Cornwall's housing crisis – not what it seems

ITV had a recent item examining the housing crisis in Cornwall.  But as with many reports by journalists it gave only a partial picture. 

 

The Home Choice Register

Firstly, the term ‘waiting list’ is out of date. The term now used is Home Choice Register.  It records the number of households who for various reasons would like a property.  To some extent it is the public sector equivalent of the number of households seeking to purchase a property.  In the period May 2024-April 2025 sales were estimated at 6,900. [https://llcoproperty.com/letting/may-2025-monthly-market-report-for-cornwall/]

 

There is a common perception that the Home choice register figures can be treated as the number of new dwellings required.  This is a simplistic approach. The majority of households on the register already live in a property, what they need is a different type of property.  Some may require a change due to health/disability issues; others need a larger home while for some a move to a smaller dwelling is appropriate. Some households will be on the register due to rent or mortgage payment problems or are under threat of eviction. 

 

So different solutions are required to resolve these issues and in the majority of cases the answer is not to build a new property.  Obviously in some cases people are in dire straits and accommodation needs to be found to alleviate these households.

 

The usual answer, particularly from the Government is that more dwellings need to be built.  But….

 

What about unused properties?

The report also fails to note one factor causing housing issues – the high level of second homes and holiday lets in Cornwall. If we look at the data we find that there a total of 35,000 unused properties in Cornwall. Using three sources - census data, the Council tax base and business rates data, results in the following breakdown of the census total of 35,060.

The figures are:

Empty homes = 6,279 [18%] CTB.

Second homes = 11,455 [33%] Census.

Holiday lets = 9,500 [27%] Business rates.

Other 2nd/hol lets = 2,187 [6%] Difference between CTB and census figure.

Other = 5,639 [16%]. Remainder.

If we assume 2nd /holiday lets include the 2,187, together they total 23,142 or 8% of the total.

What the Other figure consists of is unknown – more holiday lets may be hidden in this total

 

Market and state failure

We can see that the housing market operates to provide dwellings but not necessarily for people to live in. This suggests that state intervention is needed here.  Unless changes are made Cornwall will continue with a three-tier housing system with an affluent minority living or owning high value properties; a majority making do and getting by; and another minority in straitened circumstances with none or inadequate housing.

What is to be done?

Options include changing the use classes system to ensure that properties are used for residential rather than non-residential use.  A policy to return properties to the residential sector could play a significant role. The scope for social housing to meet need is significant.

 

Anyone who asserts that building more dwellings will reduce prices and rents is totally unaware of how the system works.  Developers seek to build for profit not need and the web of businesses and organisations is geared to profit seeking not meeting housing need. So we need a more regulated market in terms of the type of dwellings constructed and the use of existing properties. The system should be geared to the situation in Cornwall not elsewhere such that prices reflect local income levels rather than those of people buying dwellings for second homes, holiday lets or investments. 

 

A Cornish devolution deal would be integral in creating the framework for appropriate policy initiatives.

 

 

Notes

“The number of households on local authority housing registers (commonly known as waiting lists) is not the same as the number of households waiting for social housing. Local authorities periodically review their registers to remove households who no longer require housing, and the frequency of these reviews varies between local authorities. In addition, some households may be counted on the housing register of more than one local authority. It is therefore likely that the total number of households on housing registers will overstate the number of households who still require social housing at any one time.

 

These figures exclude existing council tenants seeking a transfer, but include existing tenants of other social housing providers seeking a transfer."

[Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2025].

 

 

Sources

Lang Llewellyn, (June 2025), https://llcoproperty.com/letting/may-2025-monthly-market-report-for-cornwall/

 

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, (June 2025), Live Table 600: Number of households on local authority housing registers (waiting lists).

 

 

West Country ITV, (2025), https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2025-07-30/unsuitable-and-inaccessible-investigating-cornwalls-housing-crisis