Navigating St. Louis’ New Airbnb Rules: How Hosts Can Adapt with Sandpiper
In a move that’s reshaping the short-term rental landscape, the City of St. Louis has implemented significant new regulations on Airbnb and similar platforms. While intended to address concerns around safety, housing availability, and neighborhood disruptions, these changes have left many local hosts scrambling for alternatives. If you’re an Airbnb owner in St. Louis, you’re likely asking: What now? That’s where Sandpiper comes in — we’re here to help you adapt and thrive.
What Are the New Airbnb Regulations in St. Louis?
Starting in 2025, St. Louis has rolled out a stricter regulatory framework for short-term rentals. The most impactful changes include:
One-Night Stays Are No Longer Allowed: To curb party houses and reduce neighborhood disturbances, the city has banned one-night rentals. While this seems like good practice for the city, it is an absolute disaster for Airbnb hosts who are likely going to lose lot of business.
Mandatory Permits: All short-term rental operators must obtain a city-issued permit, whether they rent occasionally or year-round. When you apply for a permit, you are also required to do an inspection where none of the standards for inspection are listed on the city’s website.
Primary Residence Rule: In many areas, only primary residences can be listed as short-term rentals, to prevent investor-owned units from displacing local housing. If you are an entrepreneur, you already know that this is designed to move you out of the business.
Stricter Enforcement & Fines: Property owners who violate the rules face significant fines, and platforms like Airbnb are now required to remove non-compliant listings.
These changes are particularly disruptive to hosts who rely on frequent, short stays — such as weekend travelers or event-goers — to generate income.
Did you get a notice like this in mail?
The Impact on Airbnb Hosts
For many St. Louis hosts, Airbnb wasn’t just a side hustle; it was a business model. With one-night stays eliminated and more red tape to navigate, the ability to make a steady income from short-term rentals has become more limited. Weekend bookings, one-night concert stays, and single-day events — all of which used to drive demand — are no longer viable options.
This means more vacancies, reduced income, and a pressing need to re-evaluate how you rent your property.
Monthly Rentals: A Smarter, Simpler Alternative
While short-term stays are becoming more complex, mid- to long-term rentals — particularly monthly stays — remain largely untouched by these new laws. These types of rentals offer several advantages:
Stable Income: With a month-to-month lease, you avoid the ups and downs of nightly demand.
Less Wear and Tear: Fewer tenant turnovers mean less cleaning and maintenance.
No Party Risks: Longer-term guests tend to be working professionals, traveling nurses, or grad students, not party-seekers.
Compliance-Friendly: Monthly rentals typically fall outside short-term rental regulations, giving you peace of mind.
Transitioning to monthly stays is not just a backup plan — it’s a sustainable path forward.
How Sandpiper Can Help
At Sandpiper, we’re building a better marketplace specifically for hosts like you — property owners caught in the crosshairs of shifting regulations but eager to continue earning income from their furnished spaces.
Here’s how we make the transition to monthly rentals easy and profitable:
1. Targeted Listings for Monthly Guests
Unlike Airbnb or Vrbo, which prioritize short stays, Sandpiper is designed to attract guests looking for longer-term housing. These include traveling professionals, digital nomads, remote workers, students, and families relocating to St. Louis.
2. Keep Revenue coming
We know you’d rather keep your unit occupied at a discounted monthly rate than let it sit empty. Our platform lets you offer smart, time-sensitive discounts to fill your calendar while maintaining profitability.
3. Easy Setup and Listing Migration
Already have a furnished unit listed on Airbnb? We make it easy to migrate your listing to Sandpiper. With our streamlined onboarding process, your unit can be live and discoverable by monthly renters within a day.
4. Compliance Peace of Mind
Because Sandpiper specializes in stays of 30 days or more, our listings typically fall outside the scope of restrictive short-term rental rules. That means fewer permits, less hassle, and greater legal certainty for your business.
5. Built for Local Hosts
We’re a St. Louis-based company that understands the local market and regulatory environment. Our team is on the ground, ready to offer support, updates, and insights specific to our city.
Make the Shift — Without Missing a Beat
While the new Airbnb regulations in St. Louis have introduced a wave of uncertainty, they also open the door to new opportunities. Monthly rentals represent a more stable, regulation-friendly, and often less stressful way to continue earning from your property.
At Sandpiper, we’re here to help you make that transition seamlessly. Whether you’re an experienced host or just getting started, our platform gives you the tools and exposure you need to succeed in a changing market. Let’s turn this challenge into an opportunity. Join Sandpiper today, and keep your property working for you, month after month.
