Cumberland County, ME Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

There is no county-level STR licensing program in Cumberland County and no Maine statute that mandates short-term-rental hosts to carry a specific commercial-grade liability policy. The Maine Bureau of Insurance regulates homeowners and dwelling-fire policies under Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 24-A but does not require commercial endorsements for STR activity — a coverage gap that commonly arises because standard ISO HO-3 homeowners forms exclude or limit 'business pursuits' on the premises. Hosts on major platforms receive limited protection: Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts (effective 2021) provides up to $3 million in damage protection and $1 million in third-party liability coverage per booking, and Vrbo's Host Liability Insurance through Generali provides up to $1 million in third-party liability for stays booked and paid through the Vrbo platform. Neither is a substitute for a host-specific policy. At the municipal level within Cumberland County, several towns require proof of liability insurance as a precondition to STR registration — Portland Code Ch. 6 Art. IX §6-241 requires applicants to certify that the property is covered by a homeowner's, renter's, or commercial liability policy of at least $300,000 per occurrence (or platform coverage of equivalent value). South Portland's STR ordinance similarly requires a minimum $300,000 liability policy. These requirements vary by municipality; the county itself imposes none.