Insurance Requirements: Grand Rapids vs Kentwood

Does Grand Rapids require liability insurance for a short-term rental license?

Chapter 116 of the City Code does not specify a liability-insurance dollar amount as a condition of issuing a Home Occupation Class B / One-Room Rental License, and the City Clerk's published one-room rental checklist does not list a certificate of insurance among required application documents. Hosts should still confirm coverage independently because standard Michigan homeowner's policies typically exclude transient lodging.

Will my regular Grand Rapids homeowner's insurance cover an Airbnb guest?

Generally no. Most standard homeowner's policies in Michigan exclude business and transient-lodging use. Hosts should ask their carrier for a short-term-rental endorsement or buy a dedicated host policy. Airbnb and Vrbo platform 'host protection' programs are supplemental and do not replace primary coverage. The City does not set a minimum, but lenders or HOAs may.

What insurance does Michigan or Kent County require for short-term rentals?

Michigan does not impose a statewide liability-insurance minimum on short-term rentals; the State requires registration and remittance of the 6% Use Tax for stays under 30 days. Kent County levies a separate 5% accommodations excise. Neither the State nor Kent County publishes a liability dollar requirement specific to STRs.