Separate Moan Thread About The Election

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They reckon, well according to the government website that 2.1 million households have a least one second home. There is supposed to be over 700,000 that are vacant, as in empty not even short term rentals or holiday lets, with a sharp increase since Covid. There was new legislation to try and bring these homes back in to the housing marketing by increasing the council tax, but there is a grace period at the moment. Since Covid, building materials have jumped in cost, then with the high increase in energy costs, insulation costs have spiralled, mortgage rates have increased and then when you take in to factor all new builds and renovations have to comply with more stringent energy efficiency legislations, then you start to understand why there are so many empty homes.

Local authorities can raise the council tax on second properties that are used for holiday lets, some already have with a 100% increase. To bring these empty homes back in to the housing market then the council tax increases depending on how long they have been empty, with increases from 100 - 300% but these were already being proposed before Covid, hence the grace period.

To renovate a home and meet the energy requirements of all the houses that are empty, the cost would be anywhere from 30 Billion to over 100 Billion depending on the size of property and how long is has stood empty for. Some houses are probably that dilapidated, it would be probably cheaper to knock then down and re-build.

 

There's a limit to how many you can read free, it stops poor people finding out too much about what Labour are planning to do to them.

 

People want tax rises because they think that will bring them better services.
I think we have been told this kind of thing before, but somehow the extra money just gets swallowed up and achieves nothing.

I'm sure they will find something new to waste new money on.

 

People only invest in property because its the safest investment, if interests rates had been sensible you might have had more People putting money in cash investment but it's not been worth it for years so they go for property or the stock market.
Either way they appear to be wrong

 

Foreign ownership of homes in England and Wales triples

I don’t have a subscription to the FT and I can read this article.

 

I'm getting lots of leaflets through the door at the mow, 4 leaflets today all addressed to miss jiff + me, i think they have been to the electol regiter and found out we haven't voted for the last ten years and we didn't get leaflet addressed to us then,

 

The two main reasons people have a second home are. holiday getaway, long term investment. When there is a high cost of living, high-interest rates, and an incipient recession, it then becomes more difficult to get a mortgage on a second property.

 

I bet Hong Kong nationals are top of the list or at least in the top 3, which would of probably happened regardless of who was in power.

 

MSN

You should be able to access it via MSN, @JWK.

 

I am also in favour of well-thought out, targeted rules and do not want taxes for ideological purposes, @shiney.

 

According to the Telegraph, of the 2.1 million households that have a second home, 40% are outside the UK.

Buying property abroad – a guide.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

 

True, I don't think many of us know exactly how many of these second homes are getaway/holiday properties that are outside the UK.