Airbnb has issued a consumer advisory reminding Boston residents who list their home as a short-term rental to register with the City before Sunday, December 1st.
Last January, Boston passed a law establishing guidelines to track and regulate short-term rentals in the City. The ordinance bans short-term rentals from non-owner occupied buildings, eliminating investor units and absentee Airbnb landlords. Owner-occupants may continue to list their own unit, a part of their unit, or an adjacent whole unit in their building as a short-term rental.
The city also requires all short-term rental units to apply and register with the city. Per a settlement agreement between Airbnb and the City of Boston, any hosts who do not register with the City by December 1 will no longer be allowed to list their home as a short-term rental on the Airbnb platform.
Read Airbnb’s advisory below, including their step-by-step registration guide.
In their advisory, Airbnb states they have been working with its short-term rental community in Boston to make them aware of this new regulatory framework through a combination of paid advertisements on social media, emails, and notifications via the platform. However, with less than a week until the deadline, Airbnb is looking to issue one final, urgent reminder for hosts who have yet to register.
Airbnb has put together a step-by-step guide to help hosts through the registration process for the City of Boston:
Step 1: Apply for a registration number on the city’s website. The city will take some time to process your application, and will eventually send your registration number by email.
Step 2: Once you receive your registration number, add your license number to your listing to finalize your registration with the city. Once you add your number, your registration will be complete and you can continue hosting short-term stays.
Step 3: Using your registration number, apply for a business certificate from the City Clerk’s Office via mail or in person. You’ll need to get the signature on your application notarized, which can be done at the City Clerk’s Office. You may continue hosting while your business certificate is pending.
Step 4: After you register, you can use the city’s mailing tool to notify your neighbors within 30 days that your listing is registered.
Most short-term rental hosts in Boston are required to register – there are only a few exceptions. Hosts can check if their listing is exempt here.
Registration with the State of Massachusetts
Along with registering in Boston, local hosts are also required to register with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. You can follow that process here.
