Short-term rental rules in Medellín: RNT, building rules and the POT proposal

Renting an apartment to tourists in Medellín is legal when three things are in place: a registration in the national tourism register (the RNT) ^[2], land-use clearance for the activity ^[3], and, in an apartment building, building rules that allow it ^[2]. A proposal to limit where new tourist rentals can open is before the city council, and it is not law ^[8].

What the law calls an Airbnb

Colombian law does not use the word Airbnb. It calls a furnished home rented to tourists a vivienda turística, and Ley 2068 de 2020 treats anyone whose activity is renting property, their own or someone else's, for periods of less than 30 days as a provider of that service ^[1]. The same law presumes that a person renting out more than one property for under 30 days is a tourism provider ^[1]. In practice this means a monthly furnished rental sits outside the definition, and a nightly or weekly one sits inside it ^[1].

The registration: RNT and what it asks for

The Registro Nacional de Turismo is the national register every tourism provider has to be in. Registration is done online through the platform run by the chambers of commerce, and MinCIT states that it is free ^[3]. Each property has to be registered separately ^[2]. The chamber of commerce has five days to register an application or return it with reasons ^[2].

The register is declarative. MinCIT says no supporting documents are uploaded, but the owner has to be able to show them if an authority asks ^[3]. The declarations that matter most for an apartment are these:

• Building authorisation. If the apartment is in a building under propiedad horizontal, the owner declares that the building's rules authorise tourist lodging ^[2].
• Land use. MinCIT states that a vivienda turística needs a land-use certificate confirming that the activity is permitted under the city's land-use plan, the POT ^[3].
• Insurance. Ley 2068 de 2020 requires tourist lodging providers to hold liability insurance covering death, disability, injury, damage to third-party property and medical costs ^[1]. MinCIT states that this applies to viviendas turísticas from 1 January 2022 ^[3].

Once registered, the RNT number has to appear in all of the provider's advertising ^[4], and the decree adds that it goes on the digital platform where the property is offered ^[2]. Booking platforms that operate in Colombia are themselves required to be in the RNT and to remove listings from providers without an active registration ^[1].

The registration is renewed every year between 1 January and 31 March ^[2]. A registration that is not renewed is suspended automatically by the chamber of commerce ^[2], and reactivating it costs a fine of one monthly minimum wage paid to the national tourism fund ^[2][3]. Renting without being registered exposes the provider to the sanctions in the law ^[2], which the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio enforces and which can include cancelling the registration ^[1].

The building's rules: propiedad horizontal

Most apartments in Medellín are in buildings governed by propiedad horizontal, the regime set by Ley 675 de 2001 ^[6]. For a short-term rental, the building's reglamento is not a formality. The building administrator is legally required to report to the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio any tourist rental in the building that the rules do not authorise or that is not in the RNT, and an administrator who fails to report faces a fine of up to three monthly minimum wages ^[5].

An owner who operates without authorisation in the building's registered rules faces the sanctions of Ley 675 de 2001 ^[5]. Those are successive fines, each no more than twice the owner's monthly common charges and together no more than ten times them, imposed after a written warning ^[6]. The building can also publish the names of offenders and restrict use of non-essential common areas such as community halls and sports and recreation areas ^[6]. This is why the reglamento, not the listing, is the document that tells you whether an apartment can be rented by the night.

Taxes and contributions the sources mention

MinCIT states that there is no tax specific to tourism, but that providers pay a parafiscal contribution that funds tourism promotion ^[3]. The rate is 2.5 per thousand of operating income ^[1][3]. MinCIT says that tourist housing operated only occasionally is exempt from the contribution ^[3]. Income tax and VAT on rental income are outside what these sources cover, and that question belongs with a Colombian accountant.

What is proposed but not law

On 19 August 2026 a mid-term revision of Medellín's land-use plan (the POT) was filed with the Concejo, and regulating tourist housing was named among its priorities ^[8]. El Colombiano reported on 22 September 2026 that the proposal would concentrate new tourist housing in high-mixture zones and in zones near metro stations, that existing units in medium-mixture zones could keep operating, and that the tourist-rental guild says it would be restricted across 72% of the city ^[9]. We have not read the proposal text itself, so these details are press reports. As of 2 October 2026 it is a proposal under debate, not law, and its final form is open ^[8].

For context, SITE counted 8,322 tourist homes in the RNT in Medellín in 2026, 4.5% fewer than in 2025, and notes that a fall in registrations does not necessarily mean closures ^[7]. Occupancy figures are on our tourism numbers page.

A practical checklist

This is a list of what the sources above require, offered as information:

1. Read the building's reglamento de propiedad horizontal and confirm it authorises tourist lodging ^[2][5].
2. Confirm the land use permits the activity at that address ^[3].
3. Register the property in the RNT online, one registration per property ^[2][3].
4. Hold liability insurance for guests and third parties ^[1].
5. Show the RNT number in every listing and advertisement ^[2][4].
6. Renew the RNT between 1 January and 31 March each year ^[2].
7. Check with an accountant whether the parafiscal contribution and other taxes apply to you ^[3].
8. Follow the POT revision at the Concejo before buying with short-term rental in mind ^[8].