New Regulations Ban Massachusetts Airbnb Hosts from Doing This

Massachusetts is a fantastic place to live and visit. From picturesque Cape Cod beaches to the iconic Boston skyline and west to the beautiful mountains of the Berkshires, Massachusetts truly has something for everyone.

While Massachusetts is one of the most populated states in the U.S. it also sees a significant amount of tourists and visitors annually. According to visitma.com, Massachusetts sees around 26.2 million domestic visitors, and 2.4 million international visitors annually. Direct spending from these visitors totaled over $10 BILLION in 2020, making it a huge driving force in the Massachusetts economy and generating $879.9 million in state and local tax revenue.

Given the number of visitors that flock to Massachusetts annually, tourism is an extremely viable industry. Expedia reports that there are almost 16,000 hotels in Massachusetts to accommodate its almost 30 million visitors. Like the rest of the country in the past decade, the Bay State has seen an explosion of short-term and vacation rentals. 

While the short-term rental business can be quite lucrative in Massachusetts, hosts and owners must also adhere to strict local, state, and federal guidelines. Everything from the duration of stays, location or rentals, and who you can rent to can be regulated by the government.

In addition to answering to local municipalities and government regulations, hosts must also follow rules put forth by Airbnb itself. The app based short term rental company has a very specific set of standards each home must follow and just a few days ago, they added to that list.

Indoor Surveillance Cameras Are Banned in Massachusetts Airnbns

In further steps to ensure guest safety, Airbnb has banned all indoor security cameras in properties located in Massachusetts and across the globe, according to the New York Times. The policy goes into effect on April 30 of this year.

 These changes were made in consultation with our guests, Hosts, and privacy experts, and we’ll continue to seek feedback to help ensure our policies work for our global community.

Airbnb

Prior to this change, security cameras were allowed in common areas of homes (kitchens, living rooms, rec areas, etc) but were not permitted in bedrooms or bathrooms. Cameras were also required to be in plain sight and not hidden.