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KEYWORD "Second Homes" - 100 RESULTS
Housing Secretary move directly led to senior Labour resignation

The Housing Secretary in the Welsh Government, Julie James, was one of several ministers to quit in yesterday's dramatic day of...

17 July 2024

From: Breaking News

Hands Off Short Lets - long term empty homes are bigger problem

The embattled short let and holiday let industry has hit out at what it calls the “rampant hypocrisy” of councils when...

27 June 2024

From: Breaking News

Second homes and incomer buyers are good news - Propertymark

Propertymark has stepped into the row over whether there should be more controls over second homes, holiday lets and people from...

28 May 2024

From: Breaking News

Hate Crime - Anti-Second Home Posters reported to police

Anti-second home posters seen in parts of North Wales and on social media have been reported to the police as a...

16 May 2024

From: Breaking News

Brexit and High Interest Rates pose major challenges to agents

Letting agents believe Help to Buy has been the most positive influence to the property market in recent times, while on...

16 May 2024

From: Breaking News

Airbnbs may need Planning Consent in key tourist location

A council claims it’s reached an important stage in the process of deciding whether to implement the Article 4 Direction power...

14 May 2024

From: Breaking News

Agency urges second home owners to be Airbnb hosts for tax reasons

The head of a lettings agency in Kent says it would be a “practical solution” for second home owners to become...

02 May 2024

From: Breaking News

Tory says councils lose out by levying second home taxes

A politician is claiming that second home council tax premiums, where owners pay up to double the normal rate, is resulting...

01 May 2024

From: Breaking News

Investor and landlord purchases rise, despite soaring taxes

The largest lettings agency in Scotland says purchases by landlords and other investor buyers in that country have risen sharply despite...

20 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Government to double council tax on empty homes after one year

Sharpened rules to double council tax on long term empty properties will come into force from April 1, says the government.  A...

13 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Rental Sector Tax Grab - leading agency boss speaks out

A figure in one of the country’s highest profile lettings companies has hit out at a government proposal to penalise the...

05 March 2024

From: Breaking News

Short Lets Clampdown - More campaigners back Gove

Countryside campaigning charity CPRE has given a warm welcome to Michael Gove’s clampdown on short lets. Earlier this week Housing Secretary Michael...

23 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Buy to let portfolio used for housing association tenants

A council that is buying private properties in second home hotspots to let to local people has struck a new agreement...

16 February 2024

From: Breaking News

Shock figure reveals tax burden paid by private rental sector

Property taxes in Scotland exceeded £600m over the last year according to analysis of the latest statistics by the country’s largest...

17 January 2024

From: Breaking News

Recent rise in buy to let landlords quitting, confirms Bank of England

A new Bank of England survey has confirmed a growing outflow of landlords from the private rental sector since 2020. The Bank’s...

22 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Labour housing policies win strong public support as Tories lag behind

Independent polling gives Labour a big lead when it comes to its approach to housing policy. Detailed polling by the Ipsos pollster...

21 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Another holiday lets area council slaps tax surcharge on second homes

Second homes in the area of Essex known as Tendring - including popular holiday lets resort Frinton on Sea and the...

01 December 2023

From: Breaking News

Agent says second home clampdown is no answer to long-term shortage

The long-term shortage of rental accommodation is now addressed by a short-term clampdown on second homes and empty properties, a leading...

30 November 2023

From: Breaking News

Politicians told - You’re wrong on additional homes tax surcharge

Propertymark has told politicians that an additional homes tax will not succeed in increasing housing supply. Timothy Douglas, head of policy and...

23 November 2023

From: Breaking News

Council Tax set to double for second homes

The Scottish Government is proposing to give local councils the discretion to charge Council Tax premiums of up to 100 per...

22 September 2023

From: Breaking News

Clampdown needed on Airbnb and other short lets - new demand

A body largely consisting of councils wants more controls over Airbnbs and other short lets - and it wants local authorities...

31 August 2023

From: Breaking News

40 year buy to let mortgage available from today

HSBC is increasing its maximum mortgage term to 40 years for buy to let, purchase, remortgaging and additional borrowing. Second homes will...

30 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Hate campaign launched against Airbnb

A hate campaign against AirBnb appears to have been launched in a Welsh village. Newspaper reports say a sticker reading 'Death to...

15 August 2023

From: Breaking News

Council Tax premium 'not enough to return homes to rental sector'

Council tax premiums being considered in Wales would be insufficient to persuade short let and holiday home owners to move their...

31 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Public want more tax on Airbnbs and higher private rental standards

A mortgage lender has conducted a survey of homeowners which has produced a string of anti-landlord and anti-overseas investor attitudes. Market Financial...

07 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Tax Loopholes - government slammed over additional properties

A long-standing and respected property firm has slammed the government for presiding over the “mess” of taxes applied to holiday lets...

05 July 2023

From: Breaking News

Council chief slams holiday lets 'tax subsidy' scheme

A Liberal Democrat council leader says all properties - even those in properly established lettings businesses - should be charged council...

15 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Private rental sector still a big money-earner for tax authorities

Investors and second home buyers contributed over a quarter of all property taxes in the last year according to a property...

02 June 2023

From: Breaking News

Government told - Stop the attacks on holiday lettings sector!

A holiday lettings agency has come out fighting on behalf of its clients. Following calls by local leaders in Cornwall and Devon...

26 May 2023

From: Breaking News

Stamp Duty Surcharge: Labour considers raising it even higher

Labour is considering raising the buy to let and holiday home stamp duty surcharge above the current three per cent if...

12 May 2023

From: Breaking News

New consultation on second home council tax hikes

A new consultation by one of the national governments within the UK advocates giving more councils power to make huge rises...

04 May 2023

From: Breaking News

Agent blasts government over huge second home tax increase

An agent has spoken out about a proposal to allow huge council tax rises on second homes and empty properties. New Scottish...

18 April 2023

From: Breaking News

New powers confirmed over holiday lets and second homes

New powers have been revealed to tackle what the Welsh Government calls the ‘problem’ of second homes.  A statement from the Senedd...

05 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Labour council tax freeze ‘not for empty buy to lets or second homes’

Labour’s much-publicised pledge to freeze council tax for the next year excludes empty buy to let properties and second homes it...

03 April 2023

From: Breaking News

Tory MP blames Airbnb lets for shortage of staff accommodation

A Conservative MP in a tourist region has blamed the switch of rental accommodation to Airbnbs for a shortage of places...

27 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Higher tax on second homes - another council speaks out

West Oxfordshire council is the latest to demand new government legislation to increase council tax on empty and second homes in...

15 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Bid to identify future private rental properties in London

A council is introducing a service which it claims will help identify properties which cannon future be used as private rental...

10 March 2023

From: Breaking News

Political wannabes wrong to blame holiday lets, claims top agent

A prominent lettings agent has criticised leading candidates for the leadership of the Scottish National Party for anti-holiday let policies. David Alexander,...

03 March 2023

From: Breaking News

No blanket licensing required for short lets - Propertymark

Licensing for Airbnbs and similar short lets should be targeted in priority areas only and not the subject of blanket rules. That’s...

22 February 2023

From: Breaking News

Business Rates shock for holiday let owners - warning

The Valuation Office Agency has issued a reminder that changes to eligibility rules for self-catering properties will come into effect from...

10 February 2023

From: Breaking News

Buy To Let Tax Surcharge - agent puts politician on the spot

One of the politicians backing a tax surcharge on the purchase of second homes and buy to lets has been put...

30 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Politicians insist “we’re not at war with holiday lets”

South Hams council in south Devon - one of the UK’s top holiday spots - has unanimously agreed proposals for second...

23 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Buy To Let tax rise - agents angry at damage to rental sector

Letting agents in Scotland are angry at the Scottish Government for increasing the tax surcharge on buyers of buy to lets...

20 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Tax on buy to lets and second homes up to 6% - will rest of UK follow suit?

Land and Buildings Transaction Tax - the Scottish equivalent of stamp duty - has risen to six per cent for all...

16 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Public back big tax rise for second home and lets owners

A consultation proposing a steep rise in council tax for second homes has won strong public support. Flintshire council in north Wales...

09 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Short Lets trade body reveals its first chief executive

The UK Short Term Accommodation Association has named a new chief executive.  Andy Fenner will support STAA chairperson Merilee Karr and director...

02 December 2022

From: Breaking News

Game Over for renting if stamp duty rises too much, agent warns

A respected agent is warning that a proposal to increase stamp duty on additional homes could kill off the rental market...

29 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Empty homes and holiday homes totals on the rise - new figures

The number of long-term empty homes has risen in every region of the UK during 2022 according to new government figures. The...

24 November 2022

From: Breaking News

We want higher council tax for second homes, says lettings agency

A holiday lettings agency has taken the unusual step of speaking out in favour of higher council tax for second home...

21 November 2022

From: Breaking News

Another council hits Airbnbs and holiday homes with higher taxes

The owners of second homes in a key short lets and tourist hotspot are set to have to pay a premium...

29 September 2022

From: Breaking News

What do you really think of Airbnb and other short lets?

Propertymark is calling on letting agents to share their thoughts and experiences on the impact of Airbnb and other short lets.  At...

06 September 2022

From: Breaking News

Government relies on private rentals to keep Homes For Ukraine afloat

The government is relying on the private rented sector to bolster its high-profile Homes for Ukraine programme - despite a series...

10 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Airbnb threat to communities leads to ‘locals only’ policy idea

Agents are being dragged into a debate over whether locals should be given priority to rent or buy, as a result...

05 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Delay in implementation of second homes’ council tax levy

One of the country’s second home and holiday let hotspots has been told it will be unable to levy extra council...

04 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Building Society slammed for mortgage ban on second homes

A building society which has taken the unprecedented step of stopping lending on second homes has been sharply criticised by a...

02 August 2022

From: Breaking News

Politician wants Airbnb hosts to switch properties to long-term rentals

A politician has called on Airbnb hosts in his local area to switch their properties to long-term rentals. Isle of Wight councillor...

19 July 2022

From: Breaking News

Fighting Back - short lets and holiday homes do NOT hit affordability

Holiday lets and second homes in one hotspot in the UK have not, after all, impacted on house prices and affordability,...

18 July 2022

From: Breaking News

Propertymark group lobbying politicians ahead of rental reforms

Propertymark has set up a working group of experts, agents, landlords and stakeholders in response to radical reforms to the private...

18 July 2022

From: Breaking News

AirBnb attacks “buy to let speculators” after regulation threat

AirBnb says proposed changes to short let rules in Wales should be aimed at property speculators, not ordinary people. The Welsh Government...

08 July 2022

From: Breaking News

Mayors may get new powers over Airbnb and short lets sector

Speculation in national newspapers suggests that the government is considering giving local mayors some powers over parts of the private rented...

28 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Backlash over wide-ranging holiday lets rules change

A tourism chief has likened new anti-holiday let regulations to those of a Stalinist dictatorship. Ashford Price, secretary of the Welsh Association...

23 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Town votes on ban for new homes being sold as holiday lets

The famous seaside town of Whitby in Yorkshire has voted in a referendum considering a ban on new build properties being...

14 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Activists want sweeping new taxes on some lettings properties

Activists are calling on the government to impose swingeing taxes on some lettings properties “to bring them back into the residential...

01 June 2022

From: Breaking News

Millions in tax lost through lettings loophole - claim

Local and central government is losing out on millions of pounds of council tax income this year because of the business...

30 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Higher taxes on empty homes? OK with us, says Propertymark

Propertymark says it welcomes measures in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that will mean swifter action to get the hundreds...

25 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Tory MP wants 25 mile limit for some tenants and properties

A Conservative MP is suggesting that there could be a ’25 mile limit’ imposed around certain rental properties to ensure they...

20 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Second Home Taxes - government releases more details

The government has released more details of the powers being given to local authorities to levy additional taxes on second homes.  The...

16 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Tax Take - Second home owners who don’t let out must pay more

Leaks from government ahead of this morning’s Queen’s Speech suggest that second homes which are not let out are likely to...

10 May 2022

From: Breaking News

Tax on homes to let is ‘hard to implement, not cost effective’

Tax experts say that an attempt to levy higher purchase tax on holiday lets and second homes in one part of...

11 April 2022

From: Breaking News

Should holiday lets be restricted to buyers with long-term local links?

The activist group Acorn is lobbying a local council to deny people the right to buy a second home or let...

25 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Buy To Let winning out over Holiday Lets, says agency

Lettings agency Galbraith reports that landlords are now returning to the residential lets sector from holiday lets after several years without...

10 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Property Tax Hikes: Agents slam politicians for failing to understand effect

ARLA Propertymark has slammed politicians who appear to have ignored a public consultation and gone ahead with draconian changes affecting second...

08 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Ethical Lettings Agency charges ultra-low fees

A so-called ethical lettings agency run jointly by two local authorities is handling private rental properties but is charging landlords just...

02 March 2022

From: Breaking News

Airbnbs equal homeless people, triggering call for short let controls

Figures obtained by ITV News suggest that one of the country's most popular tourist locations has as many Airbnbs listed as...

14 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Holiday lets firm says tourist areas need more affordable homes

A major holiday let company in one of the country’s prime tourist destinations says more affordable homes should be built to...

09 February 2022

From: Breaking News

Memo to government: Slash stamp duty surcharge to get more rental units

Politicians who express concern over the number of holiday lets and Airbnbs in tourist areas miss one major point - if...

17 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Tax clampdown on letting second homes confirmed by government

Owners of second homes who abuse a tax loophole by claiming their often-empty properties are holiday lets will be forced to...

14 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Lib Dems want big rental sector controls ‘to solve housing crisis’

The Liberal Democrats have proposed sharp restrictions on holiday rentals at the heart of the party’s plans to solve the housing...

11 January 2022

From: Breaking News

Government gets lesson in how to stimulate buy to let market

New figures show how effective the stamp duty holiday was in stimulating buy to let - and how similar measures could...

19 November 2021

From: Breaking News

 New tax system for Airbnbs and holiday lets being finalised by government

The government says it’s finalising plans for a new tax regime to apply to additional homes, and in particular those used...

09 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Call for short lets classification to be ‘amateur’ and ‘commercial’

Proposals to regulate Airbnbs and other short lets in one part of the UK should be modified, a trade body says. Currently,...

01 November 2021

From: Breaking News

Help London’s rental sector - agent’s plea to government

A leading agent and member of the Propertymark board says London’s letting agencies and private rental sector need government help -...

12 October 2021

From: Breaking News

New calls to stop rental homes switching to Airbnb

A new call has come for government action to stop the hemorrhage of properties shifting from long term rental to Airbnb...

06 October 2021

From: Breaking News

New call for rent controls in area hit by short lets and holiday homes

A part of the country which has seen a severe long term rental stock shortage as a result of switches from...

24 August 2021

From: Breaking News

 Activists want HMRC to remove tax perks from holiday lets

Baroness Alicia Kennedy, director of the Generation Rent campaign, says rents in Wales, Scotland and South West England have soared thanks...

18 August 2021

From: Breaking News

Airbnb hits back at growing criticism of damage to rental sector

Airbnb has issued a lengthy statement in response to a recent raft of criticisms about the effects of soaring numbers of...

09 August 2021

From: Breaking News

Tory MP to declare ‘state of emergency’ over loss of rental stock

A Conservative MP says he is to declare a “state of housing emergency” in his constituency because of the loss of...

03 August 2021

From: Breaking News

Town with 57% second homes clamps down on future lettings

A town with one of the UK’s heaviest concentrations of holiday homes is clamping down on future purchases by outsiders who...

28 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Dramatic reform likely for rental sector in Scotland - warning

There was much publicity this week for the efforts of the Welsh Government to deter the letting of second homes. Now it...

09 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Wales to clamp down on holiday lets and additional homes

Wales’ Labour-led administration is to announce a three-pronged approach to affordability issues - and it looks likely to involve a clampdown...

06 July 2021

From: Breaking News

Shift from long term lets to Airbnb ‘contribute to housing emergency’

A politician in one of the poorest parts of the UK wants his local authority to declare a ‘housing emergency’. Cornish councillor...

23 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Stop Rent Rises and Tax Second Homes - petition wins huge support

Almost 40,000 people have signed a petition urging rent caps for private tenants and hefty tax rises for second home owners. The...

18 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Acute rental shortage now hitting every part of the country

Areas of the country which appear to have had a surplus of rental stock in the past is now reporting a...

11 June 2021

From: Breaking News

Letting agent tells of “heartbreaking” need for affordable homes

A letting agent in Cornwall has told local TV how she finds herself in ”heartbreaking” situations because of the lack of...

27 April 2021

From: Breaking News

Agency warns that landlords seriously worried by CGT threat

An agency is warning that possible Capital Gains Tax changes are now a cause of major worry to their landlord customers.  Barrows and...

16 February 2021

From: Breaking News

‘Tax premium’ levied on second homes to fund local properties

A Welsh council has agreed to levy what it calls “a tax premium” on second homes from now until 2027 to...

22 December 2020

From: Breaking News

Anti-second homes campaigners win talks with top politician

Councillors from a town council in Wales are to be given an audience with the country’s First Minister to discuss the...

24 November 2020

From: Breaking News

“Airbnb pricing us out of our communities!” - MP slams short lets

An MP claims the proliferation of short lets via Airbnb and similar online platforms is indirectly pricing local people out of...

04 November 2020

From: Breaking News

Capital Gains Tax review may spell bad news for buy to let

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has requested a review of Capital Gains Tax rules from the Office for Tax Simplification - leading to...

15 July 2020

From: Breaking News

Short lets exposed by BBC News as flouting lockdown regulations

A BBC News investigation has exposed some Airbnb and other short let platform users as flouting lockdown regulations. The probe has found...

07 April 2020

From: Breaking News

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