Ex- Miss Wales transformed abandoned house but now feels let down

WHEN Joey Staerkle bought grade ILlisted Ivy House, it had seen better days. But as a potential holiday let, its appeal was obvious: a stone's throw from Conwy’s High Street, with its artisan delicacies, plush hotels and historical sites, the property’s location could scarcely be better.

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor

Converting it from a home to a holiday let appeared something of a departure for the former beauty queen from Llandudno.

But after being crowned Miss Intercontinental Wales, Joey showed she had brains as well as looks when graduating with a First Class Honours degree in business.

Now in her late 20s, with more than 65,000 Instagram followers, and another 32,000 on TikTok, she has style too: guests have been super impressed by the quality of the conversion, which combines contemporary living with historical preservation.

‘There is a touch of opulence too, like the hand-carved bed she imported from France.

Yet she fears the business is being undermined by factors outside her control. Chief among these is the 182-day letting rule introduced by the Welsh Government in an attempt to ensure self-catering holiday lets are treated as genuine businesses for tax purposes.

Itwas implemented to address concerns that second homes were being used as holiday lets to avoid paying council tax.

Like many others in the sector, Joey fears genuine holiday lets are being unjustly penalised by a letting threshold that’s set too high to be reasonably attainable.

She said: “My holiday let was an abandoned, uninhabitable property that we restored and brought back to life.

“By turning it into a holiday home, we invested in the local economy, supported tourism jobs and helped to preserve Conwy’s heritage, all without reducing housing availability for local people.

“The current 182-day rule doesn’t reflect the reality of tourism in Wales.

“Coastal towns like Conwy are vibrant in summer but naturally quieter in winter and even with strong marketing, it's hard to meet the current threshold during off-peak months when demand naturally drops.

“Many owners face real challenges staying compliant, and it isn’t a sustainable way to run a small business.”