Former Miss Wales Faces Challenges After Revamping Historic Property

Joey Staerkle, a former Miss Wales and a business graduate, has confronted unexpected challenges after transforming the dilapidated Ivy House into a potential holiday let. This grade II-listed property, located just steps from Conwy’s vibrant High Street, boasts rich historical significance and attracts tourists with its artisan offerings and cultural sites. Despite the impressive renovation, Staerkle now feels let down by regulations that threaten the viability of her business.

The decision to convert Ivy House, which had fallen into disrepair, into a holiday rental marked a notable shift for Staerkle. After winning the title of Miss Intercontinental Wales, she showcased her intelligence by graduating with a First Class Honours degree in business. With an engaged social media following of over 65,000 on Instagram and another 32,000 on TikTok, Staerkle’s stylish approach to the renovation has attracted praise. Guests have lauded the blend of modern comforts with historical preservation, including unique features like a hand-carved bed imported from France.

Yet, Staerkle now faces headwinds from the 182-day letting rule introduced by the Welsh Government. This regulation aims to classify self-catering holiday lets as legitimate businesses for tax purposes, addressing concerns that second homes were being used to evade council tax. Staerkle, along with many operators in the sector, argues that the threshold is set too high, making compliance burdensome and unrealistic.

“My holiday let was an abandoned, uninhabitable property that we restored and brought back to life,” Staerkle expressed. “By turning it into a holiday home, we invested in the local economy, supported tourism jobs, and helped preserve Conwy’s heritage, all without reducing housing availability for local people.”

The 182-day rule has generated significant debate. Critics argue that it fails to consider the seasonal nature of tourism in Wales, particularly in coastal towns like Conwy, where summer months are busy but winters are quiet. Staerkle emphasized that achieving the threshold during off-peak months is challenging, even with strong marketing efforts.

Ben Spier, head of policy and regulation at Sykes Holiday Cottages, a prominent booking platform, supports Staerkle’s concerns. He claims that holiday lets are being unfairly targeted as the primary cause of Wales’ housing crisis, stating, “These businesses are being scapegoated for deeper, structural issues—chiefly, the long-standing failure to meet home-building targets and the tens of thousands of vacant properties lying empty across Wales.”

Spier further explained that the 182-day rule does not account for the operational challenges faced by holiday let owners, such as the increasing trend toward shorter stays, which complicates achieving the required number of letting days. He highlighted that the regulation also overlooks the additional work involved in maintaining and promoting a holiday let.

In a report conducted by Sykes in collaboration with Oxford Economics, it was revealed that short-term letting contributed nearly £3 billion to Wales’ GDP and supported approximately 67,000 jobs in 2021. Many of these jobs are flexible and family-friendly, demonstrating that holiday lets play a crucial role in the local economy.

Since the introduction of the 182-day rule, many holiday let owners have struggled to meet the threshold, with shorter average stays and fluctuating off-peak demand making compliance difficult. Proposed adjustments to the rule are currently under consultation, including the option for businesses to average bookings over multiple years. Additionally, charitable stays might be counted towards meeting booking targets.

While some flexibility may be introduced, critics argue that the core issues remain unresolved. They contend that the current threshold is too high and that holiday lets should be distinguished from second homes. A national email campaign initiated by holiday let owners is urging the Welsh Government to reconsider the bookings threshold.

Mark Drakeford, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Welsh Language, defended the policy, citing data from the Valuation Office Agency indicating that 60% of holiday lets in Wales have successfully met the 182-day threshold. He noted that this figure exceeds previous predictions and has helped stabilize the number of self-catering properties in Wales.

Drakeford acknowledged that while the 182-day rule was established to promote a balance between tourism and local community needs, he accepted that many stakeholders prefer a threshold of 105 days. He maintained that the government was not obligated to adopt the most common feedback from consultations.

For Staerkle, the challenge continues as she balances her aspirations for Ivy House with the realities of the regulatory landscape. She supports efforts to tackle underused second homes but insists on a more achievable booking threshold. “With only around 126 high-season nights in Wales, a lower threshold would be far more attainable for genuine, small-scale holiday lets,” she stated.

The broader implications of the 182-day rule extend beyond Staerkle’s individual experience. As Spier noted, the recent High Court ruling on Gwynedd’s Article 4 Direction highlights the need for regulations grounded in sound evidence. Misguided policies, he cautioned, risk penalizing legitimate businesses without addressing the underlying issues.

Ultimately, the conversation around the 182-day rule reflects a larger narrative about the future of tourism and housing in Wales. The resolution of these challenges will be critical not only for holiday let operators like Joey Staerkle but also for the vibrancy of local economies across the region.