Brighton could become the first city in Britain to take action against second-home owners.
Councillors in the East Sussex city have voted in favour of asking officials to draw up proposals to ban new-build second homes and holiday lets in some areas.
The move comes after an influx of buyers during the pandemic pushed the average price of a property to nearly £500,000.
The vote followed a report to Brighton and Hove City Council that found more than 3,000 properties in the region could be in use only as short-term holiday lets.
Residents in Whitby, North Yorkshire, voted 2,111 to 157 last week to ban people from buying new homes and plots in the area except as their main residence. The local referendum is not legally binding. The ban will be the subject of a public consultation in September.
A similar ban was voted through in St Ives, Cornwall, in 2016.
