Waiting lists soar in second-home hotspots

Affordable housing waiting lists are soaring in second home hotspots, new figures show today. Waiting lists have increased by more than 60 per cent during the past five years in areas where there is high second home ownership. The increase in the number of people waiting to access affordable housing has jumped 115 per cent in the City of London, where one in four properties is owned by someone who does not live there fulltime, although the majority of areas hit by the problem are in rural locations. The National Housing Federation called on the government to find additional ways of freeing up more public land for affordable housing.