In Cambridge, only a third of short-term rentals are registered

In Cambridge, only a third of short-term rentals are registered.

Some owners use anonymous agencies to manage their properties, avoiding fees, inspections, and complaints.

Cambridge began permitting short-term rentals in 2017, but according to the city, as of this summer, only about a third of likely active listings have registered.

For the remaining two-thirds who manage to evade the fees, residency requirement, and inspections needed for permitting by sometimes using anonymous go-betweens, units garner even higher nightly profits. Cambridge officials are now revising their policy, with hopes that increased data transparency is the key to bringing more properties on board with the program, and putting those that don’t qualify back into the long-term housing supply.

According to an