11,000 properties become holiday lets

MORE than 11,000 second-home owners in England have flipped their properties to become holiday lets since the start of the pandemic, to capitalise on soaring demand for staycations.

New analysis of government figures by real estate advisers Altus Group showed that the number of holiday homes trading as businesses has jumped by more than a fifth since the pandemic hit. The data shows that there are now 67,578 homes in England classified as holiday homes which have been flipped to become commercial premises, compared with 56,102 properties in March last year.

Restrictions on travel to other countries has resulted in a surge in demand for domestic holidays, particularly in 2021.

Almost 4,000 homes have been flipped in the South West since the start of the pandemic, amid record visitor numbers in Cornwall and Devon.

Meanwhile, the South East also saw a significant rise in the number of new holiday retreats, with a 27.2% rise, or 1,458 properties, over the period.