Eight key takeaways from French study into second homes in Brittany

France’s national statistics agency Insee has published a new study into second homes in Brittany and their owners.

Here are the most interesting findings:

1. Brittany is the French region with the fourth-highest percentage of second homes

Second homes represent 12% of all residences in Brittany (Bretagne), according to Insee, compared to 9% across the rest of France.
This means Brittany is the region with the fourth highest percentage of second homes after Corse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Occitanie.

2. The majority of second-home owners come from Brittany

A majority of the owners of second homes in Brittany come from the region (43%) or the neighbouring Pays de la Loire (8%).
But Brittany’s figure is much lower than in the Grand Est or Hauts-de-France regions, where 72% and 70% of second homes, respectively, are owned by inhabitants of the region.
It is more in line with neighbouring regions, such as Pays de la Loire, where 48% of second homes are owned by locals, and Normandy (Normandie), 36%.

Read also: Second home in Brittany sprayed with nationalist graffiti

3. Most foreign second-home owners in Brittany are residents of Britain

Around 7% of second homes in Brittany are owned by people living abroad. That is lower than France’s overall figure of 10%.

Britons (53%) are by far the biggest group of foreign second-home owners. Around 12% are residents of Germany.

4. Majority of second homes in Brittany were built before 1945

The study also showed that most second homes in Brittany are “old”, with 40% built before 1945, 33% between 1946 and 1984 and 10% “recently” (between 2005 and 2019).

As a rule, homes more than two kilometres from the coast are more likely to have been built before the end of World War II.

5. Two-thirds of second homes in Brittany are within two kilometres of the coast

The attraction of having a second home near the coast is clear from the statistics.

Insee said 65% of second homes in Brittany are located fewer than two kilometres from the coast.

If you reduce the distance to 500 metres, it is 40%. That is more than neighbouring region Pays de la Loire (37%). It is also higher than Corsica (34%) and Normandy (30%)

Meanwhile, two-thirds of second homes built in Brittany since 2005 are situated under two kilometres from the coast.

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6. One-in-five have owned their second homes for at least 20 years

Second homeowners in Brittany usually only own one second home, however, 13% own two or more, compared to 15% across France.

Meanwhile, more than half (53%) of second homeowners have owned the same property for under 10 years. This proportion drops to 34% for those owning homes for fewer than five and to 19% for those who have owned their second homes for at least 20 years.

7. Majority of second homes in Brittany are houses

The vast majority, 76%, of second homes in Brittany are houses, with flats making up the other 24%.

This is higher than the national average of 56%

Two-thirds of second homes built under 500m from the coast are houses. This proportion rises to 80% between 500m and two kilometres from the shore.

8. A third of second homes in Brittany are classed as big

In Brittany, 31% of second homes have a living area of more than 100m2, compared to 23% across the rest of France, outside of the Paris region.

Similarly, 45% of second homes in Brittany have more than six rooms, compared to 33% nationally.

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