This bill amends the General Laws in Chapter 42-63.1 entitled "Tourism and Development" to allow owners to offer residential units for tourist or transient use through a hosting platform. It also requires short-term rental properties listed on third-party hosting platforms to be registered with the department of business regulation. The registration must include information such as the owner's contact information, the address of the rental property, and the intended use of the property. The department of business regulation will notify hosting platforms to ensure compliance with the registration requirement, and failure to register may result in fines. Additionally, the bill imposes a 10% surcharge on rental fees collected by hosting platforms for properties offered for tourist or transient use, with the surcharge being deposited into a restricted receipt account to fund homelessness initiatives.

This bill allows owners to offer residential units for tourist or transient use through hosting platforms and requires registration of short-term rental properties listed on third-party hosting platforms. It also imposes a 10% surcharge on rental fees collected by hosting platforms for properties offered for tourist or transient use, with the surcharge being used to fund homelessness initiatives.

Statutes affected:
5645: 42-63.1-14