Investment Property Loans in St. Louis, MO

Every address in St. Louis sits inside a Housing Conservation District, so a rental unit needs a city Certificate of Inspection, from a basic property maintenance inspection, before a tenant moves in.

For investors: Apply through the Building Division portal at least three business days before the inspection date you want, since slots run up to 15 days out. Water and electric must be on, and the ordinance forbids charging the incoming tenant for this inspection fee.

Source: City of St. Louis Building Division, Residential Occupancy Permit (Housing Conservation Inspection); Ordinance 71835, Revised Code 25.56.040, Oct 2026

St. Louis rental units must be reinspected every three years or whenever the occupancy changes, and owner-occupied homes are exempt from this cycle.

For investors: A certificate issued within the prior 12 months still covers a new occupant, so quick turnovers may not need a new visit. Fold inspection lead time into make-ready schedules and expect a 30-day repair window when a certificate is issued with listed violations.

Source: City of St. Louis Building Division, Residential Occupancy Permit (Housing Conservation Inspection), Oct 2026

A Housing Conservation inspection application costs $120 for a vacant unit, $200 if someone already lives there without a current certificate, and $65 for each additional unit at the same address.

For investors: Inspecting all four units of a vacant fourplex on one date costs $315 in application fees, so line up turnovers where possible. Letting a tenant move in first raises the fee to $200 and can bring a notice to certify within 30 days or face condemnation.

Source: City of St. Louis Building Division, Residential Occupancy Permit (Housing Conservation Inspection); Ordinance 71835, Revised Code 25.56.070, Oct 2026

A St. Louis home sold while occupied also needs a Certificate of Inspection unless one was issued within the last 12 months, and no more than three unrelated people may live in one dwelling.

For investors: Buying a tenant-occupied St. Louis rental means ordering the inspection around closing, because taking possession of an occupied unit without a certificate breaks the ordinance. The three-unrelated limit also restricts room-by-room leasing of large city houses to unrelated roommates.

Source: City of St. Louis Building Division, Residential Occupancy Permit (Housing Conservation Inspection); Ordinance 71835, Revised Code 25.56.040, Oct 2026

Ordinance 71835 bars renting a St. Louis unit that is not on the city's rental registry, a rule that starts July 1, 2027, or sooner if aldermen first resolve that the system is technologically feasible.

For investors: Registration will ask for the owner's contact details, the managing member of an LLC or an officer of a corporation, emergency contacts and a good-faith asking rent. An owner living outside the city must name an agent within 100 miles or working from a city office.

Source: City of St. Louis Ordinance 71835 (Board Bill 180), Sec. 25.56.110 and Section Two(D), Oct 2026

St. Louis Ordinance 71729, signed in November 2023, requires a permit for every short-term rental, but the city stopped processing permits after an April 22, 2025 court order and says it is not enforcing them.

For investors: The city's notice lists the paused steps: permit applications, unit inspections, permit fees and conditional use permits in Single Family A zones. Underwrite a nightly rental here assuming the 71729 rules could return once the litigation ends, not on today's pause.

Source: City of St. Louis Building Division, Short-Term Rental Permits; Short Term Rental Permit Applications Paused Due to Court Order (updated May 5, 2025), Oct 2026

If enforced, Ordinance 71729 denies permits to units offering stays under two nights or on parcels with tax increment financing or abatement, and caps one owner at four non-owner-occupied units citywide.

For investors: Ask the seller about any city abatement or TIF district before planning nightly stays. Building caps also apply: one non-occupied rental in a three- or four-unit building, 25% of units at five to 23 units, and 12.5% at 24 or more.

Source: City of St. Louis Building Division, Short-Term Rental Permits (General Regulations and Summary Table of Short-Term Rental Caps), Oct 2026

Under Ordinance 72095, effective February 23, 2026, St. Louis short-term rental operators need a Short-Term Rental Business License from the License Collector and pay a quarterly fee of 3% of base nightly rent.

For investors: The fee is figured before cleaning, platform fees and taxes, with returns due April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31. Unless a platform holds a collection agreement with the city, the operator remits it, and each day of violation risks a $250 to $500 fine.

Source: City of St. Louis License Collector, Short-Term Rental Business License and 3% License Fee notice (published March 13, 2026); Ordinance 72095, Mar 2026

St. Louis's 2025 residential property tax rate totals $8.1867 per $100 of assessed value, of which $4.9085 funds the school district and $1.5583 the city itself.

For investors: At Missouri's 19% residential assessment, a $200,000 rental is taxed on $38,000, about $3,111 a year at this rate. The city's 2026 rate sheet was not yet posted in October 2026, so confirm the current figure before closing.

Source: City of St. Louis Office of the Assessor, 2025 Tax Rates, Oct 2026

The St. Louis Collector of Revenue sends a real estate tax notice to every landowner each November, payment is due by December 31, and taxes unpaid after January 1 draw interest and penalty.

For investors: Confirm at closing that the seller's December payment cleared, because the Collector pursues unpaid balances through its delinquent land tax suit and sale process. The Assessor reassesses in odd-numbered years, with notices around mid-May.

Source: City of St. Louis Collector of Revenue, Real Estate Tax; Collector of Revenue Tax Calendar, Oct 2026

St. Louis bills flat-rate residential water every three months by room and fixture, $5.57 per room and $21.83 per toilet in 2026, plus a $14 monthly refuse fee per dwelling unit on the same bill.

For investors: The water account application must be signed by both the resident and the property owner. Under Ordinance 71683 every water rate rises each January 1 by the prior year's CPI-U, so budget for yearly increases on owner-paid units.

Source: City of St. Louis Water Division, Water Rates (effective January 1, 2026, Ordinance 71683); Collector of Revenue, Water and Refuse Bill Payment; Water Division, Set Up a Residential Water/Refuse Account, Oct 2026

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency opened its new campus at Jefferson and Cass Avenues in north St. Louis on September 26, 2025, with its workforce moving in through spring 2026.

For investors: The agency describes the campus as anchoring a growing geospatial ecosystem in north St. Louis. For rentals in the surrounding north side neighborhoods, underwrite on rents achieved today rather than on hoped-for spillover from the relocated federal workforce.

Source: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, NGA Opens New St. Louis Campus, Sep 2025