Running vacation rentals in Oaxaca, Mexico, under the new host register

One thing we couldn't confirm is whether the register is actually taking sign-ups yet. We found no public source that says so, so before you plan around any deadline, it's worth asking Oaxaca's tourism department directly.

Federal tax withheld by Airbnb and the other platforms works the same way in every state, and we cover it in the SAT section of our Mexico page.

This is not legal or tax advice, and Upbridge does not file anything for you: no registrations and no tax returns.

The law asks hosts to post Oaxaca's emergency numbers somewhere visible inside the house, along with a contact for reaching the host or whoever acts for them. In practice that sign becomes part of the house, like the towels, and someone has to check it's still there after every checkout.

The bimonthly report wants the number of stays and nights for each house. So your booking calendar isn't just for sending cleaners anymore, because it's where the numbers for the state come from every two months.

Every house has its own registration number, and it expires after a year. If you manage homes for several owners, you'll want to know whose name each one was registered under and when it's due for renewal.

For the emergency sign, you can make a photo of it a required item on the photo cleaning checklist. When the cleaner finishes, you get a timestamped report, so you know someone looked at it on that turnover.

For the night count, we connect Guesty, Hostaway, Lodgify or Uplisting, or import each house's iCal, and every checkout creates its cleaning task. Having every stay in one calendar makes the numbers easier to pull together, though you still send the report yourself.

We can put those same emergency numbers in the guest guide we build for each house, next to directions and how to get in, and your guest opens it on their phone. The guide doesn't take the place of the sign the law asks for, but it puts the same numbers in your guest's hand.

If you manage vacation rentals or run a cleaning company in Oaxaca, Upbridge can help with the day-to-day of every house, from the photo your cleaner sends to what the guest reads before they arrive.

The law asks hosts to keep each house as safe and clean as possible for tourists. In practice, that part falls to whoever cleans it, and it helps to have a record of every turnover. With the account for cleaning companies, you see all your clients' houses in one calendar, whatever system each owner uses, and every clean leaves its own photo report.

Puerto Escondido

It has a page of its own, because the coast deals with things the capital doesn't: how guests get there since the new highway opened, and what happens to the water supply in the hottest months.

Oaxaca City (Oaxaca de Juárez)

The capital has a page of its own too, covering what the Guelaguetza does to occupancy every July and the gentrification debate in the historic center.

Huatulco

It has its own page, with the months its bays fill up and what happens with water in the houses that depend on a truck.

Mazunte, San Agustinillo and Zipolite

Seis Grados describes these three coastal villages as a strip caught between gentrification and wellness tourism, and notes that on Zipolite's beach, clothing is optional.