🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Puerto Rico

A Deep Dive into Your Area’s STR Updates — Helping You Navigate the Ever-Changing Rental Landscape.

New Bill, New Hope for STR Rules in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is once again at the crossroads of short-term rental (STR) regulation. With the introduction of Senate Bill 238, spearheaded by Sen. Nitza Morán-Trinidad, the island could be on track to finally unify and simplify how STRs are licensed and regulated.

The bill aims to amend the Room Occupancy Tax Act and create a centralized registry and licensing system, replacing today’s confusing municipal-by-municipal approach.

The public hearing held on April 9 brought together voices from across the STR landscape: Airbnb, local tourism officials, realtors, condo associations, and the only STR host organization on the island, Viva Puerto Rico Short-Term Rental Alliance. The hearing laid bare one consistent message: everyone wants regulation, but it has to be smart and fair.

Viva PR’s co-president René Acosta made a strong case for keeping enforcement at the central level, not divided among Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities.

“We don’t need 78 different systems,” he said. “We need one fair, efficient one.”

He highlighted concerns like steep, flat fees that punish low-income hosts, unclear criteria for exemptions, and privacy issues from proposed guest data-sharing requirements.

Viva PR instead proposed a single, low-cost, renewable license and called for clear incentives to encourage compliance rather than focusing solely on penalties.

This isn’t Puerto Rico’s first STR policy push. Last summer’s House Bill 1557 fizzled out over disagreements, especially around how to define STRs and who should enforce the rules. But with tourism booming and STR revenues climbing globally, the pressure to modernize Puerto Rico’s laws is only growing.

Sen. Morán-Trinidad summed it up best:

“The sharing economy is here to stay. It’s time we make sure it grows responsibly.”

With the potential to bring order to a fast-growing sector while protecting neighborhoods and honest hosts, SB 238 might be the breakthrough the island needs.

Stay tuned — the future of STRs in Puerto Rico could be decided soon.

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