Atlanta approves short-term rental limits for neighborhood near Georgia Tech

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Atlanta's Home Park neighborhood is located in West Midtown near the Georgia Tech campus. On Aug. 18, 2025, Atlanta City Council banned new short-term rentals in Home Park.

Credit: GPB / File

Atlanta will no longer issue permits to homeowners looking to operate short-term rentals in a neighborhood near Georgia Tech. City Council approved a hotly debated resolution in an 11 to 2 vote Monday night.

The resolution from Atlanta City Council bans new short-term rentals in the Home Park neighborhood. Owners who already have permits to operate rentals will be allowed to continue.

Before the vote, Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari spoke directly to Airbnb representatives. She said their inaction has left the council with an impossible choice.

“My concern is not protecting people who own 10 of these,” Bakhtiari said. “My concern is protecting my constituents who have used this to supplement their income. But what we cannot continue to allow is a complete monopolization of housing in the city without any regulations.”

Councilmember Byron D. Amos who sponsored this latest resolution, previously tried to regulate short term rentals in Home Park in 2023. He proposed a measure that would create regulations limiting rentals to houses that are owner-occupied did not pass committee.

Dan Bringman is a Home Park resident. He said between students and short-term rentals the neighborhood lacks permanent residents.

“We need more residents to tend and care for home park daily. Not more properties occupied just a few days a week,” Bringman said. “So I ask that Atlanta City Council pass laws and promote policies that increase owner occupancies and bring long-term renters to our neighborhood.”

A 2022 study from Georgia Tech School of City and Regional Planning found that only 25% of properties in Home Park were owner-occupied according to Homestead Exception filings.

Airbnb released a statement following the vote to limit short term rental permits:

“By arbitrarily depriving many Atlantans of the ability to generate needed income, this short-term rental ban will exclude community members who rely on short-term rentals from Home Park while slashing more affordable, alternative accommodation options for travelers.”

Owners who currently run short-term rentals in Home Park will not be affected by this legislation. The resolution now heads to the mayor’s desk for approval and once signed will take effect.