Supporters pitch home sharing as low-cost housing supply; bill would create program safeguards

Nonprofit and housing-policy witnesses told the Joint Committee on Housing that a regulated home‑sharing program could unlock spare bedrooms, help seniors stay in place, and provide lower-cost rental options without constructing new units.

What the proposal would do: H1473 / S992 would establish a legal framework for home-sharing programs, authorize the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to cultivate third‑party matching organizations, require home‑sharing agreements that define payment, household rules and termination, and create a Home Sharing Opportunity Relief Fund to respond to disputes and emergencies.

Why supporters favor it: Elise Cherry, CEO of BlueHub Capital, told the committee there are about 500,000 spare bedrooms statewide and argued that better matching and program safeguards could make home sharing safe and scalable. She said a small share of those rooms could materially expand affordable supply: "If just 10% of those empty rooms were rented, it would be the equivalent of building $25,000,000,000 worth of housing without laying a single brick," she said.

Concerns and design issues: Witnesses and at‑home practitioners raised tenancy-protection, insurance and code-compliance questions. Long-time home-sharing practitioners urged preserving low-bureaucracy matching options and warned against rules that could inadvertently create landlord-tenant obligations or subject hosts to burdensome safety regulations.

Conclusion: Supporters asked the committee to adopt a measured state framework that ensures clarity on insurance, dispute resolution and tenancy status while allowing local programs and private matches to operate.