Following the government’s announcement that it will abolish the furnished holiday lettings (FHL) regime, Howden Insurance conducted a study to identify the areas in England and Wales with the highest density of holiday homes.  

Using data sourced from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the study pinpoints the regions across the UK boasting the highest concentration of holiday homes when compared to total residential properties in each area.  

The Isles of Scilly, an archipelago off the coast of Cornwall, claims the title of England and Wales’ holiday home hotspot. With 65 holiday lets compared to a total of 1,300 dwellings, they account for 5% of the area's residential properties.  

Second in the ranking is South Hams, a government district on the south coast of Devon. This area has a total of 2,050 holiday homes to 46,525 total residential properties - resulting in an overall percentage of 4.4%. Gwynedd, a county in northwest Wales is the area with the third most holiday homes, with a total of 2,590 to 63,220 total residences - equating to 4.1%.   

In fourth place is North Norfolk, where there are 2,195 holiday homes to 56,680 total residences, which results in a percentage of 3.9%. The Isle of Anglesey, an Island on the north coast of Wales came fifth with a total of 1,190 holiday homes to 36,215 total dwellings, equivalent to 3.3%.