Medford, MA Short-Term Rentals: Host Platform Liability (2026)

Section 94-8.4.12 of the Medford Revised Ordinances requires every booking agent with any listing in the city to file a quarterly electronic report, in a format the city sets, breaking down where each listing is located, whether it is a room or a whole unit, how many nights each unit was reported occupied during the period, and the operator's name and full contact information. Section 94-8.4.14 then ties enforcement to that reporting relationship: no booking agent may accept a fee for booking a residential unit that violates the short-term rental chapter once the city has notified the agent of the violation, and the commissioner may enter into agreements with booking agents or other third parties to assist with enforcement.

Listed violations under § 94-8.4.14(2) explicitly include a booking agent's failure to furnish a copy of the listing or to include required parking information in it, and failure to remit any required excise tax or surcharge, with unpaid taxes or surcharges also lienable against the property. All violations of the chapter carry noncriminal disposition under M.G.L.A. c. 40, § 21D, penalties under § 1-13 of the Medford Code, with each day a separate offense, and the commissioner may seek a court injunction. Nothing in the section blocks the city from pursuing any additional enforcement action allowed by law against either the operator or the booking agent.