The variety of second houses on the market in a Welsh county has trebled since council tax elevated by 200%.
There have been 135 Pembrokeshire second houses in the marketplace in July, in comparison with 38 the earlier yr, newest figures point out.
An property agent mentioned homes had been happening to the market on the highest charge this century, and it was damaging the tourism trade.
Nevertheless, campaigners pointed to the seaside city of Newport, the place 30% of properties are second houses, and referred to as for a authorized act to present locals the suitable to purchase.
New guidelines had been launched by the Welsh authorities with the intention of constructing it simpler for folks to afford houses within the space the place they grew up.
To assist obtain this, powers got to native authorities to cost a premium of as much as 300% on high of the conventional council tax charge for many who personal a second residence in Wales.
It has turn into a thorny difficulty, particularly in coastal areas and sweetness spots alongside the west coast.
Cyngor Gwynedd has lengthy been accused of “taking part in Russian roulette” by vacation residence homeowners and tourism boards after it imposed a 150% premium on council tax for these properties.
Earlier this yr, it went a step additional and introduced plans for any new second houses to be topic to planning consent, with these guidelines coming into power on 1 September.
It argued that the world confronted a “big housing disaster”, with many younger folks backing the transfer, saying rich second residence homeowners had been pricing them out of the market.
Different councils to cost a premium embrace Anglesey and Conwy, the place the additional charge is 100%.
This is identical as Ceredigion – nevertheless, it would rise to 150% in 2025.
In Carmarthenshire, second residence homeowners pay 50% extra.
However Pembrokeshire went additional than all of them – introducing the 200% council tax premium in April – tripling payments.
Homeowners can keep away from paying the premium for as much as a yr by placing their houses up on the market.
The variety of second houses on sale within the county as of 1 July was up by 97 in 12 months – a rise of 255%.
Council figures present there are actually 3,271 properties registered as second houses, down from 3,364 in 2023.
These listed as self catering vacation items have additionally dropped from 2,621 to 2,425.
Hedd Ladd Lewis, a campaigner for housing market reform, mentioned the rise within the variety of second houses on sale was “encouraging”, however questioned whether or not native folks may afford them.
“What we now have is an open market and native individuals who earn wages – on common round £28,000 a yr – will be unable to compete [for houses],” he mentioned.
He lives in Newport, the place 30% of the properties are second houses or vacation lets.
“There’s a big injustice on the subject of the housing market and we have to see some type of property act which is able to be certain that the local people has a authorized proper to a home,” he added.
However Neil Evans, the proprietor of West Wales Properties property brokers, mentioned the council tax premium has had a “big affect”, particularly in locations resembling St Davids and Newport.
“We’re seeing properties come in the marketplace at such a quantity that I’ve by no means seen in 30 years,” he added.
“[Second home owners] should buy a property on the opposite aspect of the Severn Bridge and have none of this.
“I feel what we’re discovering usually is that it’s affected the vacation commerce as properly.”
Emma Downey, who owns Tides Kitchen and Wine Bar in Newport, Pembrokeshire, mentioned as properly there being a excessive variety of properties in the marketplace, customer numbers to the city additionally fell over the summer season.
“Individuals who have second houses listed below are desperately offended on the expenses they’re now dealing with, and lots of them merely are placing them in the marketplace as a result of they’ve had sufficient,” she advised BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
She mentioned the city wanted a mix of native folks, holidaymakers and second residence homeowners “to allow us to run our companies efficiently”.
She additionally referred to as for extra inexpensive houses to be constructed to unravel the housing disaster.
“What we actually don’t need… are all these houses going in the marketplace and sitting there empty. That’s not going to assist anyone,” she mentioned.
Aled Thomas, an area Conservative councillor who opposes the premium, mentioned: “Tourism is without doubt one of the issues that brings cash into the financial system, however individuals are going out of enterprise due to these insurance policies.
“What we have to do is to construct extra homes.
“Solely round 20 to 30 homes have been constructed by the council within the final 30 years and that’s disgraceful.”