Cornwall is a second home hotspot

The number of second homes being bought in Cornwall has grown exponentially with an increase of 40 per cent since 2000.

There were 9,233 second homes in the area in 2000 which had risen to 13,221 in 2005 and most of these are left unoccupied for the majority of the year.

Jess Clark, from movingtocornwall.com, explained that the most popular properties in Cornwall are those beside the coast plus those that offer "something slightly out of the ordinary be it architecturally or location wise".

She said that demand exceeds supply for second homes perhaps because of the council tax exemptions enjoyed by people with two homes and as a result the company is wholeheartedly expecting that property prices in Cornwall are to rise.

You only need to pay 50 per cent of the council tax on a house which is not your main residence and in Wales this decreases to 25 per cent.

However pressure is mounting, especially from the Liberal Democrats, for this rule to end so that an estimated extra £5 million is pumped into Cornwall''s local economy to boost education and social services.


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