The landscape for short-term rentals in Buncombe County has changed drastically since before Hurricane Helene.
For years, Asheville and Buncombe County’s market for short-term rentals — such as those found on websites like Airbnb and VRBO — was booming. Things were going so well that some local residents began to worry about the impact on the city’s affordable housing supply.
In 2018, Asheville enacted tight restrictions in response to those concerns. Last year, Buncombe County formed a committee to examine the issue. Some municipalities in the region began taking similar moves…