Updated November 25, 2024
Nearly two months after Hurricane Helene, thousands of Western North Carolina residents remain without housing due to the worst natural disaster in state history.
Now, a short-term rental advocacy group is seeking to help those in need.
The North Carolina Short Term Rental Alliance is launching an email-based service to connect property owners and managers for residences listed with services like AirBNB and VRBO with individuals in need of temporary housing after the storm.
“The matchmaking service is free, and is very simple in concept,” Gay Weber, chief operating officer of the property management company Carolina Mornings, told BPR in an email.
“While we may be an Alliance for Short-Term Rentals (as defined as a whole-home, furnished rental for less than 30 days), we're using our standing in the hospitality industry to try to meet this critical need, and to help expedite the process for everyone,” Weber added.
Short-term rental (STR) owners can sign up online to have their email address added to the program’s Host Distribution List. The group has also posted a sign-up form for potential tenants, including questions on the size of home needed, the maximum budget and whether the family has any pets.
Whenever a new potential tenant signs up, the service will send an email to every host on the distribution list. Hosts can then reach out to potential tenants directly to see if there is a match and work out the details among themselves.
A newsletter sent to STR Alliance members announcing the program states: “We encourage all hosts to consider being as giving as possible during this difficult time. Renting at a lower-than-usual rate would both help a local resident in need, while mitigating the uncertainty of the next year for your rental business.”
The need for temporary housing is great. According to a preliminary report by Gov. Roy Cooper’s office, approximately 126,000 homes were damaged by the storm.
More than 600 residences were damaged and another nearly 300 destroyed in Buncombe County alone, according to early data from the county.
Weber said that as of November 24, 72 hosts had signed up through the service. The group is looking for professional STR managers; independent STR owners/operators; homestays; unfurnished long-term rentals; and any other lodging options that could help meet the needs of displaced local residents.
More details on the program can be found here.
Note: This story was updated November 25 to include a link to the potential tenant sign-up sheet and the latest tally of hosts that have signed up for the service.
