By: Garland M. Baker B.
Exclusive to A.M. Costa Rica
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For those renting villas, chalets, apartments, rooms, and the like through nontraditional means like Airbnb, Vrbo, HomeAway, Facebook, Instagram, and other similar media sites, business is about to get much more difficult. Legislation passed by the legislature in September regulating short-term rentals will soon be signed into law by the president of the country.
The country is promoting the new rules as a vehicle to protect tourists against scams, frauds, rip-offs, and discrimination. Really, it's just another new tax law with some icing on top to appease the large-scale hospitality industry.
Presently, it is known as bill 20.865. It defines a short-term rental as a temporary stay for money more than 24 hours and less than one year. This excludes the romance motels found throughout Latin America used by locals for steamy getaways and the rental of a place to live long term.
Here is what landlords will need to do to comply with the new law:
