House tourism committee hears bill to require safety notices at short‑term rentals

The House of Representatives Committee on Tourism met Oct. 3, 2025, to hear House Bill 605, filed by Representative Lourdes Ramos Rivera, which would require operators or managers of properties offered as short‑term rentals to provide a bilingual (Spanish/English) safety notice listing nearby beaches within a five‑mile radius, specific warnings about rip currents and other beach hazards, emergency contact numbers, and evacuation routes for storms and other atmospheric events.

The measure matters because lawmakers and agency officials said it aims to reduce drownings and other coastal accidents among tourists and residents who stay in short‑term rentals, while committee members and agency witnesses warned the proposal also would create new inspection and enforcement responsibilities for the Puerto Rico Tourism Company without an identified funding increase.

During the hearing Raúl Márquez Hernández, representing the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, said the agency supports the bill’s objective but cautioned that implementation would impose “una nueva carga regulatoria” and require resources the agency does not currently have. He noted the Tourism Company’s existing statutory…