Second home owners in Wales have been accused of side stepping council tax bills by listing their properties for sale with no intention of selling….
… Carol Peett, of West Wales Property Finders http://www.westwalespropertyfinders.co.uk, said second home owners faced with “astronomical bills” in hotspots such as Tenby were taking advantage of the exemption.
She said: “Most are doing it just to defer things – they have little intention of selling.
“I’ve shown people houses who’ve put in a cheap offer and the vendor just laughed at them. “They’re thinking ‘there’s no way we’re accepting a low offer – we don’t need to sell, we’re just, you know, putting it on’.
“A lot of it is speculative, so if they get a really good offer they may sell, but generally it’s just to defer having to pay anything.
“There’s no way young local families can afford them.”
Rhys Jordan, of Nested Pembrokeshire, said: “All these homes are going on the market out of reach for local people and then just sticking.
“The second home owners are thinking, ‘right, sod it, we’ll stick it on the market, get an exemption and save some money’….. “There’s nothing stopping people using a property website who are going to list you for free. And that’s it. You’ve got your brochure, you apply to the council and boom, you get your exemption.”
The Telegraph – Sunday, 15th September 2024 – https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/property/second-homes/second-homeowners-use-loophole-avoid-300pc-council-tax/
If you are looking for a property in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire or Ceredigion, give West Wales Property Finders a call on 01834 862816. We can find the perfect property for you whilst saving you time, stress and often money too.
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