ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina man has racked up more than $1 million in city fines for renting properties on short-term rental sites such as Airbnb.
The Ashville Citizen-Times reported Saturday that Reid Thompson is in a protracted zoning battle with the city of Ashville, a hip tourist spot in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The neighborhood’s residential zoning forbids him from renting his three units on a short-term basis, but he’s doing it anyway. He’s been racking up $1,500 a day in fines for the last two years.
People were interested in these podcasts
Airbnb is banned in much of Asheville in an effort to preserve affordable housing. But Thompson said traffic from a nearby Whole Foods grocery store makes his properties unattractive to long-term renters.
He wants the city to change the zoning laws in his neighborhood.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.