Buying a Scranton Rental: Cite $14,656, Keep Wilkes-Barre Off

Jacob Mishalanie
14 hours ago
6 min read

Updated: 7 hours ago

Empty Scranton Cultural Center Masonic Temple, no people

Underwrite Scranton at $14,656 on 85 listings. The bottleneck is the rental license. Year over year is minus 11.4 percent. AirROI's current Scranton extract, August 2025 through July 2026, pins typical listings at about $14,656 a year on 85 active rentals. The average night was $155. Occupancy was 37.9 percent. Revenue per available night was $54. Active supply moved plus 34.9 percent. Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555. Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager. Email rselemba@scrantonpa.gov. 340 N. Washington Avenue. The Rental Ordinance of 2022 requires a Rental License on every rental property. Official city page: apply by September 15. Beginning in 2024, license renewal applications must be submitted March 15 annually. New rental units must be licensed within 30 days of tenancy. Fees: $45 per unit for 1 to 3 units; $150 flat for 4 to 9; $250 flat for 10 to 19; $350 flat for 20 to 49; $450 flat for 50 or more. Immediate-family-occupied units are exempt from fees but still require a license. Inspections run on a three-year cycle. The first re-inspection is free. Portal slate.tolemi.com. e-check has no fee. Card is 3 percent. Renting an unlicensed unit is a violation as of September 16, 2023. Foreclosed, vacant, lis pendens, and deed-in-lieu properties must register. Pennsylvania hotel occupancy tax is 6 percent. Lackawanna County hotel tax is 7 percent. Confirm remaining Pennsylvania Department of Revenue collection. Confirm 2026. AirROI's low-regulation scrape is not the license file.

DSCR Starts on $14,656

DSCR starts on $14,656 on 85 listings. ADR $155. Occupancy 37.9 percent. RevPAR $54. This page does not invent a purchase price. Scranton Tourism Data is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

The Real Question Is the License, Not a Guessed Cap

The bottleneck is the rental license, not a guessed cap. Confirm remaining March 15 renewal before you underwrite as if nights were unlimited. Complete Visitor's Guide to Scranton on the Lack is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

Year Over Year Is Minus 11.4 Percent

Year over year is minus 11.4 percent. File the current extract. What It Costs to Start a Legal Scranton STR Stay is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

Supply Plus 34.9 Percent

Supply moved plus 34.9 percent. Watch this sample. Financing a Scranton Rental Without a Wilkes-Bar is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

A Satellite Stay Is Not This City Note

Wilkes-Barre listings earned about $11,303 last year from 45 active rentals on the current AirROI extract. Keep that stay on its own line. Wilkes-Barre is another hall. Harrisburg listings earned about $16,656 last year from 225 active rentals on the current AirROI extract. Harrisburg is another hall. Scranton vs Wilkes-Barre Desks is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

The Desk Sits With the Deed

The desk sits with the deed. Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555. Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager. Email rselemba@scrantonpa.gov. 340 N. Washington Avenue. The Rental Ordinance of 2022 requires a Rental License on every rental property. Official city page: apply by September 15. Beginning in 2024, license renewal applications must be submitted March 15 annually. New rental units must be licensed within 30 days of tenancy. Fees: $45 per unit for 1 to 3 units; $150 flat for 4 to 9; $250 flat for 10 to 19; $350 flat for 20 to 49; $450 flat for 50 or more. Immediate-family-occupied units are exempt from fees but still require a license. Inspections run on a three-year cycle. The first re-inspection is free. Portal slate.tolemi.com. e-check has no fee. Card is 3 percent. Renting an unlicensed unit is a violation as of September 16, 2023. Foreclosed, vacant, lis pendens, and deed-in-lieu properties must register. Pennsylvania hotel occupancy tax is 6 percent. Lackawanna County hotel tax is 7 percent. Confirm remaining Pennsylvania Department of Revenue collection. Confirm 2026. AirROI's low-regulation scrape is not the license file. Scranton vs Wilkes-Barre is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

Independent Ownership Changes the Hire

Independent ownership changes the hire. Professionally managed share is 5.9 percent. Scranton Getaways is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

What a Buyer Packet Should Carry

What a buyer packet should carry is $14,656, $45 for 1 to 3 units, remaining 13 percent hotel tax, and each satellite on its own line. Market a Scranton Stay is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it for the related stay, not as a blended year.

Hosts who underwrite Lackawanna River stays should keep $14,656 on 85 city listings, call 570-348-4193 ext. 4555, and leave Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg on their own lines. We market. We do not take the lock.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Scranton a good short-term rental buy in 2026?

Underwrite it at $14,656 on 85 listings, based on the AirROI extract for August 2025 through July 2026, with a $155 average night and 37.9 percent occupancy. Revenue was down 11.4 percent year-over-year while active supply grew 34.9 percent — a combination worth flagging in any offer. The real bottleneck for a buyer here is the rental license process, not a guessed occupancy cap.

Do I need a rental license to operate a short-term rental in Scranton?

Yes. The Rental Ordinance of 2022 requires a Rental License on every rental property in Scranton. Fees run $45 per unit for 1 to 3 units, up to $450 flat for 50 or more, and immediate-family-occupied units are exempt from fees but still need a license. Call Scranton Rental Licensing at 570-348-4193 ext. 4555, or email Robin Selemba, Rental Registration Manager, at rselemba@scrantonpa.gov.

When is the Scranton rental license renewal due?

Beginning in 2024, license renewal applications must be submitted March 15 annually, and initial applications are due by September 15 per the city's official page. New rental units must be licensed within 30 days of tenancy. Confirm current deadlines directly with Scranton Rental Licensing before you plan your calendar around them.

What happens if I rent an unlicensed unit in Scranton?

Renting an unlicensed unit has been a violation since September 16, 2023. Inspections run on a three-year cycle, with the first re-inspection free, and even foreclosed, vacant, lis pendens, and deed-in-lieu properties must register. Confirm your property's licensing status before advertising rather than assuming a prior owner's license carries over.

How much did a typical Scranton listing earn last year?

About $14,656 over the trailing twelve months from August 2025 through July 2026, across 85 active rentals. Average nightly rate was $155, occupancy 37.9 percent, and revenue per available night $54. Revenue fell 11.4 percent year-over-year while supply grew 34.9 percent.

Is Wilkes-Barre part of Scranton's revenue figure?

No. Wilkes-Barre listings earned about $11,303 last year across 45 active rentals on the current AirROI extract — a separate market with its own hall. Keep Wilkes-Barre's figure on its own line rather than folding it into Scranton's $14,656.

What about Harrisburg — does it share Scranton's numbers?

No. Harrisburg listings earned about $16,656 last year across 225 active rentals, a distinct figure from Scranton's own $14,656. Harrisburg is a separate hall entirely and shouldn't be cited as evidence for a Scranton purchase.

Who books a Scranton short-term rental?

Most guests arrive from New York, then Pittsburgh, staying an average of 5.6 nights booked about 35 days ahead. Downtown, Steamtown, and the West Side are different occasions for different guests — match your listing photos and copy to the specific block you're actually offering.

Is a 30-night minimum stay proof that Scranton's market runs full?

No. About 19 of Scranton's 85 active listings — 22.4 percent — have set a 30-night minimum, a platform setting rather than an occupancy figure. Average stay length is still 5.6 nights. Don't sell a filled month you haven't actually booked based on a minimum-stay policy.

What should a buyer packet cite for a Scranton acquisition?

Cite $14,656 on 85 listings, the $45-per-unit license fee for 1 to 3 units, the combined roughly 13 percent hotel tax (6 percent Pennsylvania plus 7 percent Lackawanna County), and each satellite market on its own line. Confirm current license status by calling 570-348-4193 ext. 4555 rather than assuming a prior owner's registration transfers with the deed.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

If a buyer packet still averages Wilkes-Barre into this city note, send the parcel.

Before you bid city or valley, send both addresses — we keep the files apart.

Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.