Property Management in St. Louis, MO
The city proper, with its own permits and its own rules.
The City of St. Louis runs a separate occupancy permit system and re-inspects rentals every three years, and its short-term rental regime is partly on hold. Managing here means knowing the city's process, and we do.
Property management in the City of St. Louis
The City of St. Louis is about thirty to thirty-five minutes from our office at 920 First Capitol Drive in St. Charles. Its seventy-nine neighborhoods are mostly pre-1940 brick, from Lafayette Square's Italianate rows to the loft conversions on Washington Avenue, with the Central West End, Forest Park Southeast, Tower Grove South, Shaw, and Soulard among the neighborhoods where rental demand is strongest. Zillow's home value index sat near $187,000 in late 2026 and was flat year over year, the only city in our service area where prices were not rising.
Washington University and its medical campus, Saint Louis University, Cortex, the Federal Reserve, NGA, and the downtown corporate headquarters supply tenants, and the city's price-to-rent ratio draws investors who want cash flow. Three-bedroom houses listed in 2026 from about $1,600 to $2,300 depending on the neighborhood, and two-bedroom apartments near $1,350. A St. Louis address is a neighborhood decision first, and we price to the block.
What we handle for St. Louis owners
- Rent pricing from current comparable listings
- Professional photography, listings, showings, and applications
- Background, credit, income, and reference screening
- Lease administration and enforcement
- Digital rent collection and arrears follow-up
- 24/7 maintenance coordination with vetted contractors
- Routine inspections and occupancy permits
- Monthly owner statements you can actually read
Owning a rental in the City of St. Louis
- Occupancy permit and three-year re-inspection
- The whole city is a Housing Conservation District. A residential occupancy permit is required before any vacant unit is occupied: $120 for a vacant unit, $200 if occupied, with a reduced per-unit fee for additional units at one address. The certificate is good for twelve months, rentals are re-inspected every three years or at a change of occupancy, and the owner has thirty days to cure violations. We run the schedule.
- The Problem Properties unit is real
- The city's Building Division sues landlords who rent condemned or unpermitted units. A permitted, inspected, well-maintained property keeps you far from that list, and that is the baseline for everything we manage here.
- Short-term rental rules partly on hold
- The city's 2024 short-term rental permit ordinance was paused by a court order and enforcement stopped in 2025, while the voter-approved three percent short-term rental fee is in effect and operators must hold a city business license. We check the current state before listing anything for nightly stays, and thirty-day-plus furnished rentals near the medical campus are the steadier model.
- Brick, age, and reserves
- A 1910 brick two-family needs a tuckpointing, sewer, roof, and boiler plan that a St. Charles County subdivision home never will. We inspect before quoting and build a reserve that matches the building.
More for St. Louis owners
- Short-Term & Mid-Term Rentals in St. LouisFurnished rentals for traveling professionals and insurance placements in St. Louis.
- Buy, Sell & Invest in St. LouisBuy, sell, or underwrite a St. Louis rental with someone who manages them every day.
- The $100 Property AssessmentAn hour on site at your St. Louis property and a written summary of where it stands.
- The First-Month TestCompare leasing fee structures side by side over the life of a lease.
Nearby cities we manage in
Every city has its own page with local rules, rents, school districts, and the neighborhoods tenants look for.
- Maryland Heights, MO
- Creve Coeur, MO
- Florissant, MO
- Hazelwood, MO
- All of St. Louis County
- Every service area
Looking for a home to rent in St. Louis? See our available properties.
Questions St. Louis owners ask
You get a written quote for your specific property before anything is signed. Our leasing fee is half of the first month's rent rather than the full month most companies charge, and the monthly management fee is quoted as a flat percentage with no setup fee, no markup on maintenance, and no fee for an inspection that is already part of the job. The First-Month Test page shows how that difference adds up over a lease.
Most well-priced homes in St. Louis lease within two to four weeks of listing once the occupancy permit is in hand. The usual delays are price, condition, and permit timing, and we address all three before the listing goes live so the property is not sitting vacant while a problem gets sorted out.
In most of the St. Louis area, yes. Many municipalities require an occupancy permit or inspection before a new tenant moves in, and the rules differ from one city to the next. We handle the application, schedule the inspection, and clear any items on the list, so the permit is ready when the tenant is.
Brad Touchette, the owner and a Certified Property Manager. Touchstone keeps its portfolio small on purpose, so the person who quoted your St. Louis property is the same person who screens the tenant, handles the maintenance call, and sends your statement. There is no call center between you and your property.
Yes. We review the existing lease, introduce ourselves to the tenant, set up rent collection and maintenance reporting, and document the property's condition so there is a clear record from the day we take over. Nothing changes for a good tenant except who they call.
Ready for easier ownership in St. Louis?
Tell us about the St. Louis property you own or are about to buy. You will get a real quote in writing from the person who would manage it.