Number of second homes falls after legislation

The number of second homes in north Devon has dropped by almost 300, after new legislation was brought in last year.

The number of registered second homes fell to 1,893 compared to 2,192 previously. At a meeting, lead member for housing at North Devon Council councillor Graham Bell said the drop may be down to the second homes tax, which allowed councils to charge an additional 100% premium on bills.

It was introduced in April 2025 to help address the housing crisis by encouraging second homeowners to either sell or let their homes long term.

The authority said it had raised more than £3.4m in second home council tax with 10% being put back into local housing schemes.

The rest of the money went to Devon County Council, police and fire services and parish councils.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reports Bell told the council's Strategy and Resources Committee it was good news the 300 second homes had gone back into local housing stock but he could not be 100% sure it was because of changes in council tax or for some other reason.

In another report on empty homes, Bell said there were 960 homes in the district which had been vacant for three months or more which was 2% of north Devon's housing.

The authority has one empty homes officer (EHO) who identifies unoccupied and unfurnished homes and engages with the owners to try to bring them back into use, providing support such as low interest loans, and help and advice to landlords.

The council will be consulting the public on its homelessness prevention strategy over July and August, seeking views on its prevention, accommodation and support plans.

Figures have showd the district experienced the highest level of demand across the Devon districts during October to December 2025, with 288 homeless applications.

Numbers in temporary accommodation have reduced however, with 18 households now in B&Bs and more than 20 in the council's own accommodation.

Councillors were told the authority was almost a victim of its own success as its early intervention particularly with landlords was helping people avoid homelessness and more people were coming to the council for support.

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