The debate over second homes in Wales is as heated as ever, with locals in some of the country’s most scenic areas saying they simply cannot afford to buy where they grew up, while second home owners claim they are being made to feel like the enemy.
In parts of rural Wales, particularly in Gwynedd and Pembrokeshire, house prices have been pushed well beyond what local wages can support. Young people who were born and raised in these communities are finding themselves priced out, forced to either rent indefinitely or move away entirely. For many, the dream of owning a home in the village or town where their family has lived for generations feels increasingly out of reach.
The Welsh Government has taken steps to tackle the issue. Councils now have the power to charge up to 300% council tax on second homes, a significant financial hit designed to discourage people from snapping up properties purely as holiday retreats or investment assets. Some local authorities have gone ahead and applied the maximum premium, while others have taken a more cautious approach.
But second home owners are pushing back. Many argue they contribute to local economies, spending money in shops, restaurants and local businesses, particularly during the summer months when tourism is the lifeblood of many Welsh coastal and rural communities. Some say they have owned their properties for decades and feel they are now being scapegoated for a housing crisis that has much deeper roots.
One owner, who has had a cottage in Snowdonia for over 20 years, said the atmosphere in the village has changed noticeably. She described feeling unwelcome when visiting and said locals who once chatted freely now barely acknowledge her. “I understand the frustration,” she said, “but I’m not the reason the housing market is broken.”
That sentiment is not shared by everyone in these communities. Local campaigners argue that every property sitting empty for most of the year is one less home available for a family who actually needs it. In villages where a significant chunk of housing stock is owned by people who live elsewhere, schools lose pupils, Welsh language communities lose speakers, and the social fabric starts to unravel.
Cymraeg campaigners have been particularly vocal, pointing out that in Welsh-speaking heartlands, the loss of young residents is not just a housing issue but a cultural and linguistic one. When young Welsh speakers cannot afford to stay, the language loses ground in the very places it has historically been strongest.
The Welsh Government introduced a tourism tax, often called a visitor levy, which is set to give councils the ability to charge visitors for overnight stays. Supporters say this could help fund affordable housing and local services. Critics, including parts of the tourism industry, worry it could put visitors off and damage businesses that are already struggling after a difficult few years.
Planning rules have also been tightened in some areas, with new restrictions making it harder to convert residential properties into short-term holiday lets without planning permission. The idea is to stop landlords quietly shifting homes out of the long-term rental market and onto platforms like Airbnb, where returns can be far higher.
Housing charities in Wales say the measures are a step in the right direction but warn they are not enough on their own. The fundamental problem, they argue, is a lack of genuinely affordable housing being built in rural areas. Without a serious increase in social housing and affordable homes to buy, even getting rid of every second home would not solve the crisis.
For young people in places like the Llyn Peninsula or the Brecon Beacons, the politics can feel distant from the reality of scrolling through property listings and seeing houses sell for three or four times what they could ever borrow. Some have given up entirely on buying locally. Others are holding on, hoping something changes.
What is clear is that Wales is trying harder than most parts of the UK to confront the second homes issue head on. Whether the policies being put in place will actually shift the balance back towards local buyers remains to be seen. The resentment on both sides, however, is very real and it is not going away anytime soon.