A Conservative MP is suggesting that there could be a ’25 mile limit’ imposed around certain rental properties to ensure they are occupied only be individuals with local connections or work commitments.

Simon Jupp, elected for the first time in 2019 to represent East Devon, says the rule could apply to some new-build housing stock.

“For example, the purchaser or tenant could have to meet one of the following conditions: they currently live or work within 25 miles of the property; they were born within 25 miles of the property; or they can demonstrate a ‘care network’ within 25 miles of the property” he writes on the Devon Live news website. 

“It would permanently protect a percentage of any new housing stock from second-home ownership, giving local families an opportunity to own or rent a home in places where prices are increasingly out of reach and often being sold to cash-buyers from elsewhere” he continues.

The rest of Jupp’s article is a defence of existing government policies on second homes and housing.

“The solution is not simply to build more houses. The government must also look at the rise of second home ownership and the increasing numbers of holiday cottages” he writes.

The government has already announced that from April next year holiday let owners must provide evidence that their properties are available for short periods adding up to at least 140 days annually, if they are to qualify for cheaper business rates rather than increasingly expensive council tax.

The government also wants to give local authorities discretionary powers to increase council tax by 100 per cent on second homes that are neither used nor let out by their owners for at least 70 days per year. 

However, Jupp writes that the government could be much bolder and urges it to reserve a proportion of any new build properties for those with established local connections to an area.

He says: “I have no issue with people moving here, but I do want to level the playing field to help local people have a home of their own. “