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We’re the second homes capital
Figures show how little-used properties are adding to housing shortage problem
WESTMINSTER has more second homes than any other borough in the whole of the country, according to new government figures.
Nearly 8,000 properties are classified as second homes – some of which sit empty for most of the year.
While many wealthy business people, politicians and high-ranking civil servants choose the borough for its location and relatively low council tax, the figure has come as a surprise to many.
It has also raised questions over what the council can do to limit the number of second home-owners flocking to central London at a time when 10,000 people are waiting for a council house.
Westminster dwarfs more traditional “cottage in the country” destinations, such as Cornwall, which has 4,000 second homes, Devon, 1,626 and the Cotswolds, 1,399, although they have been in steady decline since peaking in the housing boom year of 2004, when there were 11,000.
MP for Regent’s Park and Kensington North, Karen Buck, said the figure was “surprising”.
“Obviously there is no law about buying second homes, and they are legally owned, but ideally it wouldn’t be that high,” she added. “I think it adds something to the housing shortage debate.
“What it really tells you is that while we have a severe housing shortage in central London, it is not because we don’t have the buildings. It’s about distribution. There’s nothing the council can really do about it, but I would say it is something we need to keep an eye on.”
Housing chiefs do not have the power to prevent properties standing as second homes, but they say they have introduced measures to bring vacant private sector homes back into use.
In the past 18 months, 350 homes have been made available through such action – a small gain given estimates suggest there are around 3,000 vacant private sector homes that have suffered from a shortage of buyers.
Carl Upsall, chairman of the Marylebone Association, said: “I think Mayfair is the worst area for this because everyone in the tycoon range wants to have a W1 postcode. We get the backlash of this in Marylebone. It is still a W1 address that can be added to a portfolio of properties.”
Rosemary Westbrook, Westminster Council’s director for housing, said: “The council is not in a position where it can stop people owning second homes.
“What we do is to bring back long-term empty private sector homes into use to stop them becoming targets for squatters or vandals and also to increase the supply of affordable housing.
“Every year, the council helps a number of landlords through several schemes such as awarding grants to transform a rundown property in return for the right to nominate tenants in need of affordable housing to live at the house or flat.
“Westminster also provides advice about renting, selling or leasing schemes run by the council or their partner organisations, but will also take firm enforcement action if this approach fails.”
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