– The cabin owners tend to be portrayed as privileged and wealthy with high incomes. But most are completely ordinary people with completely normal incomes, says senior analyst Carl Christian Mathiesen at the Prognosesenteret. The company analyzes the construction and property markets in the Nordic region. According to Statistics Norway, there are approximately 445,000 cabins in this country. They are owned by an estimated 600,000 people. In addition, part is owned by the municipality, state and companies. – The cabin owners earn mostly like most people in Norway. They have a slightly higher income, but that is often due to the fact that they are slightly older than the average Norwegian, says Mathiesen. Carl Christian Mathiesen, senior analyst at Prognosesenteret Photo: Johan B. Sættem A small number of people under 30 own a cabin. Compared to the group aged 30–80, who do not own a cabin, cabin owners have an average of 14 per cent higher gross income (see fact box). About cabins and cabin owners There are approx. 445,000 holiday homes in Norway (February 2022) Approx. 600,000 people own cabins in Norway. In addition, some holiday homes are owned by the state, municipalities and companies. Average value of holiday homes (stock): NOK 1.9 million Median gross income of cottage owners: 710,000 wives (14% higher than Norwegians aged 30-80). This is median income and not median salary. Calculated figures for gross income (projected) based on equation figures for 2020. Median age of the cabin owner is 60 years 1/3 of the cabin owners are over retirement age (67 years) Number of holiday home sales so far this year: 7,925 (27% fewer than last year) Average price of holiday homes so far in year: 2.8 million Many people use their cabin as much as their home during the course of a year 1/3 of those who own a cabin in Norway have either inherited it or received it as a gift Sources: Prognosesenteret and Statistics Norway Track demanding electricity winters A third of the who own holiday homes in Norway are over retirement age and often use the cabin more than others. If the cabin has running water, the electricity must be left on even when the cabin owner is not using it, to prevent the water from freezing. With sky-high electricity prices and zero electricity support, it can have major consequences, according to the Prognosesenteret. – If the growth in electricity prices continues, there will be many people who will have to sell their cabins, says Mathiesen. FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug believes the government must be concerned with protecting cabin owners against sky-high electricity prices to avoid “the districts bleeding”. Photo: William Jobling / news FRP: – Ordinary people who are affected The FRP has recently proposed in the Storting that the state contributes to the electricity bill for the cottagers as well. – Those who can afford it have no problem using the cabins. But the vast majority are ordinary people, and they are the ones who will be affected if we do not introduce a maximum price of 50 øre, also for the cabin owners. Then you have to stop creating a caricatured picture of this where people sit in their luxury cabins in the jacuzzi. That is not how reality is, says Frp leader Sylvi Listhaug. But fiscal policy spokesperson Geir Pollestad in the Center Party says that the Frp’s solution with cheap electricity for everyone would have led to huge expenses for the state, and could have meant even higher interest rates. Fiscal policy spokesperson Geir Pollestad in the Center Party says that the Frp’s proposal for a maximum electricity price of 50 øre for houses and cabins will be extremely expensive for the state. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news SP: – Risks interest rates out of control with Frps’ maximum price – If the state is to pay, the forecast is that in 2022 and through 2023 there will be a cost of up to NOK 200 billion. There is no room for that in our economy, and then we also risk the rent getting out of control, which will also be a problem for those who own cottages, he says. Pollestad’s calculation shows the costs if the Frp’s model were used for all Norwegian electricity consumption. He believes that an electricity subsidy based on the Frp’s model is incompatible with keeping the economy in order. – This is a proposal that the FRP would never have implemented if it was the FRP that sat with the finance minister, he says.
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Ordinary people own a cabin – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
