Council tax: Clampdown causes fears for UK homeowners as cap increased by 300% | Personal Finance | Finance

“For too long, prices in picturesque Wales have likely been inflated by second-home owners and those seeking to let their properties for holidaymakers – many from London and other major cities – which has pushed them even further beyond the reach of locals.

“However, markets never work as simply as that and the Welsh Government needs to be careful it isn’t creating a larger problem if the change contributes to a reduction in supply, pushing property prices even higher.”

In England, there are hundreds of thousands of homes being left empty for more than six months.

In total, these have reached more than 235,000 properties, with some being owned by second homeowners who are only using them for part of the year.