New figures have shown that the number of “entire homes” for rent in seaside towns has increased by 56% between 2019 and 2022 in England and Wales, compared to 15% in non-coastal communities. The volume of Airbnb listing demand per property is three times higher in coastal areas than in inland areas.
The figures have raised fears that once bustling villages are turning into ghost towns, with homes only filled – with wealthy people from outside the region – during the summer holidays.
Recent research by campaign group Inside Airbnb found that 1 in 67 coastal homes nationwide are listed on the Airbnb site – up from 1 in 105 in 2019.
In Newquay, Cornwall and Whitby, South Yorkshire, one in six homes is on Airbnb. In St Ives, Cornwall, it’s one in five, and in Woolacombe and Croyde, both in north Devon, it’s one in four.
In Braunton, the Airbnb site says there are “over 1,000” vacation rentals. There are only 7,000 residents in the North Devon village.
Renters are being evicted from their homes to make room for Airbnbs or vacation rentals – sometimes without any warning from their landlord.
Emma Dee Hookaway, 43, was living in Braunton in 2021 when her landlady asked her to move out so her daughter could move in.
“I’ve lived in North Devon all my life. I’ve always rented because it was too expensive for me to buy as a single parent,” Emma told The Telegraph.
“My son, who was six years old at the time, has autism. He could see that I was worried so on going to school I explained to him that a lot of people want to visit or settle here because it’s beautiful and that people want a better quality of life after Covid.
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The boom in holiday homes has also unsurprisingly contributed to the UK-wide housing crisis.
“The few rentals that are becoming available have gone up in price,” Emma explained. “I was paying £900 a month for the house, but now you’d be paying around £1,400.
“When you take into account that the living wage – what a lot of people in North Devon earn – is around £17,290 a year, it makes life here impossible for many people.”
But it’s not just happening in North Devon – the Cotswolds, Cornwall, Wales, Scottish Highlands and North Yokrshire are also affected.
The town’s mayor, Roxanne Treacy, told the Telegraph: “The impact of holiday rentals and second homes – I refuse to call them homes – on local housing is the main issue for residents at the moment.
“Residents have been forced to move, due to the lack of long-term rentals and the massive increase in property prices. Those who are able to buy cannot compete with cash buyers on the listings from real estate agents, small properties being pulled together particularly quickly.”
Emma said she thinks second home owners should be taxed – that would be one way to tackle the growing problem she says.
“We should be taxing people more for having second homes and vacation rentals. It is extraordinary that during the pandemic Airbnb owners can claim £10,000 in grants for loss of profit,” she added .
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