Under the new plan, homeowners who want to offer short-term vacation rentals, such as through Airbnb, will also require a permit. Announcing the measures at a joint press conference with Plaid Cymru, Mark Drakeford, First Minister for Labor in Wales, said having “too many holiday properties and second homes” was not creating “healthy local communities”. It is the latest move against second home owners across the UK after English local authorities were given the power to double council tax bills on second homes that are not used or let for at least 70 days a year. Spot checks have also been announced at holiday homes in England to ensure compliance with health and safety rules and prevent anti-social behavior by guests. Local authorities in Wales have already been given the power to increase council tax on second homes by 300 per cent from next year. One of the new ways councils across the country will limit second homes is through changes to the planning regulation, which will create three property classes: primary home; second home? and short-term holiday accommodation. Local authorities in Wales will then be able to make amendments to the planning system to require planning permission for a change of use from one class to another. Mr Drakeford said he was introducing the measures to ensure local people could afford to live in their own communities.
“No single, simple solution”
He added: “We have a shared ambition for Wales to be a nation of thriving communities – a country where people don’t have to leave to find good and rewarding work and a country where people want to come visit and live. “Tourism is vital to our economy, but having too many holiday homes and second homes, which are empty for much of the year, does not contribute to healthy local communities and takes people out of the local housing market. “There is no single, simple solution to these issues. Any action we take must be fair. We don’t want to create any unintended consequences that could destabilize the wider housing market or make it harder for people to rent or buy.”
