Short-Term Rental Update

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Thank you to the MARCovid19.com for the excellent summary on the status of short-term rentals.  Short-term rentals (less than 31 days) are not included in the re-opening plan stage 1, but may be allowed down the road in June.  At this time, short term rentals are still limited to only house vulnerable populations or first responders.  They would recommend that anyone interested in securing short-term rental leases for future summer dates, you include a Short-Term Rental COVID addendum (found in Zip and Dotloop in the MAR library). Short term rental providers must begin with significant processes and protocols in place for cleaning and sanitizing of the unit between rentals.  Currently the limit to short-term rentals are as follows:

  1. Housing for health care workers, first responders and essential COVID-19 essential workers.

  2. Housing for out-of-state workers engaged in transportation of materials, logistics, and construction associated with the delivery of health-related services, such as development of COVID-19 alternative care sites.

  3. Housing for vulnerable populations. Vulnerable populations” as used in number 3 below includes individuals and families who cannot safely return to another residence or are facing risk of homelessness if forced to vacate the short-term rental. The presence of COVID-19 in the community where the individual or family normally resides does not qualify them as members of a vulnerable population.

  4. Housing for Massachusetts residents who are self-isolating or self-quarantining or the families or roommates of individuals who are self-isolating or self-quarantining for only as long as necessary to complete the period of self-isolation or self-quarantine.

  5. Housing for individuals receiving long-term, specialized medical care from a physician located in Massachusetts and for accompanying family members.

  6. Housing when required by extenuating circumstances such as fire or casualty to ensure the care and safety of Massachusetts residents and to accommodate other persons unable to return to their own homes due to flight cancellations, border closures, or other direct and material constraints on travel.

Realtors® should inform all prospective guests during this period of the limitations on lodgings and provide them with the list of allowable exceptions. However, the onus is on prospective occupants to self-certify that they fall within one of the allowable exceptions. Occupants are not required to identify the specific exception that applies to their situation and Realtors® do not need to independently verify occupants’ claims.