Lowell, MA Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

Insurance for short-term rentals in Lowell is set by state statute, not by local ordinance. G.L. c. 175, Sec. 4F provides that 'an operator shall maintain liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 to cover each short-term rental, unless such short-term rental is offered through a hosting platform that maintains equal or greater coverage.' The coverage must defend and indemnify the operator and any tenants or owners in the building for bodily injury and property damage arising from the short-term rental. This requirement was added by the 2018 Act regulating and insuring short-term rentals (St. 2018, c. 337) and applies statewide, so Lowell operators are covered regardless of whether the city adopts its own ordinance. Operators who list through major hosting platforms that carry at least $1,000,000 in host liability coverage satisfy the requirement through that coverage; operators renting independently must purchase their own policy.