes out to go to, AND they are unbelievably expensive. And they wont have anywhere to store and lock up our bikes.

The second home thing is a red herring and doesnt address the real issue which is lack of affordable housing for the lower paid.

No, there are plenty of very nice family homes too.

Are you only looking where you currently live? Maybe you need to do what I had to, and move somewhere where your income can buy or rent what you need.

😂

The disdain and resentment on here by the ‘have not’s’ for people who have worked hard, been financially prudent, and have done well for themselves is astonishing. Why should people be punished with double rates etc for their success? They already pay high taxes as a contribution towards the economy and probably use less of the free facilities.

If the government starts to limit holiday homes where are they going to get the lost taxation from because rented holiday homes have high costs and taxes to pay. A lot of these areas would not survive without tourists and the income that they bring and in lots of cases it is local people who own the rental properties and do this as their source of income.

What is morally wrong is all of the people who are moaning that have not done everything that they can to have their best life! We mostly all start with the same chances in education and employment so why should the successful people pay for the people that have not put in the effort. There will always be cases in need who are really struggling due to circumstance but this is the few and not the masses.

We used to use holiday homes when the kids were small as it was so much more convenient, mostly prefer hotels now. For the person that said static caravans are the answer - I would rather stay home thank you than subject myself to one of those!

I find it funny how everyone seeks to blame second home buyers for spoiling the community. Surely the blame lies with the (originally local) sellers of these homes. As a first step there could be restrictions on selling homes to people from outside the community. So if a local homeowner wants to sell, and the best offer from a local is £200k and someone living away offers £300k, then the home gets sold for £200k.

I wouldnt describe myself as a have or a have not, we're in the middle, but are lucky enough to go on cheap holidays. We simply wouldnt be able to afford hotels or holiday lodges or static caravans on sites as they are very expensive

The rentals we normally get are either small houses or annexes in peoples gardens/converted barns, most of these wouldnt be able to be used for housing anyway.

I dont resent or look down on second home owners if they are rented out either as landlords or holiday lets, I dont approve of houses sitting empty.

But I do feel very strongly that there needs to be a massive social housing building scheme.

Having said that there are plenty of places in the UK where people can move to, to either buy or rent more affordably but people dont choose to do that.

The disdain and resentment on here by the ‘have not’s’ for people who have worked hard, been financially prudent, and have done well for themselves is astonishing. Why should people be punished with double rates etc for their success? They already pay high taxes as a contribution towards the economy and probably use less of the free facilities.

A lot of areas have two up, two downs that sell for a million plus.
How can young people begin to afford that, even on a good salary?

Prices in areas that were considered 'Poor' 15 yrs ago have become gentrified in parts of UK.

It isn't about ''~Working hard''~ a lot of the time, it's about having a vast leg up from bank of mummy and daddy or a massive inheritance to buy a modest tiny £1,000,000 first home if one is 'Unlucky' enough to be born and raised in a a 'desirable' or pretty area.

I am mortgage free, but absolutely 100% support people in 'desirable' areas who are basically forced off of the housing ladder where they were raised because of people who are getting out of London and gazumping the locals who want to live there and be part of the true community for second homes or holiday lets.

I used to swallow the lie that it is about working hard. Until I realised most friends I knew were doing better financially in spite of our hard work and having better jobs than them. But they got financial help from family. It is not an even playing field and it is a lie to pretend it is.

Young people probably can’t, so they’ll need to move and buy somewhere cheaper.

I'm not conflicted about reducing the number of second homes, just about the way it is being done. I would prefer schemes that only allow some homes to be sold to local people and/or those in particular jobs.

Top of my list to reduce would be holiday lets though.

You might rethink that if you or your children need to rent a home.

As someone who grew up in the Lake District I can see that it cuts both ways.

Me and most of my friends had ample work opportunities in the summer. There were way more amenities than your average rural area because they were boosted by the tourist population but there year round for us. And we got to live in an incredible location.

The main downside was the absolute influx of tourists in the summer. I now live in a suburb where you're more likely to see a familiar face, in spite of having a similar population.

And some homes are harder to shift than others. The holiday cottage next door to my parents house was only bought after a 50% reduction and two years.

@EmpressaurusWitchDoesntBurn and then there would be literally no houses available to rent and no one would be able to rent a holiday home anywhere in the UK

You might rethink that if you or your children need to rent a home.

I know very few Londoners who rented in London, we lived at home to save deposits.

The disdain and resentment on here by the ‘have not’s’ for people who have worked hard, been financially prudent, and have done well for themselves is astonishing. Why should people be punished with double rates etc for their success? They already pay high taxes as a contribution towards the economy and probably use less of the free facilities.

This doesn't make any sense as most of the housing gains is based on when you were born rather than being prudent.

@Molly499

Speaking as someone who has plenty and has no personal skin in this game, you are, on every level, a moron.

The issue with second homes is that in certain areas they turn entire villages into ghost towns, and contribute hugely to spiralling house prices, which combined with a lack of affordable housing, means that young people have to leave and communities die. Tourism can be great, but no amount of it makes up for a dying community.

We do not all start with the same opportunities. Particularly when you get to the upper middle class, money sticks and is handed down. But mainly - we don’t all have the same opportunities. Try reading the odd book or following some domestic news stories, you might find that enlightening.

No one is being punished. Spectacularly missing the point there.

No need to panic, you will still be able to go on holiday. It is possible to work tourism around limitations on second homes. Amazingly.

I used to swallow the lie that it is about working hard. Until I realised most friends I knew were doing better financially in spite of our hard work and having better jobs than them. But they got financial help from family. It is not an even playing field and it is a lie to pretend it is.

Exactly & it's only going to widen the gap due to future generations inheriting multiple properties. For most people whether your family can help get you on the ladder is far more relevant than salary.

I’ve read as far as page 7 so if has been mentioned later-apologies.
Local Authorities generally don’t know the circumstances of ownership. If some one says that they’ve bought a property the LA have no idea whether they already own another. My LA had a banner ‘local homes for local people’ but when the very large developers send us spreadsheets with sale completion info it’s pretty clear they’re not local. What is or isn’t second home is not obvious so policing a surcharge wouldn’t be easy.

They know if they are claiming business rates exemption

In Cornwall last year
there are currently 13,255 second homes recorded on the council tax database and that there are 11,081 holiday lets registered for business rates, with 8,953 getting business rates relief and 8,869 paying no business rates.

''Housing in real terms was infinitely cheaper in 70's /80's
Some merchants bankers in the 1980's were buying Georgian properties and getting generous renovation grants on them, in the 1980's despite being already wealthy.

Anyone who bought on ''Run down'' London Fields or Notting Hill back then is absolutely laughing now.