Our village is becoming a ghost town as greedy ‘DFLs’ turn homes into Airbnbs

Описание: WITH gorgeous views of the quay and rows upon rows of picture-postcard houses, it is no surprise that Bosham has been dubbed England's answer to Venice.

But residents of the scenic West Sussex village have been left infuriated by wealthy Londoners who have purchased second homes - only to leave them unoccupied for years.

It's a problem that has plagued Bosham for years now - in 2021, it was named one of the hotspots for empty houses in the Chichester district.

Locals here have coined a phrase for second home owners who snap up homes and disappear - DFL, meaning Down From London.

During the summer and school holidays, hoards of tourists descend on the historical village, likened to The Hamptons, to enjoy sailing and sightseeing - but leave streets of empty accommodations when they depart.

Some fed-up locals point out houses that have barely been used in years, explaining it takes homes away from people who have lived in Bosham all their lives while driving up the property market.

First-time mum and seamstress Sophie Green, 34, on a stroll with her newborn, tells us: "We live in a rented property and there are about 11 houses in our close vicinity that are empty.

"Some of them are used for Airbnb, which is great because there are people enjoying it. A couple of them just sit there empty all the time. There’s such a lack of community. I think it’s a really sad thing.

"I think those owners should be quite ashamed. They are using up an area that could offer people a home and an amazing community and pricing people out of the property market.”

As of January this year, the average house price in the area is £841,000, a rise of 32.8 per cent from the previous year, according to On The Market.

When The Sun visited on a gloomy day, we saw dozens of homes that appeared unoccupied.

This is despite Chichester District Council's move to charge a 100 per cent premium on council tax on homes under its control left unoccupied for two or more years.

One resident who has lived in Bosham for five years and wished to remain anonymous says second home ownership is problematic when it becomes an "industry".

He says: "They make the place feel dead and these could be spaces for other people to live in.

"There are a lot of people from this area who can’t afford to get houses because it’s being bought and used for Airbnb. It creates a less vibrant community.

"It’s all good when you have tourists there but when they leave, you have big empty homes. You can go to the pub on a Friday and there’d be no one there.”

Retired nurse Karen Hughes, 60, who has lived in the town for 27 years explains that although there are many empty homes in the town, there are still plans to build more homes.

Read more: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2148792...

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