Your property manager collects every booking. Who invoices it with Hacienda?

The tax blind spot in short-term rentals managed by third parties in Costa Rica.

If you own a short-term rental in Costa Rica run by a property manager, your agreement probably includes a clause like this one: the owner is responsible for filing VAT returns and paying VAT. The manager “may assist,” but the ultimate responsibility is yours.

On paper, that sounds reasonable. In practice, many of these agreements are set up in a way that makes it almost impossible for the owner to comply on time.

The timing problem

The manager collects from guests throughout the month, but the owner statement only arrives by the 10th of the following month. Until then, neither the owner nor their accountant can see the actual income from each booking.

Costa Rica’s tax authority (Hacienda), however, runs on a different calendar:

• The electronic invoice must be issued when the service is provided, not weeks later.
• The VAT return and payment are due within the first 15 calendar days of the following month.

If the information arrives on the 10th, the accountant has five days to issue a full month of late invoices, reconcile, file and pay. And that assumes the statement arrives on time and without errors.

The clause that leaves the owner in the dark

Some agreements go further: they state that the owner is not entitled to guest information. No names, no contact details, no payment details. That information stays exclusively with the manager.

In other words, the agreement assigns the tax obligation to the owner but takes away the data needed to meet it.

When no one files and no one tells you

The most serious scenario is the silent one. The manager collects, keeps the commission, deposits the balance and does not invoice, does not file and does not tell the owner anything. The owner assumes “the management company takes care of it,” and the accountant does not even know there is income to report.

Months later come the consequences: unreported VAT and income tax, late-filing penalties, interest and late-payment surcharges. All in the owner’s name, because the owner is the taxpayer, not the manager.

What an owner should require

Before signing or renewing a management agreement, make sure it includes:

1. Access for your accountant during the month to the booking system or, at a minimum, a weekly income report by booking.
2. A clear definition of who issues the electronic invoices and when.
3. Owner statement delivery dates that allow you to file on time.
4. Booking-level detail: dates, amounts collected, taxes and commissions.
5. The manager’s obligation to notify you in writing if an invoice was not issued or there were discrepancies.

Our recommendation

Delegating the operation of a property makes sense; delegating tax responsibility without oversight does not. If your manager does not give you timely access to the information, the obligation is still yours, and so are the penalties.

At Nítida we review your management agreement, coordinate the flow of information with your property manager and handle the accounting and tax filings for your property, whether it is held through a company or in your own name.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for advice on your specific situation.