Boston, MA Short-Term Rentals: Host Platform Liability (2026)
Key Facts
- Consequence for refusing agreement
- Barred from conducting business in city
- Agent duty
- Remove ineligible/overlimit/unregistered listings
- Reporting frequency
- Monthly electronic listing report
- Fine for booking ineligible unit
- $300 per violation per day
- Administering office
- ISD Commissioner
Summary
Boston requires short-term rental booking platforms, the ordinance's term for services like Airbnb or Vrbo, to sign enforcement agreements with the ISD Commissioner or be barred from doing business in the city. Platforms that sign must actively pull ineligible or unregistered listings under Code of Ordinances § 9-14.10(B).
(B) Enforcement by booking agent. (1) The Commissioner shall enter into agreements with booking agents for assistance in enforcing the provisions of this Section, including, but not limited to, an agreement whereby the booking agent agrees to remove a listing from its platform for exceeding the maximum number of days a residential unit may be offered as a short-term rental, whereby the booking agent agrees to remove a listing from its platform that is deemed ineligible for use as a short-term rental under the provisions of this Section, and whereby the booking agent agrees to prohibit a host from listing any listing without a valid registration number from the city. (2) Any booking agent that fails to enter into such agreements to actively prevent, remove or de-list any ineligible listings shall be prohibited from conducting business in the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Current through Ordinance 2025 C. 14, passed 11-5-2025).
Full Breakdown
10(B)(1) directs the Commissioner to 'enter into agreements with booking agents for assistance in enforcing the provisions of this Section,' specifically requiring the booking agent to remove any listing that exceeds the maximum rental days allowed for its unit type, remove any listing 'deemed ineligible for use as a short-term rental,' and prohibit hosts from posting a listing without a valid ISD registration number. 11, which separately requires every booking agent to file a monthly electronic report to the city breaking down listings by location, whether they are a room or whole unit, and the number of nights each was occupied. c. c. 10(A).
Violations & Fines
A booking agent that will not sign an ISD enforcement agreement, or signs one but fails to actively remove ineligible or unregistered listings, is 'prohibited from conducting business in the city' under § 9-14.10(B)(2): an outright exclusion, not a fine schedule. Separately, § 9-14.9(A) fines any booking agent that 'accepts a fee for booking a unit as a short-term rental' where the unit is ineligible $300 per violation per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a platform like Airbnb have to cooperate with Boston's short-term rental rules?
What happens if a booking platform refuses to sign Boston's enforcement agreement?
Can a booking agent be fined directly for a bad Boston listing?
Do booking platforms have to report their Boston listings to the city?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boston
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