Massachusetts state law (MGL c.175 Sec. 4F) requires every short-term rental operator in Worcester to maintain at least $1,000,000 in liability insurance covering each rental, unless the hosting platform provides equal or greater coverage. Hosts must also notify their homeowners or renters insurer of the STR use.
Worcester has no separate municipal insurance ordinance for short-term rentals; the controlling rule is Chapter 337 of the Acts of 2018 (An Act Regulating and Insuring Short-Term Rentals), codified in MGL Chapter 175 Section 4F. Section 4F(b) requires that an operator maintain liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 to cover each short-term rental, unless the rental is offered through a hosting platform that maintains equal or greater coverage. The policy 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. Section 4F(c) requires the hosting platform to notify operators that standard homeowners or renters insurance may not cover STR-related property damage or third-party bodily injury. Section 4F(f) requires the operator to provide notice to any insurer that writes a homeowners or renters insurance policy on the property of the operator's intent to operate a short-term rental. These requirements run alongside the registration mandate under MGL c.64G and MGL c.62C Sec. 67 (Massachusetts Department of Revenue Statewide Short-Term Rental Registry) and the state and local Room Occupancy Excise. Worcester operators offering through Airbnb or VRBO typically rely on the platform's host protection program to satisfy the $1M minimum, but should confirm in writing that the platform's coverage is no less than $1M and includes the operator and building owners/tenants as named beneficiaries.
Operating a short-term rental in Massachusetts without the required $1,000,000 liability coverage (and without an equivalent platform policy) violates MGL c.175 Sec. 4F. Enforcement is principally through the Department of Revenue Registry and the Division of Insurance; operators who cannot demonstrate compliant coverage may have their DOR registration affected. Failure to notify the homeowners or renters insurer (Sec. 4F(f)) can void the underlying personal-lines policy, leaving the operator personally liable for guest injury or property damage claims. Under MGL c.64G Sec. 14, the City of Worcester may also adopt local penalties for registered operators who fail to maintain required coverage.
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