天美麻豆

Dominican short-term rental operators are protesting that the Ministry of Tourism may implement new rules to regulate their business. The drafts were circulated for public review during the consultation process that expires on 22 July 2026. The new rules seek to provide checks and balances for the operation of the short term rentals, protecting tourists and raising quality standards for accommodations. Hotel companies complain the short-term rentals are unfair competition.

As reported in El Nacional, the proposed changes, which remain unsigned by Tourism Minister David Collado as the public feedback window comes to an end, aim to formalize the booming vacation rental sector. Property owners complain the regulations place an excessive administrative and legal burden on average citizens.

The primary points of contention include:

Condominium approvals: Owners must secure a formal certification from their condominium鈥檚 administration or board explicitly authorizing short-term rentals. If the building鈥檚 internal regulations do not explicitly address the matter, a formal assembly declaration approved by co-owners is mandatory. Short-term rentals have caused many conflicts in condominiums, especially when the guests are in party mode.

Hotel-quality directives: Registrants must align their private residential properties with standard commercial hotel-quality compliance metrics.

Random inspections: The Ministry of Tourism reserves the authority to execute unscheduled, random home inspections within these private properties.

Excessive bureaucracy: Platforms and individual hosts are required to submit extensive documentation to state authorities, including distinct tracking IDs for every property listed on virtual booking portals.

Economic and consumer fallout

Those against the regulations say the strict hurdles could cause thousands of properties to drop out of the market, artificially compressing lodging supply. Organizers point out that such a drop would subsequently drive up hotel tariffs and accommodation fees nationwide, eroding the Dominican Republic鈥檚 baseline regional competitiveness.

Crucially, the organization highlights that between 30% and 40% of all bookings on short-term rental platforms across the country are generated by domestic Dominican travelers. Consequently, local families and budget-conscious consumers are projected to bear the brunt of the resulting price spikes alongside foreign tourists. Sector groups like the Dominican Short-Term Rental Association (Adoreco) have formally petitioned Mitur to extend the public feedback timeframe beyond 22 July and establish a collaborative technical working group to rethink the regulatory approach.

Resolution identification & regulatory mechanics

The specific administrative action driving this dispute consists of two draft resolutions issued by the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) for public review.

Key operational details of the resolutions:

Mandatory registration: Under Article 5, individual property owners or administrators must independently register every single unit they manage. Operating without this government registry will be classified as illegal.

Creation of Renatur: The drafts outline the creation of a centralized registration directory to track vacation inventory nationwide.

Digital platform traceability: Hosts must supply the exact digital identification number (ID) linked to their property listings across all virtual booking platforms (such as Airbnb, Expedia, or Booking.com).

Condominium vulnerability: The text explicitly declares that if a building鈥檚 formal condominium bylaws are silent on short-term leasing, the property owner cannot list the asset unless they obtain a collective, express declaration from the building鈥檚 general assembly of co-owners permitting vacation stays.

Public consultation access:

Dominican citizens, property owners, and stakeholders can file formal objections, amendments, or technical critiques until 22 July 2026. Feedback can be submitted digitally to the Ministry of Tourism鈥檚 legal review office at consultapublica@mitur.gob.do or hand-delivered to the MITUR main headquarters located at Ave. Cayetano Germos茅n esq. Ave. Luper贸n, Santo Domingo.

Read more in Spanish:

El Nacional

21 July 2026