Welsh councils will be able to limit the number of second homes in their towns and villages, the Labor government has announced.
Under the new plan, homeowners who want to offer short-term vacation rentals, such as through Airbnb, will also require a license.
Announcing the measures at a joint press conference with Plaid Cymru, Mark Drakeford, Wales’ first Labor minister, said having “too many holiday properties and second homes” was not creating “healthy local communities”.
It is the latest move against second home owners in the UK after English local authorities were given the power to double council tax bills for a second home that is not used or rented out for at least 70 days a year.
On-the-spot inspections of holiday homes in England have also been announced to ensure health and safety rules are followed and to deter anti-social behavior by visitors.
Local authorities in Wales have already been given the power to increase council tax on second homes by 300 per cent from next year.
One of the new ways councils across the country will restrict second homes is through changes to planning regulations which will create three classes of property: primary home; second home; and accommodation for short-term holidays.
Welsh local authorities will then be able to make changes to the planning system to require planning permission for a change of use from one class to another.
Mr Drakeford said he was introducing measures to ensure local people could afford to live in their own communities.
“There is no simple solution”
He added: “We have a shared ambition for Wales to be a nation of thriving communities – a country that people don’t have to leave to find good and rewarding work and a country that people want to visit and live.
“Tourism is vital to our economy, but having too many holiday properties and second homes that are empty for most of the year does not contribute to healthy local communities and pushes people out of the local housing market.
“There is no simple solution to these problems. Every action we take must be fair. We don’t want to create unintended consequences that could destabilize the wider housing market or make it harder for people to rent or buy.”
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