Savannah DSCR Loans: the Coastal Market With a Moratorium Downtown
Program and regulatory figures verified July 24, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Savannah rewards investors who read the ordinance before the listing: the downtown vacation-rental map is effectively closed, the rest of the market is very much open, and the difference is worth six figures.
Can I get a DSCR loan in Savannah?
Yes: 1–4 unit rentals across Chatham County and the coastal corridor: Savannah proper, Pooler, Garden City, Richmond Hill, and out to Tybee. The loan qualifies on the property's rent against its full payment; mechanics live in the Georgia DSCR guide. Savannah's numbers work: a ~$325K median with two-bedroom rents near $1,519 (2026 compilations), a port that keeps expanding, Gulfstream's payroll, and a tourism economy that fills mid-term and long-term units alike. Long-term-rental DSCR files here are as clean as anywhere in the state.
Can I buy an Airbnb in downtown Savannah?
Effectively no, as of July 2026, and this is the corrective that saves buyers real money. Short-term vacation rentals operate only inside Savannah's STVR Overlay District, and non-owner-occupied STVRs in the Downtown and Victorian Historic Districts are capped at 20% of residential parcels per ward. Every listed ward is currently at its cap. A new non-owner-occupied applicant goes on the city's waiting list, full stop.
The trap inside the trap: certificates are non-transferable. A listing marketed as a "turnkey STR with bookings" in a capped ward is selling you a business you cannot legally continue, because the seller's certificate dies at closing and the ward is at cap. Pre-September 28, 2017 certificates are grandfathered for their holders, not for you. What still works downtown: owner-occupied STVR structures, and everywhere in the overlay outside the capped wards. The city also charges a $50 zoning confirmation letter to tell you exactly what a parcel allows, which we consider the best $50 in Georgia real estate. Certificate economics: $400 application, $250 annual renewal (verified July 2026 on the city's STVR pages).
Tybee Island: the cap that isn't law yet
Tybee runs its own regime, and it moved twice recently. Current law, as of July 24, 2026: every STR needs an annual certificate (calendar-year term; the 2026 renewal window was extended to May 31, 2026), plus an occupational tax certificate, and no NEW certificates issue in the R-1, R-1B, and R-2 residential zones. Existing holders may renew. Local occupancy tax is 7%.
The headline you may have seen, a hard island-wide cap of 775 STR licenses, is proposed, not adopted: council voted 4–2 in March 2026 to draft the ordinance, and we found no final adoption as of July 24, 2026. Property owners sued the city over its STR rules in January 2026, and that case was unresolved at this writing. We re-verify Tybee's status before every loan we write there; if a certificate path matters to your deal, the conservative structure is to qualify the purchase on long-term rent and treat STR income as upside. Full coastal and statewide rules: STR permits by city · financing mechanics: STR loans.
How we'd play Savannah
Our take: the moratorium makes the boring plays better. Long-term rentals in Pooler and the westside logistics corridor ride the port's payroll growth. Mid-term furnished rentals (31+ nights) serve traveling medical staff and film crews while sitting outside the STVR ordinance entirely, and outside the $5-per-night state fee as well. And where a parcel genuinely holds STVR capacity, the ward caps work in your favor once you're in: constrained supply against Savannah's visitor demand. We underwrite the parcel, not the postcard.
No pressure, no obligation, and no salesy follow-up: a 20-minute call with our team, real numbers, and a straight answer on whether the deal pencils.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy an Airbnb in downtown Savannah?
Effectively no, as of July 2026. Non-owner-occupied STVRs in the Downtown and Victorian Historic Districts are capped at 20% of residential parcels per ward, every listed ward is at its cap, and a new applicant goes on the city's waiting list. Certificates are non-transferable, so buying an operating STVR does not transfer its right to operate.
Did Tybee Island cap short-term rentals at 775?
Not finally. The 775-license island-wide cap is proposed, not adopted: council voted 4–2 in March 2026 to draft it, with no final adoption found as of July 24, 2026. Current law already bars new certificates in the R-1, R-1B, and R-2 zones (existing holders renew), and owners sued the city over its STR rules in January 2026.
What does a Savannah short-term vacation rental certificate cost?
$400 to apply and $250 per year to renew, per the city's STVR pages (verified July 2026), plus a $50 zoning confirmation letter if you want the city to state a parcel's status in writing before you buy. Occupancy caps at 4 adults for units up to two bedrooms, then 2 adults per bedroom above that.
Can I get a DSCR loan in Savannah?
Yes: 1–4 unit rentals across Chatham County, from Savannah and Pooler to Richmond Hill and Tybee. Typical structure is 20–25% down with credit floors around 620–660, qualified on the property's rent-to-payment ratio, with LLC vesting handled routinely at the closing attorney's table.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content, not a loan commitment and not legal or tax advice. City STR rules, tax figures, and filing fees change; verify current requirements with the city or county, your CPA, or a Georgia real estate attorney before you buy. Loans are subject to buyer and property qualification.