Page 17 | Second Home owners doing sad faces in the press about council tax increase

CornishTickler · 2025-04-12T08:58:41+00:00

Just read an article online about the second home council tax increase and there are couples with sad faces saying it was without warning and is against their human rights! It wasn't, its been in the press and talked about by councils for over a year. It wasn't a surprise, areas with high levels of second homes knew it was coming. I for one am glad about the tax. Our village has been destroyed by second home owners for years. A lot are badly maintained and empty for 80% of the year. The argument that they bring extra income is also misleading. Most true second home owners who only visit a couple of times a year don't contribute much to the economy but are very vocal in interfering in local issues to the detriment of actual residents. One example (I'm not joking on this) was to oppose the planning of a local business that would benefit the community with jobs and tax revenue because of the endangered newts! luckily common sense prevailed but honestly they got very vocal and aggressive about it. It was mainly because they didn't want it to impact their second home. Holiday makers bring revenue. Absentee second home owners do not. Hopefully the second home tax increase will increase council tax revenue and help to support our community and vulnerable people.

PoundlandColumbo · 13/04/2025 19:03

@Oldtigernidster do you not think it’s more likely that the locals can't afford to buy (due to house prices being driven up by people buying holiday homes/second homes) rather than preferring to rent?

taxguru · 13/04/2025 19:05

Oldtigernidster · 13/04/2025 19:00

I wouldn’t mind so much if the locals actually wanted to buy property but they don’t, they prefer to rent and don’t want the responsibility of being a home owner. I live in a village with over 25% over homes being holiday and second homes. There are presently 5 or 6 houses for sale but they don’t look like being bought any time soon so eventually they will end up going the same way.

Are they affordable for people who want to live in that village? Are there well paying jobs within commuting distance paying sufficient to allow locals to get a mortgage for them? I suspect they're priced at a level that excludes younger people and those working in the immediate area.

M777 · 13/04/2025 19:09

I did think that, but spoke to a lady I know recently whose son is very differently abled from birth. He’s non verbal, in his 20s now, and requires a van with hoist and full electric wheelchair access to travel anywhere.

They bought a holiday home from new build, on a purpose built holiday site, not taking a permanent home from any local, to use for him and to let out. Fully adapted. With hoist, ramp etc.

They did let out in between their own stays, and it was hugely popular, and as such they qualified for business rates relief. But the effort of having to go down to remove all their own equipment leaving just the standard disabled access equipment was just too much. The agency wouldn’t do it for them, and they also didn’t want to risk anything being broken, as it is all so expensive.

So now they keep it for themselves. It is their only possible holiday. And the council tax has just increased hugely with the changes. They are considering having to sell it or rent and not go themselves any more.

They don’t qualify for a council tax reduction for him, as they claim it on their own home.

Ironically, their local council will probably now have to pay for more respite stays for him.

GiveDogBone · 13/04/2025 19:22

100% agree. Although at least that stopped them moaning about VAT being on their private school fees.

CaptainMyCaptain · 13/04/2025 19:29

M777 · 13/04/2025 19:09

I did think that, but spoke to a lady I know recently whose son is very differently abled from birth. He’s non verbal, in his 20s now, and requires a van with hoist and full electric wheelchair access to travel anywhere.

They bought a holiday home from new build, on a purpose built holiday site, not taking a permanent home from any local, to use for him and to let out. Fully adapted. With hoist, ramp etc.

They did let out in between their own stays, and it was hugely popular, and as such they qualified for business rates relief. But the effort of having to go down to remove all their own equipment leaving just the standard disabled access equipment was just too much. The agency wouldn’t do it for them, and they also didn’t want to risk anything being broken, as it is all so expensive.

So now they keep it for themselves. It is their only possible holiday. And the council tax has just increased hugely with the changes. They are considering having to sell it or rent and not go themselves any more.

They don’t qualify for a council tax reduction for him, as they claim it on their own home.

Ironically, their local council will probably now have to pay for more respite stays for him.

Purpose built holiday accommodation on a site they got some discount on a site is not the same. Ditto static caravans and lodges.

Oldtigernidster · 13/04/2025 19:39

taxguru · 13/04/2025 19:05

Are they affordable for people who want to live in that village? Are there well paying jobs within commuting distance paying sufficient to allow locals to get a mortgage for them? I suspect they're priced at a level that excludes younger people and those working in the immediate area.

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They are affordable, well within the reach of local people. One of the problems is the ones who would buy don’t want to start small and move up, they want a 3 bed house as a starter home and it doesn’t work that way.

Oldtigernidster · 13/04/2025 19:41

PoundlandColumbo · 13/04/2025 19:03

@Oldtigernidster do you not think it’s more likely that the locals can't afford to buy (due to house prices being driven up by people buying holiday homes/second homes) rather than preferring to rent?

Not at all. They are very reasonably priced.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 13/04/2025 20:13

Oldtigernidster · 13/04/2025 19:41

Not at all. They are very reasonably priced.

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That's a very wide range. What exactly do you mean by 'affordable'?

20% below market value means nothing if it's still out of reach.

rainingsnoring · 13/04/2025 20:15

Oldtigernidster · 13/04/2025 19:00

I wouldn’t mind so much if the locals actually wanted to buy property but they don’t, they prefer to rent and don’t want the responsibility of being a home owner. I live in a village with over 25% over homes being holiday and second homes. There are presently 5 or 6 houses for sale but they don’t look like being bought any time soon so eventually they will end up going the same way.

They would be buying if the homes were affordable to them. The UK is obsessed with home ownership. I most of these areas, income and property prices are totally out of balance, partly because of the well off people buying up second homes.

Lyraloo · 13/04/2025 20:16

Sounds like sour grapes and jealousy!

fetchacloth · 13/04/2025 21:01

I agree with the extra council tax charges.
It's essential income for the councils to provide necessary services.
My view is that if you can afford to buy a second home, which is a considerable investment, then you can pay for the running costs too. Besides, these homes can be rented out for extra income.

DdraigGoch · 13/04/2025 21:29

user109876543 · 12/04/2025 11:54

We have a second home in a seaside town that's quite mixed tourism and permanent residents in an area that's quite heavily taxed, not in the UK. We bought it a long time ago and have contributed heavily to the local economy, but we started to feel bad about owning a property in a place that had taken off both as a tourist destination and somewhere for people from a major city to relocated, leaving a lot of the locals unable to afford property.

We ended up finding a couple, who were teachers in the local school to live in it rent free in exchange for a bit of caretaking, the only caveat being they would need to clear out when we wanted to use it. It's worked out incredibly well. The house isn't empty and we're now on our third set of caretakers as the first two have been able to save up enough to buy their own houses.

Now if more people did that, there wouldn't be such a problem. Presumably you occupied it during the school holidays so that it wouldn't interfere with their work.

DdraigGoch · 13/04/2025 21:55

Iamnotalemming · 12/04/2025 12:42

I am not against increased tax on second homes. But I think it is naive to assume some of the recent changes are going to overall have a positive impact on the communities concerned.

If you look at Wales where this started in the UK, the locals are all impacted by reductions in house values and the change has impacted locals with extra space in an annex or cottage on family farm land that they use to generate additional (needed) income. The second homes flooding the market tend not to be the types of housing that locals struggling to get on the housing ladder can or want to buy. I'd be interested to see an analysis of the overall impact in a few years' time as I would prefer these kinds of decisions to be based on economic analysis and not just politics.

It's certainly had a positive impact where I am. The second homers next door have sold up, the would-be AirBnB investors pulled out when they realised that the regulations were being tightened, and I now have a lovely permanent neighbour.

And a reduction in house prices is a GOOD THING. It's a bit shit if you're mortgaged to the hilt and are in a hurry to sell, but values do need to deflate down to a more reasonable multiple of income.

user109876543 · 13/04/2025 22:35

DdraigGoch · 13/04/2025 21:29

Now if more people did that, there wouldn't be such a problem. Presumably you occupied it during the school holidays so that it wouldn't interfere with their work.

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Yes, exactly. It's actually worked brilliantly for us.

We're anticipating using the house a bit more now that we can work remotely if we want and the kids are in university, so we're not tied to school holidays. We've built a little guest bedroom/bathroom/kitchenette over the detached garage so they have a place to decamp to if we want to be there during the school year.

We've been really lucky with the people we've found - it's a 1700s house and they've always taken immaculate care of it.

CoffeeCup14 · 13/04/2025 23:13

Womanofcustard · 12/04/2025 12:02

While agreeing that something needs done about 2nd homes, I have a problem with double council tax. Council tax is meant to pay for local services, and 2nd home owners are using less services. I think it needs doing through national taxation.

The lack of available housing and the unaffordable cost of housing will lead to increased homelessness, which puts huge pressure on council budgets. So the increased costs can go some way to mitigating that.

DdraigGoch · 13/04/2025 23:18

ThisFluentBiscuit · 12/04/2025 15:46

The thing is, this is a capitalist democracy where people can spend their own money on what they like, as unfair as it might seem. If you say that no one can have a second home, why stop there? Maybe only one car per household? Maybe only one fly holiday every other year for everyone because of the planet? Once the government starts dictating what people can buy with their own money, it's a slippery slope.

ETA: Come to think of it, it's amazing that the government is taxing second homes but not households with multiple cars, which damage the environment. Some households with young adults living there have 3-4 cars.

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I like your ideas. I'm fed up with people freeloading - occupying public streets which belong to us all with their private property, rent free.

So in areas where the houses have driveways and garages I'd ban overnight parking on streets. People can get a smaller car and clear all of the crap out of their garages. No having more cars than you can accommodate on your own property, you can share them between you and get a bike for local journeys.

More tricky in terraced streets which don't have off-street parking, so I'd initially allow permits for overnight street parking to be issued there for a fee, equivalent to the income the land could have generated if it had another use. The funds will be used to improve public transport and whenever a resident decides not to renew their permit, it does not become available again for anyone else. This has worked very well in many European cities, they have removed tens of thousands of parking spaces and replaced them with facilities that can be enjoyed by many people - wider pavements, cycle paths, play equipment, flower beds, bike racks, café seating etc. rather than the one person who owns that car.

Second Home owners doing sad faces in the press about council tax increase

Ellen2shoes · 14/04/2025 00:45

The council tax doesn’t apply to second home owners - it’s misleading. It may be the only home you own but if you have to work/rent in a city for work, pay council tax there as your main residence (and where houses are too expensive to buy) , and go back weekends or rent it out to cover costs in between, the rules still apply.

The richest owners are the ones who don’t rent out, don’t care if it’s empty and can afford the hit. It’s the in betweeners who will suffer most.

CoffeeCup14 · 14/04/2025 08:01

C8H10N4O2 · 12/04/2025 14:03

And where is all this local work? The small proportion of homes nationally owned by the stereotyped outsider as second homes are clustered in areas with low employment.

These are also areas which attract high numbers of retirees who also don't use local nurseries or schools but who regularly form the backbone of local volunteer services (the classic third ager voluntary work). Would you ban them as well?

Honestly I think the increase in tax will make so little difference to the housing market that it smacks of "something must be done, this is something". The problem of long term lack of an industrial or transport strategy is not going to be superseded even by selling every one of the 160k second homes tomorrow.

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It'll bring extra money into the council, which is a good thing. Councils are all absolutely cash-strapped and need to raise revenue income. So it might not act as a deterrent to second home ownership, but it will provide some extra funds, which can be spent on services for local people - which might include supporting local jobs etc.

CosyLemur · 14/04/2025 08:17

Davros · 12/04/2025 10:33

It’s not always that simple. DH had Parkinson’s and, due to his inability to work, we got into debt and had to sell our beloved family home of 25 years. We then rented but decided to buy a holiday home, not really a second home as we didn’t own another. We were able to get away easily as we couldn’t travel abroad any more due to his illness, the last time I went abroad was 2019. We let the house out to help pay for it but it’s not a “business”. Sorry if you don’t agree with it and I understand in principle, but it’s not always just what opponents think.

That is definitely a second home and definitely a business!
Whilst I'm sorry about your husband's situation I also feel like you're being very selfish!

Because not only are you stopping someone who grew up in that area get on the property ladder (who would contribute to the local community) by buying a house you hardly use, you're also stopping someone who can't afford to buy and needs to rent from getting a property in the area you live. Because even though you could afford to buy a home you decided to rent and use any capital from the sale of your home to buy a second home and rent it out!

WinningBoat · 14/04/2025 08:31

Deathinparadisefan · 12/04/2025 14:50

I honestly couldn’t give a fig that council tax will rise for these people. I have a strong aversion to second home ownership and I don’t live in an area where it’s prevalent. No one should be allowed to own more than one home at a time and houses should be prioritised for locals. Outsiders and second homers can just bog off.

‘Outsiders… can just bog off.’

I have seen views like this on Mumsnet over the years. I no longer go on holiday to places like Cornwall. Since the pandemic, there has been such an increase hostility to anybody who isn’t from local areas and many villages have showed their true colours. It’s like watching the League of Gentlemen. All the small-minded comments about Emmets etc. No thanks!

Through work I have met vulnerable and impoverished people in London who would love to do a council housing swap with someone in a rural area. Because of feeling overwhelmed or worried about their kids and drugs. I can only imagine the welcome they would get…

Anyway, re the OP, I reckon anyone is allowed to feel frustrated when they have to spend more for the same thing. For example if my local parking permit charges doubled, I would express annoyance. It is about knowing your audience. I can’t afford a second home or private school etc. But if people who are in this situation are facing a big rise in council tax or VAT etc, I have no issue with them complaining about it. Let’s hope this money here gets used wisely anyway.

rainingsnoring · 14/04/2025 08:43

user109876543 · 13/04/2025 22:35

Yes, exactly. It's actually worked brilliantly for us.

We're anticipating using the house a bit more now that we can work remotely if we want and the kids are in university, so we're not tied to school holidays. We've built a little guest bedroom/bathroom/kitchenette over the detached garage so they have a place to decamp to if we want to be there during the school year.

We've been really lucky with the people we've found - it's a 1700s house and they've always taken immaculate care of it.

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This was a brilliant idea which genuinely benefitted people in the local community.

Alexandra2001 · 14/04/2025 09:00

WinningBoat · 14/04/2025 08:31

‘Outsiders… can just bog off.’

I have seen views like this on Mumsnet over the years. I no longer go on holiday to places like Cornwall. Since the pandemic, there has been such an increase hostility to anybody who isn’t from local areas and many villages have showed their true colours. It’s like watching the League of Gentlemen. All the small-minded comments about Emmets etc. No thanks!

Through work I have met vulnerable and impoverished people in London who would love to do a council housing swap with someone in a rural area. Because of feeling overwhelmed or worried about their kids and drugs. I can only imagine the welcome they would get…

Anyway, re the OP, I reckon anyone is allowed to feel frustrated when they have to spend more for the same thing. For example if my local parking permit charges doubled, I would express annoyance. It is about knowing your audience. I can’t afford a second home or private school etc. But if people who are in this situation are facing a big rise in council tax or VAT etc, I have no issue with them complaining about it. Let’s hope this money here gets used wisely anyway.

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There are plenty of reasons not to holiday in Cornwall, not least hypersonic prices and generally shit weather but in all honesty, never seen hostility displayed to holiday makers.

Newcomers often bring families/children with them, new skills etc but its also the case that almost all housing is not affordable either to buy or to rent.... that causes tensions, especially when many estates are built on farm land and then many bought up as second homes/airbnb's... even by out of area housing associations, usually in deals that involve housing local families in return for Cornwall taking some of their residents.

CaptainMyCaptain · 14/04/2025 09:03

WinningBoat · 14/04/2025 08:31

‘Outsiders… can just bog off.’

I have seen views like this on Mumsnet over the years. I no longer go on holiday to places like Cornwall. Since the pandemic, there has been such an increase hostility to anybody who isn’t from local areas and many villages have showed their true colours. It’s like watching the League of Gentlemen. All the small-minded comments about Emmets etc. No thanks!

Through work I have met vulnerable and impoverished people in London who would love to do a council housing swap with someone in a rural area. Because of feeling overwhelmed or worried about their kids and drugs. I can only imagine the welcome they would get…

Anyway, re the OP, I reckon anyone is allowed to feel frustrated when they have to spend more for the same thing. For example if my local parking permit charges doubled, I would express annoyance. It is about knowing your audience. I can’t afford a second home or private school etc. But if people who are in this situation are facing a big rise in council tax or VAT etc, I have no issue with them complaining about it. Let’s hope this money here gets used wisely anyway.

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People living in villages in the Peak District welcome newcomers with children because it helps keep local schools open, many have closed. That is very different to local housing becoming holiday cottages which leads to the decline of local services.

WinningBoat · 14/04/2025 09:14

CaptainMyCaptain · 14/04/2025 09:03

People living in villages in the Peak District welcome newcomers with children because it helps keep local schools open, many have closed. That is very different to local housing becoming holiday cottages which leads to the decline of local services.

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Don’t the newcomers put up house prices?

ConstanceM · 14/04/2025 10:14

The Labour or council strategy is clear, for 2nd home owners to sell. But, which locals will be able to afford them?. What's more sinister in cities Labour have made it even more difficult for one property landlords or accidental landlords to rent out their properties through higher tax liability and the banks are rinsing the landlords with higher bTL rates, great strategy so landlords are selling on mass, only problem, no one to buy them as FTB, downsizers are scared of the financial commitment to move and they are waiting for rates to drop to 1% which will never happen. So these properties have to be rented out at higher rates which people's can barely afford. Landlords are prisoners to banks as well. We all are.