Ethics of second home ownership

[Anotherhome]

Is it always unethical to own a second home?
As briefly as possible but with all the details:
We own our own home without a mortgage.
We live in a not beautiful town which is where we need to live for getting to work etc.
We have fallen in love with a very beautiful seaside village where we have visited lots of times, staying in the one tiny hotel or in an AirBNB.
It's a very small village but very close (2 miles one way, 4 miles the other) to much bigger towns. In the village there are 2 pubs, cafes and restaurants, one hotel, a couple of gift shops... No school. No nursery. No GP surgery or dentist or optician etc. It feels like a holiday village. There are quite a lot of holiday homes but they don't seem popular outside of school holidays really.
Properties stay on the market for ages. Some houses sell reasonably quickly but flats have been on the market for months despite being share of freehold and very reasonable service charge.
We would love to buy a flat there. We would not rent it out commercially as there seem to be too many problems associated with that nowadays but would let it cheaply to family and friends if we weren't using it eg in school holidays. We would use it quite a lot and could WFH there sometimes (we both do blended work) or just go for a break. We would definitely use the amenities such as cafes and restaurants etc, as would any of our family that were using it. Our adult children would also use it.
I don't think we'd be taking it away from families that desperately want accommodation there. The nearby towns are cheaper and more convenient (have trains etc!) and properties sell better there.
But I'm not sure if I'm missing some big ethical problem where second homes are always wrong.
Thoughts? (And I do know we're lucky to be in this position etc etc).

I’m on the fence about second homes as I live in an area full of them and the two previous houses I owned are now second homes.
I think it depends on how the local community feel. Some are really anti and it won’t be pleasant for you. People who pay to stay in cottages don’t get the same treatment as they are not the owners. Or does the local community welcome more people and want people to help out on the village hall committee, making cups of tea for the coffee morning etc, run a tombola and join in and go to community events even if it’s not really your cup of tea.

Ignoring the ethics of it for a moment - is it really worth having a second home in a holiday spot? It feels like you would end up feeling obliged to use it every weekend and holiday rather than going to other places. I would rather save the money and use it pay of my first mortage early or to buy somewhere when I retired.

This!

All the bloody hand wringing, I cant bear it.

So now a new wave of resident newcomers, buying property, sitting in cafes working on lap tops, keeping the Deli busy etc. But still everyone gives great speeches about second homes ruining the place… while raking in the tourist and newcomer pounds.

There is a massive, massive difference between newcomers and second homes. Newcomers who live full time in the area and work are just normal migration - if people from villages want the option to move to the cities then the reverse must be allowed. Turning homes into hotels is an entirely different thing - it means no children in the local school, no members of the local football team, public services shutting due to lack of demand, and a loss of community.

We are not looking in Devon or Cornwall etc where I know prices are inflated by holiday lets)

It's happening absolutely everywhere - I live in a city which doesn't get many tourists. Before we moved in together, both DP and I were no-fault evicted from two separate houses by landlords who turned the properties into Airbnbs.

Well, we could afford to buy a second and third house, but I don't do it because I think it's unethical 🤷🏻‍♀️

Buying something on the open market with legally obtained money. Complying with all the laws. That is it.
From the objectors: Ethics or Envy?

I could afford a second home if I wanted - I had a rather large inheritance a couple of years ago and now own my home outright, which is a very privileged position to be in.

I could leverage the property I own to buy a second one - but I won't because I think it's unethical. I actually rent out my spare room to a lodger - certainly the money is nice, but I'm also acutely aware of how hard it is to find decent quality accommodation. I could earn more money on Airbnb, but I don't do that - partly because it's unethical, and partly because of the extra faff.

This isn't envy from me, it's ethics, because I understand exactly what second homes are doing to the housing market.

Having a second home is perfectly legal, and not unusual but you do have to accept that it is to the detriment of the housing situation overall. There are better and worse places to do it but you have to accept it adds to the wider problem.

I have a similar dilemma, we are also considering purchasing a “second home” which we would let family and close friends use (my dpil wanted to retire there as the family has strong local links in the area but they couldn’t afford to, so it would be lovely to be able to offer them use of the flat, I imagine they would spend a few weeks at a time there quite happily.)

My DH both wfh so our plan would be to base ourselves at our holiday home every holiday, including Christmas.

I do think about the ethics and the environmental impact. A lot. Which is why we are still dithering. My DH simply doesn’t see a problem with it!

@Ginmonkeyagain ten years ago I’d have agreed with you - how boring to go to the same place, what about the rest of the world? But I have fallen in love with this town - partly because of DH family there, because DH has such fond childhood memories, and partly because we have so many happy memories ourselves there, it is just lovely to return frequently as our kids grow up. how can I compare it … it’s like going home for Christmas, and all those traditions that slightly evolve year on year but fundamentally Christmas is Christmas, it’s part of our “family soul”.

But then… it’s bound to stand empty sometimes, and I don’t actually need it. So I’m conflicted.

On the other hand there are thousands of older people living in huge family homes - do they have moral qualms about that? No.

And people taking flights multiple times a year to far-off destinations, or going to a hen/stag do for a day in Europe, or buying a gas-guzzling car. Don’t see them racked with guilt.

I live in a modest house, I have a second hand hybrid car which I will run til it dies, I try to shop local and watch out for food miles and palm oil and evil food like avocados and so on. I don’t pointlessly redecorate or splurge on new tech or furniture, I buy second hand clothes as much as I can. I’ve cut down the amount of meat I eat and I don’t waste food. I feed the birds and have an organic garden stuffed with flowers and local plants. I am not a saint but I try really hard to be as saintly as I can.

And yes, some of the money to buy the home is inherited - after I watched both my parents die agonising deaths having cared for my mum in her home for 5 years (after helping her downsize from an unnecessarily large family home to live near me in a small property).

And I work FT, I work inhumanly hard, I contribute taxes.

I don’t have an ethical pension. I don’t have do a lot of saintly things. I could be a better person.

But do I have to be perfect?

Yes it’s unethical IMO