Staycation boom forces tenants out of seaside resort homes
The potentially innocuous vehicle of Airbnb features as a significant disrupter in this weeks Hinterland. In And Finally you will read how it is putting Cornwall ahead of London in the visitor stakes. Here it is a driver of a less savoury impact for those seeking long term rented accommodation in staycation hotspots. This story tells us:
The lockdown shackles are off. The great half-term getaway began with predictable traffic chaos on Friday night as Britons finally got the chance to escape to the seaside.
But some people living in the resorts are being forced to head in the opposite direction along the clogged-up roads, priced out of their homes by a coastal housing crisis that has been turbocharged by the pandemic.
Landlords in popular seaside destinations are favouring holidaymakers over long-term tenants, leading to a catastrophic shortage of homes. Cornwall currently has more than 10,290 active Airbnb listings. Yet, in comparison, the housing website Rightmove had only 62 properties available to rent across the whole county on Friday evening.
Renters in seaside towns are facing unprecedented competition, with some landlords in Cornwall, Kent and Norfolk given the choice between up to 80 prospective tenants chasing a dwindling number of properties.