Most of the dozens of dorm-like “crashpads” for airline employees scattered around the neighborhoods near Logan Airport are almost certainly illegal rentals, a GBH News investigation has found.
GBH News identified more than a dozen crashpads in East Boston alone that were not registered as short-term rental units or rooming houses with the city. Even if they were registered, they’re not meeting most of the standards forged during Boston's 2018 debate over how to regulate short-term rentals through services like Airbnb.
The city’s Inspectional Services Department shut down a Geneva Street crashpad April 6 after a flight attendant who was staying at the apartment called the fire department over a faulty fire alarm. An inspector who responded to that call said the space was “illegal” and would be a “deathtrap" if a fire broke out. The department has since been reviewing the case.
Asked whether these “crashpads” are legal in general, a spokesman for Boston’s Inspectional Services Department said in an email "Although the term ‘crash pads’ is not recognized in the codes we enforce, it is our duty to ensure residents and visitors reside in safe, sanitary and code compliant units. ... Property owners must ensure their rental units adhere to all applicable codes and requirements.”
The city’s short-term rental ordinance makes it clear that the current practice of crashpad owners renting out multiple beds in multiple rooms of an apartment is out of bounds.