Short-Term Rental Laws
What is the law in your city?
The Hosting Journey short-term rental law page links you to the latest cities and states laws. Please note this changes so quickly if you have any new information contact me to update the page.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this website is meant only for guidance purposes and not as professional legal or tax advice. Furthermore, this information is not meant to be personalized legal, tax, investment, or any business advice in general. Please visit your government's office for their latest information.
Massachusetts
BOSTON
Per the City of Boston Website (Updated 3/8/18):
The ordinance takes a three-tiered approach to classifying short-term rental units:
- Limited Share Unit: consists of a private bedroom or shared space in the operator's primary residence, in which the operator is present during the rental. The fee associated with this classification is $25 per year.
- Home Share Unit: consists of a whole unit available for a short-term rental at the primary residence of the operator (unit in which operator resides for at least nine months out of a 12 month period). The fee associated with this classification is $100 per year.
- Investor Unit: consists of an entire unit available for a short-term rental in a whole dwelling that is non-owner and non-tenant occupied. The fee associated with this classification is $500 per year.
City of Boston:
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CAMBRIDGE
Per the City of Cambridge Website (3/8/18):
How To Start Overview:
Short-term rental (STR) refers to the rental of any dwelling unit of a bedroom as residential accommodation for a duration of less than 30 consecutive days. Short-term rentals are allowed within certain parameters, and there are rules and regulations you must follow to legally rent out your residence on a short-term basis. See Section 4.60 of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance.
Requirements:
The operator of a short-term rental must meet all of the following criteria in order to be eligible:
- The operator must be an owner of the dwelling unit or a tenant of the dwelling unit (with permission of the owner and, in the case of a condominium unit, the additional permission of the condominium association) to offer a unit or room for short-term rental.
- The operator must live in the STR unit as a primary residence and may rent out up to a maximum of three legal bedrooms, called operator-occupied short-term rental;
- AND/OR, the operator must live in a unit adjacent to the STR unit as a primary residence and own all the other units in a building which can only contain a maximum of four(4) residential dwelling units or less. An owner-adjacent short-term rental may only be rented as a whole unit, not as individual bedrooms.
Inspectional Services
617-349-6100831 Massachusetts Ave.Cambridge, MA, 02139Mon: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.Tue – Thu: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.Fri: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
City of Cambridge
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