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If this passes on March 1st, it could potentially change neighborhoods like Montford which are located close to town. As someone seriously considering a permanent move to Asheville, if this passes it will give me definite pause about where to live in Asheville and in general, even moving to Asheville. Adding it to my plus/minus list in the minus column. I don't want to live next to a house where people just continually come and go and have no roots in the neighborhood. It can change the entire neighborhood. I like to know my neighbors. And I think most of you do too. It's the permanent residents that give shape and energy to neighborhoods and cities/towns not the tourists. We live in times where local, state and federal governments are looking for ways to create revenue, this proposal is not for the good of the people. Yes, I agree that you should be able to own what you want and do what you want with that property. But there still needs to be rules and regulations and limitations. I am not an HOA-type person but I do now live in South Florida where HOAs often require a minimal of three months rental and that you can only rent once per year plus the renter is often interviewed and a background check is required. Currently, in Asheville someone can rent their cottage or house for the minimal of a month. In fact, I have stayed, on more than one occasion, in a cottage in Asheville with these rules. There are bed n breakfasts and hotels throughout Asheville. Why do we need to amend this rule any further? Homeowners, really think this one through before voting day.
Well, maybe you should consider Alabama, warm climate, interesting neighbors, culture measured in petri dishes......
having 12 foreclosures in your street doesn't paint a nice picture either and totally takes away the cozy neighborhood feeling.
I am always kind of surprised by the 90% negative image, people often have from renters.
where I am from, renting a house or apartment is what 70% of the people do. there are great one's, ok one's and bad one's.
to me it sounds like you have to expect parties all night long, vandalism, crime, noise and tons of trash in the front yard, as soon as a renter move in your street.
I would rather have a rental home next by than a foreclosure home, standing empty for many months.
Well, maybe you should consider Alabama, warm climate, interesting neighbors, culture measured in petri dishes......
Oh comeon Dusty, let's be nice. SteelCity has some legitmate concerns and every place has it's "petri dish" types, including A'ville or any other community on the map.
I'm personally glad she stepped in with her conerns and I think she has some points that might prove valid in some cases. I just happen to think that the option of disallowing short-term rentals could result in even greater problems during these challanging times.
Special situations require special solutions. That's what I think is the bottom line.
Thank you, Garth, for your words. I always enjoy your posts. On the other hand, I did not appreciate Dusty's words. Respect of each other's viewpoints is so important.
Prior to living in Florida, I lived in SW PA and in a city neighborhood all my life. For many of those latter years there I had a neighbor on the one side of me that turned his lovely old manor house into a rental or boarding house for college students. I can tell you many stories... And the house on the other side of mine also was a rental for a good amount of years (annual lease) and the renters were always very nice and took care of the house and garden. And the house two doors down from us was a duplex with renters on both top and bottom floors or a mix of owner and renter and again, no issues. But the city required rental agreements longer than a few days or a week or even a month. There were also B&Bs in the area and hotels for those desiring short term. Lots of apartments too. I lived in a very mixed, residential area (Montford reminds me of my hometown neighborhood) and it is still today considered one of the most sought after neighborhoods to live in. So I have witnessed both good and bad rental. And seen many variables to how different areas of the country regulate renting.
In these challenging and changing times, we need to think long term rather than short term solutions. What may sound good in theory may not serve, overall, the best. Allowing homeowners to rent their house as they wish for even a few days rather than the minimal of month isn't going to solve the vast majority of foreclosure issues or even the financial situations many people have found themselves in with their homes. Here in Florida many homes have turned into yearly lease rentals as people can't sell their homes due to so many being on the market. Or they do seasonal, minimal of three months, rental. And I can tell you that it has indeed changed the communities and had an impact on them. And I do live in a very popular tourist area as well for seasonal rental.
We also need to be mindful of how local, state and federal governments are seeking ways to tax us and again, is it the best solution? One of the questions to ask here is: Does Asheville really need any more venues for tourists to stay in? How does that impact what is already in place? How does it impact the overall quality of the city and area? What might be the unintended consequences down the road? And how many people may actually act on the what might be new regulations allowing such? Does Asheville view itself to be more like, for example, the towns along the Outer Banks or does it look toward the future as a city with more than just tourist trade? I recall that a lot of people in and around Asheville didn't like the enactment and enforcement of zoning rules, this is somewhat similar perhaps depending on the ultimate decision made and how it is structured.
Homeowners may want to rent their properties short term but with that comes cost and responsibility and bottom line, can they rent the property enough to make it worthwhile? The property we stay at is perfectly lovely and well maintained. We fit right into the neighborhood and it is on the same property as the owners house which is good for us and good for the owner. In fact, we will be coming back to Asheville for such a stay real soon. It's already booked. Looking forward to it.
Asheville is a wonderful place. Whatever the outcome, let's all keep it that way for all to enjoy.
You can rent a house at the beach, or on a lake for a week, why not Asheville? The house does belong to someone else, not you. You have no say as to who can buy it, or rent it long term, so how do you see it as any of your business if the owner wants to rent it short term?
I agree with this. Here in Hiawassee, any house can be a vacation rental. The whole community would be up in arms if it were taken away. Some people only use their house a few weeks out of the year and they pay their mortgage this way.
Since vacation rentals are completely furnished, they are far more expensive to rent than regular rentals. You pay a premium for renting a house with furniture, linens and a fully equipped kitchen.
Some of the homes are rented directly from the owners and some use an agency to handle all that. The agencies are careful with who they allow to rent.
Since Asheville draws vacationers, I'm amazed that this hasn't been an option before. The idea that the City of Asheville could dictate what I do with my house would be a reason for me not to move there.
BTW, some of the most gorgeous homes in my town are the vacation rentals. If anything, they have made the standard higher because they had to look great to attract vacationers.
Last edited by Shooting Stars; 02-21-2011 at 12:10 PM..
I did some further research and... this proposal will affect areas in the county outside of the Asheville city limits. Within the city of Asheville rental rules will most likely stay as they are or very similar to what they currently are. So again, this vote on March 1st will impact those outside of the city but within the county. This now makes more sense.
Well, maybe you should consider Alabama, warm climate, interesting neighbors, culture measured in petri dishes......
What a winner we have here. As an Alabamian currently living in Asheville, your attitude is highly unwelcome to me. Not only do you sound as if you have never lived in Alabama, let alone been there, your point about what SteelCityGirl said is not appreciated either, nor is its accompanying sarcasm.
Allowing "vacation rentals", if it's done, should be done very carefully. I agree that it could be damaging to neighborhoods, especially in the short term. I don't think these are going to be owners who rent until they can sell the house, I think they're going to be people doing it for the money, accelerating the conversion of Asheville into a high-end resort town in the mountains. Personally, I am not for it. It has nothing to do with the culture of the people who might rent the houses, it has to do with developing sense of community in neighborhoods, and with keeping property values reasonable within the city. People are having a hard enough time paying rent in North Asheville, we don't need to make it any harder.
Thank you, ShipOfFools42, for your support regarding the most unkind previous remarks. Also appreciate you posting your point-of-view on this issue about potential rental changes in the county. We need to think about the big picture and the long term impacts and how best to maintain what is so attractive about the quality of living year round, not just visiting, in WNC.
^ Well, see that's the problem I have with this, and I think it's a very funny little bit of irony here that certain people on here, who are so anti-tourist and anti-transplant, are in favor of this. You all do realize that if we allow that, there will be even more transient/tourist type people clogging up the roads and forcing the nature of business in the direction of service industry/tourism.
And that's the problem: the state legislature and the people of Buncombe County have basically rolled over and accepted the fact that we have no industry and that the only show in town is service. There is no visible effort to reverse the trend, and if it continues in this direction, people are going to be getting forced out of here even faster than they are now. The population of this area is growing very quickly, way more quickly than new jobs are being generated. And of course, the only jobs being generated are service jobs. Allowing these "vacation rentals" will be just another step in that direction.
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As an Alabamian currently living in Asheville, your attitude is highly unwelcome to me. Not only do you sound as if you have never lived in Alabama, let alone been there, your point about what SteelCityGirl said is not appreciated either, nor is its accompanying sarcasm. 
