Pittsburgh City Council is once again grappling with how to regulate short-term rentals, like the Airbnb and Vrbo properties that have become popular in recent years.
Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, in July introduced legislation aimed at regulating the rentals. The measure died at the end of the year, as council’s legislative session closed.
But Gross on Tuesday reintroduced the bills and reaffirmed her commitment to reining in rentals.
“It’s been overdue that we manage how Airbnbs or short-term rentals of any company are behaving in our city, and also where they are and how many there should be,” Gross said during a press conference at the City-County Building Downtown.
Her measures would require people operating short-term rentals get a permit from the city, limit how many short-term rentals can exist in a building and ban short-term rentals for being used for “public assemblies, recreational entertainment, or hospitality activities.”
It limits guests to staying no more than 28 days in a row, mandates guests must be 18 or older unless they’re with a parent or guardian and requires a daily register of guests be maintained.
Gross said the goal is not to deter people from renting out a spare bedroom or listing their home as an Airbnb while they’re vacation. Her intention is to limit businesses that snatch up scores of properties and operate them solely as Airbnbs, often managing sites from out of state and without proper upkeep.
“Right now it’s the Wild West, and we’re seeing problems,” Gross said. “Now we’re going to do something about it.”
Airbnb said disruptive parties were rare at its locations.
“Incidents of gun violence during Airbnb reservations are also extremely rare,” the company said, “and in those rare instances we act swiftly to assist law enforcement in their investigations and to support local communities.”
Party house problems
Gross estimated there are about 3,000 short-term rentals in the city currently. Of those, she said, about a third seem to be operated by people who have only one Airbnb in the city. She could not confirm whether those are all owner-occupied units.
“All of our neighborhoods are different but none of us are immune to this problem,” said Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, who is co-sponsoring the bills.
Coghill said limited liability companies own about 80 homes in Beechview and operate them as “party houses.”
“It’s destructive to the neighborhood,” the councilman said.
Callie DiSabato, 37, of East Allegheny saw just how destructive short-term rentals can be. She lives near an Airbnb where two teenagers were killed and eight others were injured during an Easter morning shooting in 2022.
Police said about 200 people — many underage — were at a party at the rental property when gunfire broke out.
The case remains unsolved. Cara Cruz, a Pittsburgh police spokeswoman, said the investigation is open and active.
Even when a short-term rental isn’t the site of violence, DiSabato said, it can be problematic. Short-term rentals, she said, mean houses are full of brief visitors, rather than neighbors who invest in the community.
“Out-of-state investors hiding behind LLCs are snatching up the housing stock and sucking the life out of our neighborhoods,” DiSabato said.
‘Growing concern’
Mayor Corey O’Connor on Tuesday said his administration was reviewing the legislation and would work with council “to see what makes the most sense” and analyze what other cities are doing to address the issue.
Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, co-sponsored the legislation. He accused short-term rentals of housing “unruly parties” and often providing little information about who is staying in them.
David Breingan, Lawrenceville United’s executive director, estimated there are about 200 houses in his neighborhood that are used as short-term rentals. He sees them as 200 homes unavailable for new neighbors.
“Short-term rentals have been a growing concern in Lawrenceville as we’ve seen them proliferate really rapidly,” he said, adding that some have had noise complaints, overgrown weeds or piles of trash heaping up outside.
Gross said the struggle to pass a balanced budget in the final days of 2025 kept council from approving short-term rental legislation before their session ended last year.
She’s hopeful council will tackle the issue this year but said it is doubtful any new regulations would be in place before the 2026 NFL Draft in April.
Last month, there were 626 places available for rent during the draft. Prices ranged from $123 to more than $11,000 for two nights.