Is it legal to run an Airbnb in Cuenca? The registration only 145 of almost 2,000 owners keep up to date
Yes, it is legal to run an Airbnb in Cuenca. Renting your apartment by the night is neither banned nor living in a legal vacuum: since September 2023 Ecuador has had specific regulations for tourist accommodation in residential properties, and what they ask for is easy to understand. Register. The problem is not the law. The problem is that almost nobody complies — and that is about to change.
The figure that explains why this is about to get serious
Research by the University of Cuenca's PREIT-tour project counted the short-term accommodation operating in the city through platforms. The result: an average of 1.985 alojamientos activos and 3,136 listings detected over the course of 2024.
Of all of them, only 145 were registered with the Ministry of Tourism as of March 2025. Fewer than one in ten.
The same study shows that supply moves with the calendar — around 1,500 listings in April and up to 2,800 in November, coinciding with Cuenca's festivities — and that the highest density is in the Historic Centre.
That work was handed to the local authorities at the end of 2025 to serve as the technical basis for a municipal ordinance. Put another way: the city council already knows how many there are, where they are, and how many are in order.
What the law requires to run an Airbnb in Cuenca
1. The Tourism Registry
It is the first step and the one that unlocks everything else. It is done online, on the Ministry of Tourism portal (siturin.turismo.gob.ec), no tiene costo, and when you finish it generates a certificate with a QR code that you must display at the property. To apply you need a RUC or to be under the RIMPE regime.
2. The Single Annual Operating Licence (LUAF)
It is issued by the Municipal GAD of Cuenca and renewed every year. To get it you need the Tourism Registry certificate and to pay the municipal fee for your category.
To gauge the scale of non-compliance, just look at what the city council collects under this heading: 24,264 dollars in 2021, 54,470 in 2022, 38,725 in 2023, 33,432 in 2024 and 46,729 in 2025. Those are figures that do not square with almost 2,000 places operating.
3. The guest register
It is the obligation most often overlooked, because it is not a one-off procedure but a routine repeated with every booking. For each stay you must record the guest's name, how long they stay, how many adults and how many minors, and a contact phone number. Those records are kept for six months.
If you work with a management company, this is the point where it is worth putting in writing who handles it.
4. RUC or RIMPE, and an invoice for the guest
Renting by the night is an economic activity, and the tax authority treats it as one. The owner must hold a RUC with accommodation registered as an activity, issue an electronic receipt for every stay and file returns on the schedule assigned to them. For most individual owners the applicable regime is RIMPE Emprendedor.
One nuance that causes a lot of confusion: the platform charging the guest and transferring the money to you does not replace your obligation to invoice. The receipt for the guest is still yours to issue.
Your building's bylaws carry more weight than you think
Before starting any paperwork, check your building's internal condominium bylaws. Many buildings in Cuenca expressly prohibit short-stay rental, and that prohibition outweighs any permit you obtain afterwards. It is the most expensive mistake and the easiest to avoid: it is settled by reading a document you already have.
What has to be inside the apartment
The national regulations also set minimum safety conditions: a valid fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a first-aid kit, visible exits and emergency numbers, and electrical and gas installations in good order. None of this is expensive, and all of it shows up sooner or later in guest reviews.
What is coming: Cuenca's new ordinance
On 19 August 2026, El Mercurio reported that the ordinance regulating the cantonal tourism system is ready for its first debate. It is being driven by councillor Román Carabajo, chair of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee, and has already been sent to Mayor Marisol Peñaloza. The rule still in force is almost 18 years old.
Among the things the new text contemplates are fees related to short-term accommodation and overnight stays. The final details will not be known until it passes the two debates of the Cantonal Council, so anyone who tells you today exactly how much you will pay is guessing.
What can be anticipated is the direction: towards more control, not less. The Azuay Hoteliers Association has been calling for it for some time — its president, José Luis Correa, has pointed out that a platform rental operates with three permits while a hotel carries far heavier municipal obligations, and that "most do not comply; nobody verifies or checks".
What happens if you do not register
There are no confirmed public figures for penalties applied in Cuenca, and it would be dishonest to invent them. The possible consequences are the predictable ones: municipal penalties, problems with the tax authority and suspension of the listing on the platform.
But the real risk today is not the fine. It is that you are building an income on a base that can disappear overnight, right when the city council already has the full map of who operates and who does not. Getting in order while it is still voluntary costs a few hours; doing it once it is compulsory and there are deadlines on top costs a good deal more.
Where to start this week
- Read your building's internal bylaws and confirm that short-stay rental is allowed.
- Review your tax position with your accountant: RUC or RIMPE, with accommodation registered as an activity.
- Complete the Tourism Registry on the Ministry portal. It is free and online.
- With that certificate, apply for the LUAF at the Municipality of Cuenca.
- Set up the guest-register routine from your next booking, not from your next inspection.
- Check the fire extinguisher, smoke detector and first-aid kit.
None of these steps costs more than it will cost to be in the ninety per cent group the day the ordinance comes into force.
Frequently asked questions
Aviso. This article is general information on Ecuadorian tourist accommodation regulations, current as of the publication date. It is not legal or accounting advice. The procedures and tax obligations belong to the owner, who should confirm them with their accountant or with the competent authority. Tomebamba Stays provides operational accommodation management services: it does not handle accounting or tax matters on the owner behalf.
What could your property in Cuenca earn?
We will tell you, free and with no obligation, what rate and what occupancy your apartment could reach and what would need adjusting in the listing to get there. If it is not worth putting it on short-stay rental, we will tell you that too.
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Sources cited in this article: El Mercurio · PREIT-tour study by the University of Cuenca · El Mercurio · ordinance ready for first debate · Primicias · requirements for hosts · capex.law · marco legal
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