Pittsburgh Short-Term Rental
Over 3,000+ Short-Term Rental (STR) properties have saturated Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods– breaking down the social fabric of our city, hoarding available homes, and endangering residents. That’s why we’ve come together to stand up for our communities, protect our affordable housing stock, and demand solutions to Pittsburgh’s STR crisis.
Neighbors, not Airbnbs: The Short-Term Rental Crisis in Pittsburgh
- Short-term rentals (STR’s)- featured on sites such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com – have been shown to squeeze the housing stock of the areas they occupy, which is especially problematic in a city like Pittsburgh which is dealing with an ongoing exodus of long-term residents who have been pushed out due to dwindling supply of affordable options. Pittsburgh’s affordable housing crisis already disproportionately impacts low-income renters and our neighbors of color, with STR’s being one of the worst contributors to this crisis.
- By snapping up homes originally meant for city residents, flipping them for quick profit, and leaving them vacant for extended periods, STR operators are putting a strain on our city’s limited housing stock– making affordable housing options more and more unattainable for the people who call Pittsburgh home.
Map of Airbnb locations in Pittsburgh
- With no on-site operators, neighbors are forced to become the eyes and ears for these properties, resulting in calls to the police and fire departments to address disruptive parties, fire hazards, or 311 for trash and snow removal concerns.
Despite Airbnb being in existence since 2007, Pittsburgh is one of the cities where currently zero restrictions are in place for short term rentals, making our city attractive to this industry. Other cities have already implemented bans and restrictions capping the number of STRs that are allowed to operate in places such as Lake Tahoe, New Orleans, Chicago, Santa Monica, and New York City.
Our Campaign
- The Northside neighborhoods of Pittsburgh have been especially impacted by the STR crisis and urgency around regulating STR’s in the city has renewed in light of another shooting at an Airbnb property on the Northside on New Year’s Day 2026, the second such incident since two teens were tragically killed at an Airbnb party in 2022. What started on the Northside has grown to be a citywide coalition, including support from the Pittsburgh Housing Justice Table, in pushing for city leadership to step up in solving the STR crisis.
In January 2026, Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Deb Gross (with Councilmembers Bobby Wilson and Anthony Coghill as co-sponsors) re-introduced legislation to put guardrails around STR operations in Pittsburgh and prioritize the needs of city residents over house-flipping, out-of-town profiteers.
The legislation unanimously advanced through Council in February 2026, moving on to be heard by the city’s Planning Commission by Mid-2026 before moving back to Council for a final vote. While we are encouraged by the City’s efforts to address this issue, we are concerned that the proposed legislation will simply formalize the current 3000+ STRs, as opposed to putting housing back in the hands of locals for long term rent or homeownership.
How to Get Involved
- By taking steps to codify and enforce regulations for STR operators, City Council has an opportunity to assert a level of control over how STRs exist in our communities. We recognize Councilwoman Gross’s legislation as a positive first step, but also know our work doesn’t end here. The proposed legislation should seek to put housing back in the hands of local residents, instead of grandfathering in the 3,000+ STRs. We need to fight for even stronger protections for Pittsburgh residents and we need all hands on deck to create real change for our people.
We welcome you and your neighbors to share your experiences living in neighborhoods overrun by Airbnbs here. Public comment will be crucial as well when the legislation is heard by City Council.
