Rental nightmare in coastal Cornwall (and coastal Devon, IoW)

[Wight Flight]

This one annoys me.

https://www.onthemarket.com/details/11926184/

Since when was six months long term?

And given it will go sight unseen, you would think a picture of the kitchen would be good - assuming it has one.

[Frank Hovis]

Oh dear.

How sad.

Never mind.

 

St Ives Airbnb superhost 'disappointed' people aren't booking her property for summer months

This is the first time in nine years that her summer calendar is not full

 

According to Kathryn, other hosts were posting on a Facebook group asking: “‘Anyone know what's going on… anybody else not getting bookings?’”

However, Kathryn said that while she was "disappointed", she could understand that after two years of lockdown, people were wanting to escape the county for an adventure overseas. She said: "people have “fallen out of love with the UK almost as quickly as they had fallen in love with it."

She also recognised the burden that the cost of living crisis is having on people's ability to take a holiday altogether- whether home or abroad. She argued that many hosts have had to put their prices up to meet the rising costs coming from suppliers and so in many cases they are no longer the budget alterative to hotels.

Last year, it used to cost £75 per changeover clean compared to £150 for the same service this year, according to Kathryn. While Airbnb has typically comprised a third of her annual income, this year she said she'd be lucky to cover costs.

Kathryn also said that remote working and the three days of rail strikes were further complicating the situation for Airbnb owners. She said: "Hosts in towns and cities who target customers travelling largely for business have yet to see their rental incomes recover post-pandemic – and the ongoing rail strikes are the final straw."

While there was still hope that the travel chaos may bring a wave of last-minute guests, Kathryn said that she may have to simply accept a reduced popularity in the post-covid economy and climate.

"I reckon I will find out soon enough whether my previously happy little “Airbnbubble” is finally bursting or, during the so-called “summer of discontent”, merely deflating a bit – which, I suppose, makes a change from the trend for inflation," she added.

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/st-ives-airbnb-superhost-disappointed-7262038

[Democorruptcy]

On 24/06/2022 at 13:18, sleepwello'nights said:

This reminds me of the hostility towards supermarkets when they started attracting shoppers in their droves. The convenience of being able to purchase all your food and groceries in one place at a lower cost than the alternative shops was unstoppable.

The attraction of airbnb is the lower cost in comparison to hotels and bed and breakfast and the more relaxed stays. Just like being at home somewhere different. What is the answer more restrictions on airbnb or relaxation of restrictions on hotels and bnbs?

I've no doubt some airbnbs are more expensive than some hotels, guest houses and bnbs. A more even level of regulation should bring more fairness; and give local authorities some revenue.

The rich have always been able to circumvent regulations, swapping homes when they wanted a change of scenery, there are home swaps available for us poorer folk, should they be regulated or banded as well?

The way to ruin the AirBnB business model is charge them a £50 Empty Night Tax, for every night their property is empty. It's costing the local economy money because there's nobody in it spending money, so make them pay for it.

[sleepwello'nights]

14 minutes ago, Democorruptcy said:

The way to ruin the AirBnB business model is charge them a £50 Empty Night Tax, for every night their property is empty. It's costing the local economy money because there's nobody in it spending money, so make them pay for it.

Good idea. How would you enforce it. I really don't like the idea of encouraging local residents to report to the local authority and a network of wardens might foster the same level of hate that traffic wardens receive. 

[Democorruptcy]

4 minutes ago, sleepwello'nights said:

Good idea. How would you enforce it. I really don't like the idea of encouraging local residents to report to the local authority and a network of wardens might foster the same level of hate that traffic wardens receive. 

Presumably AirBnB have to pay tax on holiday let income? All the tax authorities have to do is demand to know how many occupied nights it covers i.e. X, 365-X = Y, then charge them Y x £50. Make an example early on of someone who tries to fiddle or escape the tax.

[Democorruptcy]

On 04/11/2021 at 10:26, Frank Hovis said:

What does £433 a month give you in Cornwall?

 

A static caravan with:

condemned gas boilers, no insulation, extreme black mould, holes in single glazed windows and collapsing floors and walls.

Nice. I wonder what their EPC rating is 

The story is in the press because a new company has taken over the site, seen how bad half the caravans are, so are scrapping and replacing them.  Which means that the existing residents will be temporarily homeless.

If social housing tenants were being housed in these conditions it would be all over the news and the HA / Council would be fined.

When it comes to private renters however no one gives a monkey's.

£433? This looks grotty and £525 on Anglesey:

 

 

 

[Option5]

38 minutes ago, Democorruptcy said:

The way to ruin the AirBnB business model is charge them a £50 Empty Night Tax, for every night their property is empty. It's costing the local economy money because there's nobody in it spending money, so make them pay for it.

So you have an air BNB and you have some time not booked. Drop the price then book it yourself (via a relative/friend). You pay the rental then get it back later from AirBNB less their commission. As long as it's cheaper than the tax you win.

[Democorruptcy]

10 minutes ago, Option5 said:

So you have an air BNB and you have some time not booked. Drop the price then book it yourself (via a relative/friend). You pay the rental then get it back later from AirBNB less their commission. As long as it's cheaper than the tax you win.

How many friends or relatives have you got that have the time to spend winter nights there? If they aren't going it's tax evasion. I am banging you and your friends and relatives up for that, to make an example of you.

[spygirl]

3 hours ago, Frank Hovis said:

Oh dear.

How sad.

Never mind.

 

St Ives Airbnb superhost 'disappointed' people aren't booking her property for summer months

This is the first time in nine years that her summer calendar is not full

 

According to Kathryn, other hosts were posting on a Facebook group asking: “‘Anyone know what's going on… anybody else not getting bookings?’”

However, Kathryn said that while she was "disappointed", she could understand that after two years of lockdown, people were wanting to escape the county for an adventure overseas. She said: "people have “fallen out of love with the UK almost as quickly as they had fallen in love with it."

She also recognised the burden that the cost of living crisis is having on people's ability to take a holiday altogether- whether home or abroad. She argued that many hosts have had to put their prices up to meet the rising costs coming from suppliers and so in many cases they are no longer the budget alterative to hotels.

Last year, it used to cost £75 per changeover clean compared to £150 for the same service this year, according to Kathryn. While Airbnb has typically comprised a third of her annual income, this year she said she'd be lucky to cover costs.

Kathryn also said that remote working and the three days of rail strikes were further complicating the situation for Airbnb owners. She said: "Hosts in towns and cities who target customers travelling largely for business have yet to see their rental incomes recover post-pandemic – and the ongoing rail strikes are the final straw."

While there was still hope that the travel chaos may bring a wave of last-minute guests, Kathryn said that she may have to simply accept a reduced popularity in the post-covid economy and climate.

"I reckon I will find out soon enough whether my previously happy little “Airbnbubble” is finally bursting or, during the so-called “summer of discontent”, merely deflating a bit – which, I suppose, makes a change from the trend for inflation," she added.

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/st-ives-airbnb-superhost-disappointed-7262038

Maybe she could clean it herself?

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=584697501

Lives in Hastings, East Sussex

 

[One percent]

6 minutes ago, spygirl said:

Maybe she could clean it herself?

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=584697501

Lives in Hastings, East Sussex

 

Can’t understand how people think you can run a business from hundreds of miles away yet it’s common with holiday lets.  

[With a crooked smile]

On 28/06/2022 at 13:21, One percent said:

Can’t understand how people think you can run a business from hundreds of miles away yet it’s common with holiday lets.  

I'm under the impression where I am it's a fully managed service. 

All I know about Cumbrian Cottages is they organise the cleaners for the cottage and the cleaners have to take the laundry home and do it for the next week.

A friend is a self employed handy man and does maintenance for them so I imagine it'd not that difficult to run remotely. 

Property 2 doors down from me is worth about 380k I recon 60% occupied as a minimum.  Averages over the season 3k a week so that's ball park 95k a year turn over.

According to out resident tosser on dosbos FHL is completely unprofitable. 

That'll be why we have so many holiday homes here then..

[One percent]

Just now, With a crooked smile said:

I'm under the impression where I am it's a fully managed service. 

All I know about Cumbrian Cottages is they organise the cleaners for the cottage and the cleaners have to take the laundry home and do it for the next week.

A friend is a self employed handy man and does maintenance for them so I imagine it'd not that difficult to run remotely. 

Property 2 doors down from me is worth about 380k I recon 60% occupied as a minimum.  Averages over the season 3k a week so that's ball park 95k a year turn over.

According to out resident tosser on dosbos FHL is completely unprofitable. 

That'll be why we have so many holiday homes here then..

This just popped up in my email.  
 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-review-into-short-term-tourist-accommodation

Government launches review into short-term tourist accommodation
 

 

 

[With a crooked smile]

1 minute ago, One percent said:

This just popped up in my email.  
 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-review-into-short-term-tourist-accommodation

Government launches review into short-term tourist accommodation
 

 

 

Interesting I can't see them actually doing much. Fiddling with stamp duty that it mentions only effects the resell. Council or business rates changes may have some effect. 

Let's not forget the btl changes where interest can be off set any more. I see that repeated again and again here. Of course pretty much everyone just formed an Ltd to get around the tax changes.

[Wight Flight]

1 hour ago, With a crooked smile said:

I'm under the impression where I am it's a fully managed service. 

All I know about Cumbrian Cottages is they organise the cleaners for the cottage and the cleaners have to take the laundry home and do it for the next week.

A friend is a self employed handy man and does maintenance for them so I imagine it'd not that difficult to run remotely. 

Property 2 doors down from me is worth about 380k I recon 60% occupied as a minimum.  Averages over the season 3k a week so that's ball park 95k a year turn over.

According to out resident tosser on dosbos FHL is completely unprofitable. 

That'll be why we have so many holiday homes here then..

If it is bringing in £95k per year it is worth well north of £1m.

Plenty of room for property values to zoom to the moon on that basis.

 

[Wight Flight]

Number of holiday-let homes in England up 40% in three years

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61966359

 

[Bobthebuilder]

23 hours ago, Wight Flight said:

If it is bringing in £95k per year it is worth well north of £1m.

Plenty of room for property values to zoom to the moon on that basis.

 

I would take your arm off for that return.

[Bobthebuilder]

On 29/06/2022 at 19:25, With a crooked smile said:

Property 2 doors down from me is worth about 380k I recon 60% occupied as a minimum.  Averages over the season 3k a week so that's ball park 95k a year turn over.

If you are serious about those figures, then I would be extremely interested, that's better than anything, anyone on the deflation thread is achieving.

 

[With a crooked smile]

25 minutes ago, Bobthebuilder said:

If you are serious about those figures, then I would be extremely interested, that's better than anything, anyone on the deflation thread is achieving.

 

The rates I got from their website it's 2k a week in Feb and up to 4k in summer holidays so I've just averaged that out to 3k. The 60% occupancy is a guess based on what I see going past with the dog each day. The house price is based on historical sales on land reg and what I paid for mine (we're all terraces with the same lay out).

Figures are approximate but probably not far out. Our guest house (separate to the house we live in) is paying full rather than flat rate vat as we're a good chuck over the full vat rate (230k). There's a lot of money in tourism. The main thing is to pay your staff right so you can operate fully. Lots of places up here close 2 days a week and some pubs shut a 10 as they can't get staff.

I don't bullshit on here. I always try and give an accurate picture of how things are. I hear lots of people with anecdotals that I'm not sure if they made up. 

I'm aware my opinions aren't popular and to be honest I often do try to play devil's advocate to stop the place becoming an echo chamber.

[Wight Flight]

18 minutes ago, With a crooked smile said:

I'm aware my opinions aren't popular

They aren't. Not because they aren't true, but because the are bloody depressing.

But they are worth hearing nevertheless.

[sleepwello'nights]

1 minute ago, Wight Flight said:

They aren't. Not because they aren't true, but because the are bloody depressing.

But they are worth hearing nevertheless.

Not depressing if you are the one running a guest house or owning a FHL you've owned for many years.

But depressing from your perspective if you are looking to buy or rent a house. 

[Wight Flight]

2 minutes ago, sleepwello'nights said:

Not depressing if you are the one running a guest house or owning a FHL you've owned for many years.

But depressing from your perspective if you are looking to buy or rent a house. 

Or if you care about the future of society.

[With a crooked smile]

1 minute ago, sleepwello'nights said:

Not depressing if you are the one running a guest house or owning a FHL you've owned for many years.

But depressing from your perspective if you are looking to buy or rent a house. 

True although the picture in Cumbria is very mixed. If you are a first time buyer in the National Park you are largely fucked (even local occupancy properties are very expensive). I know a software developer at my running club he has a "decent" inheritance and a "good" wage (I don't know the figures for either) and he's struggling to buy a place. If you buy outside the National Park but still in Cumbria we have villages with some of the lowest house prices in the country.

Some will be snobbish about the villages outside the NP but life's what you make of it. The picture on wages varies enormously to. Copeland in West Cumbria has the 3rd highest median house hold income in the UK (due to Sellafield and BAE ). But this hides low wages for those not working in the nuclear or submarine industry. 

[One percent]

Breaking news 

https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/news/article/plans-premiums-second-homes-help-ease-housing-demand

North Yorkshire has the highest number of second homes in the region, and concerns have been voiced that the trend is undermining the availability of housing for local communities as well as inflating property prices.

We are now considering proposals to introduce a 100 per cent premium for council tax bills on second homes within the next two years.

The leader of the county council, Cllr Carl Les, confirmed that the move was dependent on new legislation being introduced by the Government, and would need the approval of the authority.

However, he added that any money raised through the premium would be used to help to fund vital services provided by the council, including council tax reduction schemes and affordable housing projects.

Cllr Les said: “The issue of second home ownership has emerged as a major issue for many areas of the country, and it is one that we are acutely aware of in North Yorkshire.
 

Analysis has shown that the introduction of a 100 per cent premium on council tax bills for second homes in North Yorkshire could generate in excess of £14 million a year in additional revenue.

The Scarborough district has the potential to bring in almost half of that figure due to the large number of second homes in coastal towns such as Whitby, Scarborough and Filey.

The research has shown that Richmondshire could generate about £1.8 million through the second homes premium, while the Craven, Harrogate and Ryedale districts could each provide about £1.5 million in extra revenue. Hambleton could provide £1 million and the Selby district a further £260,000.

The plans would introduce a zero per cent discount for properties that are unoccupied or undergoing major repairs or structural alterations.

The proposals would also see the continuation of a sliding scale of council tax premiums from April next year on properties that have been left empty or unfurnished between two and 10 years.

However, the 100 per cent council tax premiums on second homes would not be introduced until April 1, 2024, if the Government’s new proposals do become enshrined in law.
 

 

shot across the bows. Plenty of time to get rid of the property (s)

[One percent]

Tide is definitely turning. No pun intended 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10972547/Second-home-owners-face-SURPRISE-inspections-plans-protect-residents-holiday-lets.html

Surprise inspections could soon be the norm for second home owners under plans being considered by the government to regulate holiday lets - after scores of locals blasted a surge in short-term rentals for bringing 'drunken behaviour', 'shouting' and 'the smell of cannabis.' 
 

Other than the anti-social behaviour of some tourists, there are are also the effects on the local housing supply, with many landlords opting for more lucrative holiday lets which provide higher returns but reduce the number of long-term rental properties available to locals. 

 

Among the most affected are seaside towns such as Scarborough, where there are 3,000 such lets alone, but also Cornwall, Devon and Whitby, and picturesque areas in near the countryside like Cumbria and York. 

Some hotspots have already hit back, with residents in Whitby, the fishing port on the Yorkshire coast, turning out in their droves last month in a landslide 93 per cent vote to stop builds being sold to rich Londoners amid mounting fears that families are being priced out of the housing market. 
 

The DMCS says: 'Landlords are argued to be prioritising short-term letting instead of long-term tenancy agreements, reducing the supply of rental accommodation in a given location. 

'There are also related concerns about numbers of second homes, ownership of which could be incentivised by utilising them for short-term letting.'

[spygirl]

1 hour ago, One percent said:

Breaking news 

https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/news/article/plans-premiums-second-homes-help-ease-housing-demand

North Yorkshire has the highest number of second homes in the region, and concerns have been voiced that the trend is undermining the availability of housing for local communities as well as inflating property prices.

We are now considering proposals to introduce a 100 per cent premium for council tax bills on second homes within the next two years.

The leader of the county council, Cllr Carl Les, confirmed that the move was dependent on new legislation being introduced by the Government, and would need the approval of the authority.

However, he added that any money raised through the premium would be used to help to fund vital services provided by the council, including council tax reduction schemes and affordable housing projects.

Cllr Les said: “The issue of second home ownership has emerged as a major issue for many areas of the country, and it is one that we are acutely aware of in North Yorkshire.
 

Analysis has shown that the introduction of a 100 per cent premium on council tax bills for second homes in North Yorkshire could generate in excess of £14 million a year in additional revenue.

The Scarborough district has the potential to bring in almost half of that figure due to the large number of second homes in coastal towns such as Whitby, Scarborough and Filey.

The research has shown that Richmondshire could generate about £1.8 million through the second homes premium, while the Craven, Harrogate and Ryedale districts could each provide about £1.5 million in extra revenue. Hambleton could provide £1 million and the Selby district a further £260,000.

The plans would introduce a zero per cent discount for properties that are unoccupied or undergoing major repairs or structural alterations.

The proposals would also see the continuation of a sliding scale of council tax premiums from April next year on properties that have been left empty or unfurnished between two and 10 years.

However, the 100 per cent council tax premiums on second homes would not be introduced until April 1, 2024, if the Government’s new proposals do become enshrined in law.
 

 

shot across the bows. Plenty of time to get rid of the property (s)

Imagine how much cash is going to be brought in by removing SBRR for FHLs.

~8k/FHL.

Rather than 4k/2nd home.

Money, just sat there ,waiting to be taken.