Cornwall residents have been told how they can report people who own properties that they do not live in, as part of a drive to limit second homes. From April 1, Cornwall Council will double council tax for second properties and holiday lets in a bid to free homes for locals and to raise income to reinvest in public services.
The council hopes to raise around £24 million from the measures. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act allows local authorities to add the premium rate onto council tax and is best suited to popular tourist locations that have seen a boom in second home ownership in recent years. Cornwall currently has more second homes than anywhere else in the country, a figure that continues to rise.
As of December 2024, the county had 14,123 known second homes according to government figures, but this could be higher in reality.
This figure is an increase of 1,000 properties when compared to the year before.
The figure represents 1 in every 19 homes in the county being used as a holiday let or second property, limiting the supply of affordable housing to locals.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government defines a second home as properties that are unlived in but are fully furnished. This can include holiday lets or so-called “buy to leave” properties, which are bought as an investment vehicle.
The council is relying on members of the public to help them identify properties eligible for the premium tax.
Speaking to Cornwall Live, one local said: “I am sure there are many Cornish residents who would like to report that their neighbours’ properties are second homes, but there is no way to do this.
“How is Cornwall Council going to collect these much-needed additional funds for the county if it doesn’t have a method for registering or reporting a second home?
“We have two neighbours either side of us that are second homes and not holiday lets. They pay less council tax than us. Surely Cornwall Council should have a report portal? There is no way people will voluntarily sign up to double council tax.”
In response, a council spokesperson said: “The best thing to do is to use the ‘Contact Us Form.’ They won’t need an account number but will need to tell us who they are and the address of the property they believe is a second home. They can log it under the ‘I want to enquire about something else’ option as they won’t need to provide a date of change.
“The council will be doing further checks on properties over the coming months to pick these properties out. They may be registered as a holiday let, however the Valuation Office Agency carries out the checks on these and the owners will need to provide evidence to them or will lose their status.”
