{"AmendmentNumber":"80","ParentBillNumber":"S3178","Bill":null,"Sponsor":{"Id":"DAF0","Name":"Dylan A. Fernandes","Type":1,"Details":"https://malegislature.gov/api/GeneralCourts/194/LegislativeMembers/DAF0","ResponseDate":"2026-07-17T11:07:24.577"},"Category":null,"Action":"Rejected","RollCall":[],"Title":"To expand housing options through homesharing","Branch":"Senate","RedraftNumber":null,"IsFurther":false,"GeneralCourtNumber":194,"Text":"Messrs. Fernandes and Eldridge move that the proposed new text be amended by inserting at the end the following section:-\r\n\"SECTION X. Chapter 186 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following new sections:-\r\nSection 32. Homesharing program\r\nThe executive office of housing and livable communities shall implement and oversee the establishment and ongoing operation of a homesharing program to promote the use by individuals of unused beds in the owner-occupied homes of seniors and other residents with underoccupied homes in the Commonwealth. The executive office may contract with a third party provider to administer the program.\r\nSection 33. Homesharing agreements\r\nHomesharers and homesharing providers shall agree on the terms and conditions of their homeshare, including the sum to be paid; the domestic services that may be supplied by the homesharer; and other appropriate terms and considerations to responsibly govern their cohabitation. The executive office shall establish and oversee a dispute resolution process, and may contract with a third party provider to administer said dispute resolution. Parties shall be exempt from existing state law pertaining to the relationship between landlords and tenants and the eviction process set forth in Chapter 186 and Chapter 239.\r\nIn the implementation of the homesharing program and overseeing homesharing agreements, the executive office shall ensure (i) bedrooms are habitable and safe; (ii) homesharers pay no more than fair market rent, inclusive of utilities and the value of the domestic services offered; (iii) homesharers and homesharing providers are appropriately vetted in advance of entering into an agreement, including but not limited to, criminal record information checks, credit checks, or other relevant information to ensure safety; (iv) homesharers and homesharing providers maintain adequate insurance at a level established by the executive office; and (v) sufficient and adequate protections exist for homesharers and homesharing providers in the event that a homesharing agreement fails or threatens to fail.\r\nSection 34. Homesharing support fund\r\nThere shall be a fund administered by the executive office, the purpose of which is to provide assistance to homesharing providers and homesharers for costs related to a failed homesharing agreement or in similar emergency circumstances authorized by the executive office. The fund shall consist of revenues received from fees paid by homesharing providers under the provisions of this chapter, and from public and private sources including but not limited to appropriations; gifts; grants; or donations. The executive office shall annually submit a report to the Clerks of the House and Senate, and to the House and Senate chairs of the joint committee on housing, provided the report include but not be limited to the following: (i) the current balance in the fund; (ii) the funds expended in the prior year, and for what purposes; (iii) anticipated needs of the fund in the upcoming year; (iv) the progress of the homesharing program in addressing the housing needs of the residents of the Commonwealth; and (v) any recommended legislative or other policy changes to improve the homesharing program.\r\nSection 35. Regulations and Fees\r\nThe executive office shall promulgate rules and regulations for the administration of the homesharing program established in sections 32 through 35 of this chapter, including the establishment of fees to be paid by homesharing providers to be collected by the executive office and deposited into the fund established in section 34. The executive office may request input and guidance from the Executive Office of Aging & Independence for the protection of older adults entering into homesharing agreements.\"\r\n"}