From Iceland — Majority Of The Public Oppose Vacation Homes

Majority Of The Public Oppose Vacation Homes

Published November 5, 2024

Photo by
Art Bicnick/The Reykjavík Grapevine

A recent survey indicates that 60% of people oppose the purchase of residential buildings as vacation homes. The poll was conducted by the Bifröst University Research Institute for Housing and Municipality Affairs, measuring the public’s attitudes towards housing developments. Low-income individuals were more likely to oppose the surge of vacation homes. According to Vífill Karlsson, head of the research institute, the results were surprising.

“Negative attitudes were more prevalent in places where the economy had suffered some sort of a recession, as opposed to places experiencing growth, which showed more positivity,” he said in a conversation with RÚV.

Approximately a third of all properties registered with the Housing and Construction Authority (HMS) are owned by individuals or companies with their main residences listed elsewhere.

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