Rise in Cornish holiday home repossessions creates squatting free for all

Soaring repossessions of Cornish second homes have resulted in an upsurge of squatting houses, flats and chalets around Cornwall, according to housing market observers.

'Families that were previously anticipating a ten year wait on the social housing register have simply moved into unoccupied properties, paying no rent, and saving themselves thousands of pounds a year. As Cornwall has the lowest wages in the UK, this is providing a real economic boost for the area.'

One Cornish holiday home squatter told rentfreecornwall that since they moved into their rural squatted holiday home a month ago, they had seen their disposable income rise significantly, and had started taking advantage of rising interest rates to set up a long term savings account with a view to buying a property. 'Though of course, after a certain period of time, I may be entitled to actually keep the house I'm squatting and not pay rent for,' claimed the squatter.

In villages where previously there had been up to 90 percent of houses unoccupied as empty holiday or second homes, there were now so many new residents squatting these holiday homes that the council was considering re-opening the village school. Post offices around Cornwall were also reporting brisk trade thanks to the increase in full-time working residents in the villages now squatting holiday homes in Cornwall.

Added the housing market observer: 'So many homes have now been repossessed, the banks and building societies simply can't keep up with who owns what and where all the properties are, and don't have the resources to find out who's squatting the holiday homes in Cornwall. It's a free for all.'