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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Laura Clements & Michele Theil

Second-home owner selling up because he feels 'unwelcome' due to tax changes

A second-home owner is selling his property due to changes by the Welsh Government for rentals and council tax, saying he feels 'unwelcome' in the area.

Stanley, who is from Derbyshire, has a second home in Pembroke and has owned the home for 17 years but is now putting it on the market, he told WalesOnline.

The new rules mean Stanley will have to pay double or triple the council tax he has been paying before.

Current guidelines state properties can be rented out for 70 days of the year to exempt them from paying a council tax premium that second-home owners are usually subjected to.

Are you a second-home owner in Wales selling up? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk with your story

Stanley says renting his home out for 182 days is "unachievable" (Mark Lewis)

Next April, the guidelines will change to increase the threshold to 182 days.

Stanley lets out his property for 12 weeks every year, meaning he will not meet the 182-day threshold.

He said: "Basically, I don't think I've got any other option. The Welsh Government is being short-sighted."

"To have to pay double all of a sudden, it's just not something I want to do. I do think it's very sad."

Stanley is asking the government to create a more "inclusive environment" (Mark Lewis)

Stanley spends around a third of his time at his home in Pembrokeshire and argued that renting out his home for 182 days of the year is "totally unachievable".

"The predominant reason people go to Pembrokeshire is for beach holidays in the summer. It might be feasible to meet 182 days in the hotspots... but not elsewhere."

He argued that he'd be "quite happy to pay my way in council tax, but not at 300%."

Many second-home owners are now selling their properties due to the new rules (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

Stanley explained that the Welsh Government should be promoting a "more inclusive environment" for second home owners by encouraging them "to let their properties... to generate tourism in Pembrokeshire, but for a more achievable amount of days per year," arguing that second-home owners widely contribute to the local economy.

"I won't be venturing back to Wales. I've never felt so unwelcome," he said.

Stanley's property is now on sale for £270,000 with West Wales Properties. The estate agency said there has been an increase in the number of previous second-homes being sold as the owners are 'anxious about meeting the threshold" and fewer second-home buyers.

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