Second homes and living costs force out young buyers

Second homes and the rising cost of living could make it harder for young people to stay in their community, a market expert has warned.

There are fears higher bills could mean some mortgage companies offer less to young buyers.

Housing is the issue at the forefront of many voters' minds ahead of the council elections.

The political parties have all pledged to respond to the issue if elected, though the solution differs.

Anglesey has the third highest percentage of second homes in Wales, behind Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd.

While the figure is 8.25% of housing stock on Anglesey, it is far higher in some villages.

In Trearddur, 25.3% of the current housing stock is second homes. In Rhoscolyn it is 21.6% and in Moelfre, on the east of the island, 18.1%.

Welsh Labour, the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru have all acknowledged the need for change to help young people get on the housing ladder.

Llion Elis Thomas, 27, is currently living at home with his parents in Llangefni but wants to buy a house with his partner, but said that is becoming impossible.

"It's a massive challenge to buy locally," he said.

"At the moment, as the price of everything continues to rise, oil, petrol - there's just no stop on it really."

Llion said the rising cost of living and the second homes crisis has exacerbated the issue in Anglesey and said he would be looking to vote for the party that would make the biggest effort to get to grips with the issue.

"The way I see it, everyone has the right to buy a house and a home, but if you already have one, why do you need another when you're only going to be there for part of the year?" he said.

"It turns these villages into ghost towns, there's no community."

With the price of an average house in Wales now more than £233,000, there are fears the rising cost of living is making the situation in even harder for buyers like Llion.

"One of the questions asked on the [mortgage] application is what are your outgoings," said Owain Llywelyn, spokesperson for Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Wales.

"Gas, electric, food- if these are all higher, the money the company is going to offer you could be less.

"It's going to be hard for people to buy their first if not second home."

Welsh Labour said it wanted everyone to be "be able to afford to live in their local area".

A spokesperson said the party had "radical plans" which include building 20,000 more affordable homes for rent and capping the number of second homes in a community.

Plaid Cymru says its elected councillors will lobby for more affordable homes and increase second home tax and make better use of empty homes.

The Welsh Conservatives said they did not agree with a second home tax, saying they did not want to punish people for being able to afford more than one home.

A spokesperson said more needed to be done to make use of empty homes in Wales to increase the housing stock.