Mark Dyson, 67, from near Birmingham, bought the property in Gwynedd with his wife in 1995, before spending roughly £100,000 on the refurbishment and maintenance of the house.
But in 2023, the council tax premium for second homes in Gwynedd rose from 100 to 150 per cent, with Gwynedd Council pledging to spend the extra money on addressing homelessness.
Council research revealed there were more than 500 fewer second homes in the county subject to the tax in November 2023, compared with November 2022.
Mark said: “My wife and I had hoped to pass the cottage on to our children and their children to enjoy, but didn’t feel the burden of a triple-cost council tax would be fair for them to bear.
“Yet according to estate agents, young couples preferred to wait on council housing lists, rather than buy and improve.
“Despite having no mains sewerage, no mains gas, and dwindling public services, our council tax trebled, which we were prepared to pay.
“What we couldn’t stomach was Welsh Government and Gwynedd Council blaming us for their lack of ability to build enough affordable housing.”
Mark, whose property was in Pwllheli, said he feels as though the council and Welsh Government are “alienating the very people who contribute to the economy”.
He added that, in his opinion, towns such as Pwllheli have suffered due to lack of investment.
“What really hurt was the fact that the council had this idea that we were taking homes from local people, and being classed as pariahs for it,” he said.
“You can’t have it both ways – you can’t expect people to pay triple the amount of tax, then say: ‘no, you shouldn’t have them’. We felt victimised for having a second home.
“It’s just so sad that, after all this time we’re being pushed out of an area that we love so much.”
In response, a Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “One of the main priorities of Cyngor Gwynedd is to ensure sustainable communities, and a sufficient supply and mix of housing that meets local needs.
“Communities throughout Gwynedd face significant pressure due to the shortage of adequate housing, as suggested by nearly 4,000 people currently on the social housing register and 993 households presenting as homeless to the council in 2023-24.
“The council has introduced measures such as the council tax premium on second homes and holiday lets, and Article 4 direction as part of measures to obtain better control of the existing housing stock.
“It is hoped that implementing a range of effective management mechanisms will be a means of controlling the impact of holiday homes on communities, and contribute towards meeting the housing needs of the county.
“The Article 4 direction is one of the tools available to the council to respond to the current housing crisis, alongside the council tax premium and other plans as set out in the council’s housing action plan.”
“That’s why we’ve introduced a balanced and innovative package of measures to increase housing supply and help tackle challenges associated with seasonal occupation.
“This includes working to deliver more homes and ensure people have access to decent and affordable homes to buy or rent in their own communities through a record investment of £340m in the social housing grant for 2024-25.
“We have also given more powers than ever before to local authorities to better manage the future number of second homes and short-term lets in our communities, and increased the maximum council tax premiums that local authorities can choose to apply to second homes and long-term empty properties and encourage them to use the premium revenue raised towards affordable housing solutions.”
