Newport News, Virginia Short-Term Rental Market
Newport News STRs show $388 a night at 73.3% occupancy, but only primary-residence house-hacking is legal here.
Quick Answer: Newport News, Virginia is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Norfolk/VA Beach market area is 73%. average monthly revenue in the Norfolk/VA Beach market area is $7,033. average daily rate in the Norfolk/VA Beach market area is $388. the top operator in the Norfolk/VA Beach market area is Village Realty with 351 listings. market score is 55/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Norfolk/VA Beach regional market, which includes Newport News. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Newport News.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Newport News is a mid-sized city of roughly 183,056 residents on Virginia’s Hampton Roads peninsula, with tourism anchored by maritime heritage, military history, and outdoor recreation rather than a single high-volume draw. The city generated $332.9 million in visitor spending in 2023, supporting roughly 3,200 jobs.
Critically, Newport News restricts short-term rentals to owner-occupied primary residences only. Under Zoning Ordinance section 45-517.1, adopted in 2022 with active enforcement beginning August 1, 2025, an STR must be the operator’s primary home, occupied at least 185 days a year, and detached or standalone structures do not qualify. This effectively rules out non-owner-occupied investment properties entirely, an important constraint to weigh before assuming the strong performance numbers below translate into a typical STR investment.
As of June 2026, the Newport News area STR market shows an average daily rate of $388.17 with occupancy at 73.31%, one of the higher occupancy readings in this data set, up 1.88% year over year even as ADR fell 6.76%. Revenue per listing rose 2.09% year over year to $7,033.12 per month for the average active listing.
Listing count, bedroom mix, and channel split data for this area are tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Newport News, so this profile omits those specific breakdowns.
Entire home rentals average $416.85 a night, above the area wide figure, while listings in the top luxury tier command $695.99 a night and professionally managed listings average $503.70, both well above the $388.17 area wide ADR.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 39% |
| Feb | 52% |
| Mar | 58% |
| Apr | 57% |
| May | 59% |
| Jun | 71% |
| Jul | 72% |
| Aug | 71% |
| Sep | 51% |
| Oct | 46% |
| Nov | 46% |
| Dec | 44% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Newport News are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Norfolk/VA Beach market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Norfolk/VA Beach market as a whole, which includes Newport News, so these counts are not Newport News-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Village Realty | 351 | 1,976 | ★ 4.38 |
| 2 | Vacasa | 277 | 8,440 | ★ 4.29 |
| 3 | Sojourn | 262 | 3,757 | ★ 4.53 |
| 4 | Brindley Beach Vacation & Sales | 234 | 619 | ★ 4.11 |
| 5 | Christian Taylor Vacations | 200 | 1,552 | ★ 4.57 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Newport News?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Newport News 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 | 39.4% |
| vrbo | 16.5% |
| both | 44% |
Home Value Trends (Newport News)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Newport News 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 Newport News — 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
Newport News adopted a formal short-term rental ordinance in 2022, Zoning Ordinance section 45-517.1, and began active enforcement on August 1, 2025. STRs are legal but tightly restricted to owner-occupants: the property must be the operator’s primary residence, occupied at least 185 days per year, and only the primary home qualifies, meaning detached or standalone structures are not eligible.
Operators must obtain a Short-Term Rental Permit through the Zoning Division, applied for via the city’s Citizen Self Service portal, hold a city business license, maintain a guest log, and collect and remit the city’s transient occupancy tax. The lodging tax is 8% of the room charge plus a flat $1.00 per room, per night fee.
Occupancy is capped at 6 lodgers with no more than 2 per bedroom, off-street parking is required at roughly one space per bedroom, and commercial events such as parties, weddings, and fundraisers are prohibited. Simultaneous multiple rentals at one property are also not allowed.
Operating without a permit is a zoning violation subject to enforcement action under the city’s Stay Neighborly compliance campaign. In practice, this strict primary residence requirement effectively prohibits non-owner-occupied investor STRs, so Newport News is best suited to a host renting a room or portion of their own home rather than someone seeking a dedicated investment property.
Market Comparison
Newport News’ occupancy of 73.31% runs well above the broader US short-term rental median of roughly 55%, one of the stronger occupancy readings in this data set, while its $388.17 average daily rate also runs well above the roughly $220 national median.
Property manager data for this area is tracked at a shared regional level rather than uniquely for Newport News, so this profile omits naming specific operators here.
These strong headline numbers should be read in the context of the city’s owner-occupied, primary-residence-only STR rule. Unlike most markets in this data set, Newport News structurally cannot support large scale, professionally managed investment portfolios, since every legal listing must be tied to an owner actually living in the home, which likely also explains why any operator activity in the underlying data reflects a mix of individual hosts rather than institutional property managers.
Frequently Asked Questions About Newport News, Virginia
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What is the average daily rate for short-term rentals in the Newport News area?
What is the occupancy rate for the Newport News area STR market?
What is the short-term rental tax rate in Newport News?
When is peak season for the Newport News area STR market?
How much does a typical home cost in Newport News, Virginia?
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