SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Sun-seekers bound for Puerto Rico may soon see beach hazard alerts pop up on their Airbnb or Vrbo listings before they ever touch the sand. A bill moving through the commonwealth’s House of Representatives would require every short-term rental host to issue bilingual safety advisories about dangerous surf, rip currents and evacuation routes for beaches within a five-mile radius of the property. If adopted, House Bill 605 would put vacation-rental operators on the front line of coastal safety, a role that some industry voices argue belongs with lifeguards and government agencies. The debate is unfolding as Puerto Rico grapples with roughly 30 drownings a year; by October 2025, officials had already logged 24 such deaths, most of them in the ocean.
What House Bill 605 Demands From Hosts
The draft legislation, introduced by Rep. María de Lourdes Ramos Rivera, lays out a checklist aimed squarely at the visitor economy:
- Identify every public beach within five miles of the rental unit.
- Describe known hazards—strong currents, lack of lifeguards, sudden drop-offs—in both English and Spanish.
- Publish evacuation maps showing routes to shelters in case of storm or tsunami warnings.
- Keep the data current, updating it whenever local conditions change.
Failure to comply would trigger fines to be levied by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), which would gain new policing duties under the proposal.
Airbnb Pushes Back
The short-term rental sector has already signaled that the mandate, while well-intentioned, could be difficult to police or even deliver accurately on a host-by-host basis. Carlos Muñoz, Airbnb’s director of public policy for the Caribbean and Central America, warned lawmakers that the bill creates “disproportionate obligations,” Muñoz said during a House Tourism Committee hearing. Muñoz told representatives that most of Puerto Rico’s hosts manage only one or two units and have neither the training nor the technology to serve as de facto coastal-safety officers. His written testimony urged the government to focus instead on lifeguard staffing and centralized public-education campaigns that greet visitors at airports, ferry terminals and cruise piers. Among Airbnb’s counterproposals:
- A government-operated bilingual website offering real-time surf conditions, storm alerts and emergency numbers.
- Quick-response (QR) codes displayed at high-risk beaches, linking back to that official site.
Tourism Agency Caught in the Middle
PRTC officials say they share the bill’s life-saving goals but worry about becoming its enforcement arm. Agency attorney Raúl Márquez told committee members that credible, consistent information does enhance Puerto Rico’s image as a safe destination. However, he emphasized that new duties would require new funding, staffing and technology—none of which are spelled out in the current text.
Legislators Keep Tweaking the Draft
Ramos Rivera remains undeterred. “Life has no price,” Ramos Rivera said at the same hearing, adding that rescue operations often cost far more than posting a laminated sheet inside a rental unit. She has even floated amending the measure to cover inland rivers, citing flash-flood rescues that ensnared unsuspecting tourists this year. Tourism Committee Chair Rep. Axel “Chino” Roque Gracia indicated that the bill may eventually merge with two other pieces of beach-safety legislation to form a single regulatory package. “We’ll keep refining it to ensure it can move forward,” Roque Gracia said during the public session.
How Puerto Rico’s Lifeguard Shortage Shapes the Debate
The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) underscored the urgency of better beach safety but pointed to its own staffing gap: 17 lifeguard positions sit vacant, leaving only 22 guards to watch the entire portfolio of public beaches. DRNA officials endorsed the spirit of the bill yet argued that any final framework should address personnel shortages alongside traveler awareness.
Implications for Travelers Booking Short-Term Rentals
For vacationers, the biggest shift would be the visibility of hazard information long before reaching the coastline. Booking pages and welcome binders could feature:
- Color-coded surf condition charts.
- Maps marking unguarded stretches of sand.
- Emergency contacts specific to the municipality.
- Evacuation routes in the event of sudden storms or tsunamis.
Such granular detail could influence not only which property a traveler chooses but also which beach they decide to visit—or avoid.
Tips for Travelers
- Ask hosts directly about the nearest guarded beach, even if hazard notices are not yet mandatory.
- Download official weather and surf-alert apps before arrival; cellular signals can be spotty on remote coasts.
- Check whether your travel insurance covers water-rescue services.
- Observe local flag systems: red for strong currents, yellow for moderate risks and green for calm seas.
- When in doubt, swim where lifeguards are present; Puerto Rico’s shortage makes those flags even more crucial.
FAQ: House Bill 605 and Beach Safety in Puerto Rico
Why is the bill targeting short-term rental hosts? Lawmakers believe hosts are a direct line of communication to tourists, many of whom never consult official government portals before entering the ocean. Does the measure affect hotels? The current draft focuses on properties listed through online platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Traditional hotels already provide some safety material but could be included in future amendments. When could the law take effect? Timelines are still uncertain; the Tourism Committee must consolidate comments from agencies, revise language and secure funding outlines before a final floor vote. What’s the penalty for noncompliant hosts? Fines would be set by the PRTC, but the bill does not yet list specific amounts. Will centralized resources be created? Both Airbnb and DRNA favor a single online portal. Legislators have not clarified whether they will allocate budget for that system.
The Road Ahead
Whether hosts end up stapling laminated tide charts to the back of closet doors or lawmakers pivot to a high-tech government dashboard, Puerto Rico’s record of roughly 30 drownings a year keeps the issue at the forefront. As committee deliberations continue in San Juan, travelers should expect to see stronger, clearer surf warnings—delivered either by their host’s welcome email or a QR code at the beach gate. — as Muñoz and Ramos Rivera told legislators during a public hearing at the Puerto Rico Capitol.
