In Damgana small coastal town in Brittany, France, some time ago they began to paint their shutters red, blue or green, more colorful options than the white that has traditionally been used for facades. “We had them painted,” the mayor recognizesJean Marie-Labesse. That chromatic change may seem like a minor detail, but it says a lot about the challenges that the town faces. If you have decided to give the blinds a cheerful tone it is because Damgan It is a holiday town and many of its windows are closed almost all year round.
By giving a touch of color to the blinds, the City Council intends (at least aesthetically) that Damgan does not look like what it is: a town plunged into a comatose state almost all year round due to the weight of second homes.
A percentage: 74%. Damgan case made headlines in France just a year ago and, beyond the changes it may have experienced in recent months, it is interesting because it tells us about a phenomenon that affects many other tourist cities, both within France and in the rest of the world: the “boom” of the second residence at the expense of the habitual residence.
In the French town, yes, the trend is pronounced. Le Parisian assures that in 2025, 74% of homes were second homes, a percentage that reached almost 80% before the City Council took action on the matter.
From 1,900 to 30,000 inhabitants. In practice, this percentage translates into houses and more houses closed tight for most of the year, thousands of blinds drawn in a fade to white which the City Council has wanted to avoid. The data is eloquent. It is estimated that of the 4,000 homes of the town, 3,000 are second homes. Translated into inhabitants, this means that the town goes from just 1,900 residents in winter to 30,000 during July and August.
Why is it important? Because Damgan leaves a barbaric example of something else: how the imbalance between seasonal and stable housing ends up taking its toll on the city, even threatening some of its basic services, such as schools. Labesse remember For example, the year he became mayor (2014) only one baby was born in Damgan and one of the school classes that the town enjoys ended up hanging in the balance. “It’s something crucial for the people.”
Another front in which the overwhelming weight of vacation housing is felt is the real estate market. Le Parisian relates the case of a 50-year-old carpenter from the area who, after separating, was unable to find an apartment to move into. He has a good income, but that does not help him much.
“The workers can’t live here, they have to go 20 kilometers away. We are becoming a town for seniors,” regrets Hervé du Souichfrom ‘Les Volets Ouverts’, an initiative that allows locals to stay in empty houses without having to move outside of Damgan.
Beyond Damgan. The town in French Brittany is interesting for what it represents, but it is by no means a unique case. According to French Propertyin continental France there were 3.2 million second homes in 2021, almost 10% of the real estate stock. The vast majority are French citizens, especially on the coast, although there are also between 80,000 and 90,000 who belong to Britons. In certain regions of the Mediterranean, such as Languedoc-Roussillon or Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, holiday homes account for 14% of the stock.
Not far from Damgan are Carnac and La Trinité, where the percentage of second homes is around 72%. And a good part of that home, the Parisian newspaper states, is only used a few weeks a year. In Villard-de-Lansin Isère, two thirds of the homes function as second homes and the percentage is even higher in some towns in the region.
These data leave those seeking stable accommodation in a delicate situation, recognizes Labesse: “The problem is not so much the price as the lack of supply.”
Beyond France. France is not a unique case either. In London, second homes and empty houses are such a serious problem that the authorities are already they try to stop it using tax pressure.
According to the data managed in 2023 by the mayor’s office, in the British capital there had been some “30,000 empty homes” for a long time, with a high concentration in certain points, such as Kensington or Chelsea. Madison Trust Co. shows that there are areas of the US, such as Marinette-Iron Mountainin which more than 25% of residences are used seasonally or recreationally.
Well known in Spain. The phenomenon is well known in Spain. A sensitive part of the residential stock of Ibiza and Formentera, for example, are second homes. In 2023 Ibiza Diary needed that of the almost 86,000 properties in the Pitiusas, around 6,200 were inhabited sporadically and 18,300 were empty. In some cases the photo is more complex, such as in the town of Sant Joan, where 44% of the homes were considered non-main.
They are the cities with the blinds drawn.
A previous version of this article was published in July 2025.
Image | Mairie de Damgan
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