A tourist town has declared war with second home-owners who have driven up property prices and left locals unable to buy or rent.
Whitby – where Bram Stoker found inspiration for his horror novel Dracula – is famed for its cobbled streets and coastal charm.
But the North Yorkshire seaside town has become a mecca for second home owners and holiday lets, with one in three properties now having no permanent residents.
Furious locals accused staycationers of ‘killing the community’ after snapping up properties, preventing local families from getting their feet on the ladder.
Linda Wild, Whitby’s former mayor, said the fishing port had now reached breaking point.
Whitby is famed for its cobbled streets and coastal charm but locals declared war with second home-owners who have driven up property prices and left them unable to buy or rent
Ken Dryden (pictured), 73, runs ice cream and souvenir shop K&S Dryden, with his son Sam, 48
‘You’ve got one house, why is that not enough? Whitby ice cream shop owner Sam Dryden
On Monday, there were only one property (pictured) on Rightmove available for long-term rental across the whole of Whitby – an £800-a-month two bed cottage with no parking
A shut-down shop in Whitby, where locals accused staycationers of ‘killing the community’
She said: ‘Where I live, 90% of the neighbouring houses are holiday lets or second homes.
‘Every Friday night, I can hear the rattle of suitcase wheels on the pavement.
‘And I get it – Whitby’s beautiful. I can stand outside my house and look over the harbour and it’s glorious.
‘Of course people want to come here. But our community is dying because the local population can’t get a look in.
‘When kids come back from university, they either have to live with their parents or move out of area. That’s their only option because there’s nowhere for them to live.
‘It’s not just buying, it’s renting – there’s hardly anything available and when it is, it’s not affordable, because of the demand.
‘It’s the best part of a grand a month to rent something small.
‘How are people going to be able to save for a mortgage when they’re paying that every month?
‘There have always been second homes and holiday lets here but it’s just gone through the roof. There are streets with barely anyone living their full-time.
‘It’s just not sustainable.
‘Young adults are living with their parents because there’s just nowhere else to go. They’ve no choice, unless it’s to leave.
‘Many locals can’t afford to buy or rent, even if they want to.
‘A lot of the people working in Whitby have been forced to live outside the town and bus back in every day.
‘It’s quite tragic, really. These are people who are Whitby born and bred, whose lives are here and their friends are here. Yet they can’t get a place to live because so many houses are second homes or holiday lets.’
Tourists visit the beautiful Whitby Abbey which has steps leading up from town centre
Robert Smith (pictured) at the estate agent Richardson and Smith said there has been little sign yet of second home owners looking to sell up in Whitby
A general view of people visiting the Cornish Bakery in Whitby, North Yorkshire
‘All the rest are owned by out-of-towners’ says Whitby local Tony Locker (pictured), aged 65
More than 34% of homes in Whitby have no usual resident, a study of records from 2021 shows. More than 21% are second homes or holiday lets.
In 2022, the town voted 92% in favour of reserving new-builds and additional housing for those who live in the town full time.
The frustration is so great that North Yorkshire Council is doubling council tax for second home owners next year.
On Monday, there were only one property on Rightmove available for long-term rental across the whole of Whitby – an £800-a-month two bed cottage with no parking.
Looking along Church Street, which runs parallel to the River Esk, Tony Locker, 65, said: ‘When I was brought up here, you’d have 100 kids playing out.
‘There’s none now because they are all holiday lets. All the rest are owned by out-of-towners.
‘People love coming here and we don’t mind that – but people having second homes squeezes out the locals. They don’t get a look in.
‘I don’t agree with people coming to Whitby having two homes. They’re just killing the community.’
According to Rightmove, the average house price in Whitby is £259,207 – 9% up on the 2021 peak of £238,267.
While still below the national average, locals mainly reliant on lower-paid hospitality and retail jobs – often on zero hour contracts – say they are unable to compete for properties.
In the 1990s, a three-bed house on Church Street would have cost around £30,000. Currently a cottage on the road, at the foot of steps to the famous abbey, is being marketed for £495,000.
Mike Hobson, 27, is among a lucky few able to step on to the property ladder. After living with his girlfriend Josie’s parents, the couple were last year able to buy a 10% shared ownership stake in a new-build two-bed house on the outskirts of the town.
The Mike and Josie, 29, then pay £477 a month in rent on the remaining 90%.
Mike, who runs Whitby Coastal Cruises, said he felt ‘relieved’ to finally buy a house thanks to help from family members.
He said: ‘We’re really lucky because a lot of our friends are stuck. I lot of people I know have moved 15 miles away where the houses are half the price. And then it’s a 30 minute commute into Whitby twice a day.
‘Every free house is going up as a holiday let. Even houses nowhere near the centre. There are houses being bought two miles out of town as holiday lets. I can understand it by the harbour, but two miles out of town is crazy.
‘There needs to be a cap on it so there’s housing for the locals.
‘There are still people my age, and older, living with their parents. They haven’t got a hope of getting anywhere because they can’t compete.’
At CaSi Laundry and cleaning services, Lisa Hall and Julie Farndale’s bread and butter trade is servicing the estimated 3,211 holiday lets, second homes and self-catering businesses.
But the friends admit that while good for business, the impact of holiday lets and second homes has changed their town.
There is a 42% surplus in secondary school places in Whitby and one of three schools has been earmarked for closure over low pupil numbers.
Lisa, 45, said: ‘ I grew up knowing everyone on the street. There’s only two families there now. It’s all holiday lets and second homes.
‘It does need to change or there won’t be any locals left.
‘Where I live now, the house attached to me is a holiday let. But you’d never imagine in a million years a holiday let on that street. They’re springing up everywhere.
‘All the back alleys are holiday lets. They’re everywhere.’
The sun shines over Whitby town, harbour and abbey – which is a popular seaside tourist spot
People shopping on Church Street, in Whitby, North Yorkshire
At CaSi Laundry and cleaning services, Lisa Hall (left) and Julie Farndale (right) service the estimated 3,211 holiday lets, second homes and self-catering
North Yorkshire Council’s ‘second home premium’ charge – which will see council tax double for second home owners – aims to free up homes and put them back into local use
Julie, 50, said the impact of tourism had caused a premium not just with house prices, but also eating and drinking out.
She said: ‘It’s so expensive to go out in Whitby.
‘The prices need to come down – for everything, not just houses. Fish and chips used to be a cheap tea. Now it’s £15 a go.
‘We’re paying their prices – for the one week a year they’re here.
‘We don’t go out in Whitby any more. It’s still not fair on people who live here. We’re being penalised.
‘You go in the pub and you don’t know anyone in there. I used to go out on a Sunday afternoon and know everybody. But not now.’
North Yorkshire Council’s ‘second home premium’ charge – which will see council tax double for second home owners – aims to free up homes and put them back into local use.
The changes led to one couple this week complaining that they face having to sell up their second property, bought for £150,000 in 2010 and rented out to holidaymakers.
Fiona Wilson, 66, and her husband David, 68, who lives 40 miles away in Potto, North Yorks, blasted the changes as ‘punitive’ and said the tax would deprive them of their dream of retiring by the sea.
Fiona, a former teacher, said: ‘I have no problem paying tax but on this occasion, this is a punitive tax. We can afford to pay the double tax – we just think it’s very unfair.’
But the couple’s woe received little sympathy from locals in Whitby.
The Card Shop in Whitby pictured here deserted and shut down
An empty shop after it closed down in the coastal North Yorkshire town of Whitby
Furious locals accused staycationers of ‘killing the community’ in Whitby after snapping up properties, preventing local families from getting their feet on the ladder
Julie added: ‘If you’ve got the money to buy a second home, you should have the money to pay the tax.
‘I agree with what the council are doing but they should have done it a long time ago. It’s not been fair on the people in this town. It’s a popular holiday resort but the locals can’t afford to live here.’
Discussing the Wilson’s anger with customers at her town centre jewellery stall, Rosalyn, who didn’t want to give her surname, said: ‘I just think if they love Whitby that much, then why don’t they move here and make it their permanent residence.
‘I can’t stand this ‘I’m hard done by, I live in Potto and can’t have my second house in Whitby’.
‘If they like Whitby so much, then sell up and live here.’
Ken Dryden, 73, runs ice cream and souvenir shop K&S Dryden, with his son Sam, 48.
But while grateful for the tourism which sustains his small business, the pair admitted there was a balance to be struck between the needs of locals and the need for visitors.
Ken said: ‘It’s a two-way thing. This is a touristy town – if there were no holiday people in the flats and cottages, then the local economy would really suffer.
‘But you’ve got young people here who can’t get a house for love nor money. So there are no winners.’
Sam added: ‘Second homes are the real problem. That’s what people really hate.
‘You’ve got one house, why is that not enough? You can only be in one place at a time.
‘Shops like ours suffer because people are only living them two or three times a year.’
From next April, changed introduced by chancellor Jeremy Hunt will mean that owners of furnished holiday lets will no longer be able to get full tax relief on mortgage interest payments from their rental income.
The move will also end capital gains tax discounts for sellers of holiday homes.
Robert Smith at the estate agent Richardson and Smith said there has been little sign yet of second home owners looking to sell up in Whitby.
He said: ‘Without a doubt in my lifetime Whitby has changed immensely. It’s gone from buckets, spades and sticks of rock to tasty, middle-class weekend break territory.
‘We had that halcyon period after Covid when seemingly everyone wanted to move here.
‘We’ve not seen much of an impact yet from the second home premium or the chancellor’s announcement – there’s still a strong demand for holiday lets and second homes.
‘But I greatly expect that there will be an increase of properties returning to the market.
‘The issue is who will buy those properties? Will it be property companies who have already amassed units and can gobble up the increased costs – or will it be local residents?’
Michael King, clerk to Whitby Town Council, added: ‘At the moment we don’t have any data to suggest what will happen.
‘But, anecdotally, there are people who say they can’t afford to keep their second home.
‘It remains to be seen but undoubtedly there’s a very strong feeling that affordable housing isn’t available for local people, especially younger people who want to move from the family home to their own home.
‘We know that a lot of businesses rely on tourism income. Nobody is saying we want to eliminate people staying in Whitby short-term. It’s about having a balance where people can find local homes.’