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

[CornishTickler]

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.

but some second home owners are keeping their grand parents house (my extended family in france. We share the cost), or bought because that area has memories for them, r inherited a property, or moved out of the area and kept their home there (we did and it a now sold and it was in london),
or accidental ones, etc.

To be honest I don't think this is any different.

You have a second home, and someone else cannot live there because you own it. It's an asset, if you can't afford it, then sell it. Just because it's "got memories" or sentimental value, doesn't make it any nobler

This

Its short sighted in any case, Brenda pays more on her second home that she rents out from time to time to prop up her pension, but some massively rich Chinese or Russian oligarch owns half of London's luxury flats, contributing absolutey nothing to society and thats ok?

It's clearly a good thing overall. I only wish they had done this 20 years @CornishTickler. It could have potentially avoided some of the problems which no exist. There was a sad face article in The Telegraph too- perhaps the same couple. Human rights indeed!

Has it never occurred to you that one of the reasons why property is so expensive and your little darlings can't afford to purchase a home is because there are so many second home owners?

I fucking hate the 'politics of envy' accusation whenever wealthy people are required to pay a bit more.

Me too. GB not News use it a lot.🙄

Staying in a hotel means jobs for hotel staff, probably eating out. Spending money doing touristy things, buying gifts to take home. Staying in a holiday home, particularly if your own second home, may not even shop locally.

We have a second home in a popular tourist destination. We will pay the extra council tax, as we should! We tried selling last year - but there were no takers. Same with a few of our neighbours (local residents): all largish town houses, but no parking, so not really suitable for local families. We see lots of second homes for sale now, but currently market is just not moving.

Who sells them the houses?
Locals.

@taxguru that's awful. My dc are young but I don't want that for them and why should they have that.

I have no skin in this game aside from being in London which has the biggest percentage of second home owned properties in the country, not that anyone ever considered the impact of that.

But to everyone in Cornwall or wherever complaining about second home owners - you do realise it was someone from your village, your community, a local, who chose to sell their home to a second home owner in the first place? I wonder how many say to their estate agent - no second home owners please. Precious few I would guess.

If it’s an air bnb /holiday let, it can be run as a business do you pay business rates (cheaper).

May be op is talking about those people who don’t let it out as well.

surely some of those second homes haven't been owned by locals for years though?

Exactly. It's not politics of envy to want communities to not be ruined by excess second home ownership

And theres a huge assumption on every thread like this that the evil second home owners are from 'somewhere else'. I dont think we've ever stayed in an airbnb, here or abroad, that has been owned by a non local.

Im sure there are many people have have a second home somewhere else in the country but there are huge numbers of locals who have a second house in their local area, to use themselves or to rent out

If Brenda is struggling, she could rent out her second home permanently to top up her pension and she would be exempt from this additional council tax. If she can afford to leave it empty, she can afford to pay the double council tax.

The Chinese and Russian oligarchy is a huge problem that needs tackling but because this bigger problem exists, it doesn't mean that the problem of 2nd homes can't be tackled. People with two homes, while not at the level of the oligarchs, are normally much wealthier (in terms of assets) than the majority of the population. If this new policy either brings in revenue or discourages people from keeping second homes empty, that's a good thing.

You think people who rent privately owned holiday cottages don’t do touristy things, by gifts, spend money locally?

I’ve obviously been doing my holidays wrong all these years.

I am a second home owner - and I fully support the council tax raises. If you aren’t prepared to contribute to the community you benefit from, you can stay in a hotel.

(edited to add - not actually in a tourist area - it’s in a l suburb close to my in laws because they don’t have the space for us to stay with them. But it’s still a huge luxury, and one where we should still be expected to contribute to local services)

I like newts but I agree with you about the second homes.

Exactly. Second home owners have definitely contributed to this situation.

The Chinese and Russian oligarchy is a huge problem that needs tackling but because this bigger problem exists, it doesn't mean that the problem of 2nd homes can't be tackled.

I see this narrative a lot now because of X we shouldn't attempt to tackle Y. it's just deflection

I can assure you there aren't any Russian oligarchs seeking to buy properties in my neck of the woods.

The estate agents don't even have time to get the for sale boards up usually before it's under offer. There is a family home shortage in the area and it's local families who are trying to buy them.

You don't need to be remotely close to Beckham level wealth to not even notice doubled council tax.

Adding: I wish they'd go after something really financially painful for all the people who park their money in empty properties in London.

Yes, it's such a stupid retort. Anyone who comments that wealthy people ought to pay a bit more, when wealth is taxed far lower than income, is apparently envious.

I dont actually have a problem with additional council tax to be paid on second homes, but people are portrayed on threads like this as if they are these mega wealthy oligarch type figures, and that is the politics of envy, when in fact we do have an issue with the wealthy from other countries who dont even live here or contribute to our society in any way but you dont see thread after thread after thread about that. I see threads slagging off airbnb/holiday rentals all the time.

Our issue in this country is that we simply do not have or build or invite affordable housing and by affordable I dont mean 15% less asking price than the average/market price, I mean social housing for rent and proper small houses to buy for one or two people. This is what we are lacking. Plus bungalows for the elderly