Councils are set to crack down on empty houses and surging numbers of holiday homes across Britain as residents claim second homeowners are renting properties to avoid tax.
Britons say they are being forced out of towns where they grew up and are fighting back as housing pressures grow.
In South Hams, Devon, there are 172 holiday homes for every 1,000 houses in Salcombe.
Residents in the area have blasted second homeowners who they say are renting to avoid paying a £350 “bin tax.”
n South Hams, Devon, there are 172 holiday homes for every 1,000 houses in Salcombe
Getty
According to official data, around 260,000 residential properties in England have been empty long term while there are 70,000 holiday homes in England and Wales.
Local authorities are now said to be enforcing council tax premiums, handing out refurbishment grants and asking genealogists to help them identify unknown property owners.
Councils are also calling on the Government to assist them with new policies.
Chiefs are looking into legal options for controlling empty homes.
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“We’ve got a housing crisis… and so where we can bring properties back into use, we want to do that as soon as possible,” Helen Dennis, cabinet member for new homes at Southwark Council in London, told the Financial Times.
“Government policy is really prohibitive at the moment… we need more resources and more tools.”
Dennis also suggested that those using Airbnb should have a registration scheme and higher housing allowance benefits.
Thousands of holiday homes registered in counties popular with Britons have created a crisis for locals with house prices being pushed up.
Thousands of holiday homes registered in counties popular with Britons have created a crisis for locals with house prices being pushed up
PA
The Government are said to be cracking down on the issue with measures set to make it harder for existing homes to be used for short-term lets.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, housing spokesman for the Local Government Association, told MailOnline: “At a time when we face a chronic housing shortage across the country it is wrong for so many homes to be left empty. Councils work hard to address the issue, but the existing measures are clearly falling short.
“Councils share a collective national ambition to tackle local housing challenges.
“The Government should also support this ambition by implementing our six-point action plan so that councils can resume their historic role as a major builder of affordable homes.”
