Auburn, Alabama Short-Term Rental Market
Auburn caps investor STRs at 240 nights; September 2026 ADR was $245, occupancy 46.4%, revenue $3,018.
Quick Answer: Auburn, Alabama is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Alabama Area market area is 46%. average monthly revenue in the Alabama Area market area is $3,018. average daily rate in the Alabama Area market area is $245. the top operator in the Alabama Area market area is Evolve with 254 listings. market score is 77/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Alabama Area regional market, which includes Auburn. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Auburn.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Auburn, Alabama is a college town of 80,594 residents, and its short-term rental demand is tied to Auburn University and Auburn Tigers football. As of September 2026, the Auburn area STR market shows an average daily rate of $245, occupancy of 46.4%, and average monthly revenue of $3,018 per listing. Compared with September 2025, occupancy is up 15.5%, ADR is up 3.6%, and revenue is up 26.0%. The tracked inventory in the Auburn area STR market is large, with 7,602 listings. Of those, 7,255 (95.4%) are entire places, 346 are private rooms, and 1 is a shared room. By bedroom count, 3 bedroom homes are the largest group at 2,196 listings, followed by 2 bedroom units at 2,006, 1 bedroom units at 1,888, 4 bedroom homes at 960, and 5 bedroom homes at 537. By channel, 3,503 listings appear on both Airbnb and Vrbo, 3,317 are on Airbnb only, and 782 are on Vrbo only. Demand is anchored by Jordan-Hare Stadium, which seats 88,043 and draws crowds on home game Saturdays that rival the city’s population. Visitor spending in the area reached $785 million in 2023 and exceeded $900 million in 2024, and the visitor base is mostly regional, with a heavy Alabama and Georgia draw. The longer annual trend is more mixed than the latest YoY gains suggest. Annual occupancy peaked at 55.9% in 2021 and slid to 46.2% in 2025, while ADR rose from $183 to $203 over the same span. The first nine months of 2026 show occupancy of 47.9% and ADR of $211, a partial recovery. The market scores 95.2 out of 100 for investability and 76.9 overall.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 36% |
| Feb | 46% |
| Mar | 53% |
| Apr | 49% |
| May | 50% |
| Jun | 58% |
| Jul | 59% |
| Aug | 46% |
| Sep | 45% |
| Oct | 46% |
| Nov | 45% |
| Dec | 38% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Auburn are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Alabama Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Alabama Area market as a whole, which includes Auburn, so these counts are not Auburn-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 254 | 8,607 | ★ 4.73 |
| 2 | Smith Lake | 65 | 560 | ★ 4.74 |
| 3 | Magnolia Linen Company | 53 | 4,727 | ★ 4.90 |
| 4 | Mentone Mountain Getaways | 45 | 3,596 | ★ 4.82 |
| 5 | 360 Destinations | 44 | 721 | ★ 4.73 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Auburn?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Auburn are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 43.6% |
| vrbo | 10.3% |
| both | 46.1% |
Home Value Trends (Auburn)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Auburn are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Insights
Booking-window and length-of-stay analysis for Auburn — how far ahead guests book and how to price around it — is available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Auburn allows short-term rentals under a two tier framework adopted in March 2021, and the rules shape which investors can operate. Homestays are for an owner’s primary residence and require a Home Occupation Permit. The owner may be absent up to 90 days per year, and homestays are allowed citywide except in Industrial and South College Corridor districts. Short-Term Non-Primary Rentals are investor owned properties rented for under 30 consecutive days. They require a Zoning Certificate, with an application cost of about $300, an annual renewal of about $250, and a safety inspection of about $75. These rentals are capped at 240 operating days per calendar year and are banned in Neighborhood Conservation zones. Neither owner occupancy nor primary residence is required for the non-primary category. Both types need a Short-Term Rental Business License from the Revenue Office, at a minimum of $100 per year or 0.25% of gross receipts. The combined lodging tax is 13%, made up of 7% city, 4% Alabama state, and 2% Lee County. Private or commercial events are prohibited under both categories. Enforcement is rated moderate but carries real consequences: two substantiated complaints in a calendar year revoke the zoning certificate for the rest of that year and all of the next, and operating without compliance can bring a penalty of $500 per day or up to six months in jail. The city updated its Zoning Ordinance as of March 18, 2025, so confirm current eligibility on the city GIS map before buying.
Market Comparison
Auburn earns a $245 ADR at 46.4% occupancy. The RevPAR check of about $114 per available night is the product of those two figures. Year over year momentum is strong, with occupancy up 15.5% and revenue up 26.0%. On supply, the Auburn area STR market tracks 7,602 listings, and the five largest operators together manage 461 of them, about 6.1%. Evolve is the largest with 254 listings, a 4.733 rating, and 8,607 reviews. Smith Lake follows with 65 listings, Magnolia Linen Company has 53 listings and the highest rating of the group at 4.897, Mentone Mountain Getaways has 45, and 360 Destinations has 44. The fragmented operator base means independent owners compete with a long tail of small hosts rather than a few dominant managers. The 240 night cap on investor owned rentals also limits how much a single non-primary property can scale its calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions About Auburn, Alabama
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