The Viva Puerto Rico short-term rental alliance (Viva PR) is calling for a bill that would create a registry of properties used for short-term rentals and standardize the regulations governing the activity across Puerto Rico. Alliance president Rene Acosta, an entrepreneur and short-term rental host, said on El Nuevo Día’s Lo de Hoy program that the activity has spread across the island, prompting towns to adopt different municipal ordinances that complicate operations for hosts with properties in multiple jurisdictions.
Hosts must also register their properties as tourist lodging with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, which Acosta said adds confusion on top of the varied municipal decrees. He wants a single registry run by the Tourism Company, with greater enforcement and safeguards, but no new taxes. Similar uniformization measures previously failed in the Legislature amid opposition from various groups, Acosta said, with lawmakers deciding to leave everything as is.
The proposal would create an online registration system for lodgings rented for periods of up to 90 days for payment, covering houses, apartments, villas, cabins, recreational vehicles and floating lodgings, with some exclusions. Although the Tourism Company already keeps a registry for tax purposes, the bill would standardize required information and strengthen oversight. If approved, the agency would have 180 days to write the regulations and 10 days to issue a certificate after a complete application, and hosts already registered would keep their registration.