Medellín Airbnb Rules in 2026: Where Short-Term Rentals Are Allowed (and How to Check Any Address)

I’m Gio, the Medellín Consultant. I’ve lived and done business in Medellín for more than ten years, and the question I get most from buyers and hosts right now is simple: can this apartment be an Airbnb? The honest answer is yes, if three separate permissions line up. Most people check one of them. This guide walks through all three, and shows you how to check the zone yourself before you sign anything.

Latest: the POT committee vote (updated 20 October 2026)

On Monday night, 19 October 2026, the City Council’s first committee approved the revision of Medellín’s land-use plan (the POT) seven votes to zero, after more than eight hours of debate. The proposal changes about 78% of the articles in the 2014 plan. For short-term rentals, the direction is clear: tourist housing is to be concentrated in high-mix areas (busy commercial corridors) and in areas next to Metro stations, while low-mix residential streets are protected.

The final vote is in the full council (the plenaria) on Wednesday 4 November 2026. Until then, the current rules apply. I’ll update this page after that vote. Sources: El Colombiano, Vivir en El Poblado and Minuto30, 20 October 2026.

Is Airbnb legal in Medellín?

Yes. Renting a furnished apartment for stays of under 30 days is legal in Colombia under the tourism rules (Ley 2068 de 2020 and Decreto 1836 de 2021), as long as the unit is registered and allowed where it sits. The new POT doesn’t ban short-term rentals; it assigns them to specific zones to protect family housing.

What changes is the risk. If you’re buying now, buy as if zoning will matter, because it will.

The three permissions every legal short-term rental needs

The most common mistake I see: buying because “everyone in the building does Airbnb”. If the reglamento doesn’t expressly allow it, one complaint from a neighbour can end your listing, and the building administrator is obliged to report units used for tourism without authorisation or an RNT.

How to check the zone of any address (free, about 10 minutes)

The city’s zoning map is public, in the GeoVisor Mapas Medellín. I tested this step by step in October 2026; it works best on a computer.

1. 1.Open GeoMedellín and click the orange GEOVISOR MAPAS MEDELLÍN button. Click Aceptar on the notice.
2. 2.In the search bar at the top left, type the address the Colombian way (for example Carrera 43A #7-50) and press Enter. A red dot marks it.
3. 3.In the panel on the right, open Ordenamiento Territorial, then Mapas POT 48 (the plan in force today). Find the layer 23_Uso_General_Suelo_Urbano and click the eye icon.
4. 4.Click the three dots next to that layer and choose Leyenda to open the colour key.
5. 5.Read the colour under your red dot. Switch Tipo de Mapa to Ortofoto (satellite) to see the actual building.

Ignore the other 30-plus layers. Layer 23 is the one that shows which uses are allowed where.

What the colours on the zoning map mean

The map is a first screen, not a permit. It shows the 2014 plan, and the new POT may redraw the zones. For a definitive answer on a specific property, request the official land-use concept (concepto de uso del suelo) from the city’s planning department, and check the map again once the new POT is approved.

Then check the building and the RNT

• →The building: ask the administración for the current reglamento and any amendments. Look for an explicit authorisation of tourist use (“vivienda turística” or “uso turístico”), and ask whether an assembly vote to change it is coming.
• →The RNT: registration and annual renewal are done through the RNT portal run by Confecámaras. If you’re buying a unit that’s already listed, ask the seller to show its RNT. The registration doesn’t automatically become yours.

Your 5-point checklist before you buy or list

1. 1.Zone checked on the GeoVisor (layer 23) for the exact address, ideally high or medium mix.
2. 2.The reglamento expressly authorises tourist rentals, current version, in writing.
3. 3.No pending changes: no assembly vote coming to restrict short-term rentals, no open complaints.
4. 4.RNT active, or you can register in your own name before your first guest.
5. 5.Running costs budgeted: annual RNT renewal, administration fees, platform fees and taxes on rental income.

If your zone or building says no

You still have options. Stays of 30 days or more are a different kind of rental: an ordinary furnished lease, not a tourist stay. Remote workers, executives and long-stay visitors rent that way, and in many buildings it’s the cleaner model. If that’s your route, Medellín Lifestyle lists verified furnished monthly rentals with zero commission.

What you shouldn’t do is keep listing and hope. A complaint, a platform takedown or a fine costs more than the switch.

Where it’s worth paying for help

The check above costs you nothing but ten minutes, and you should do it on every address. Where people lose real money is the judgement call: a property they love in the wrong zone, a reglamento with ambiguous wording, or a seller pricing in Airbnb income the unit can’t legally earn. That gap can be tens of millions of pesos on the purchase price.

The full rental game, how to read a Colombian building and how to use zoning in a price negotiation are in Blueprint 2: Real Estate Reality. If you have a specific address, bring it to a Strategy Session and we’ll run the zone, building and RNT checks together before you sign.

I’m an operator, not your lawyer: this is how it works on the ground, current to October 2026. Confirm the details for your property with the official sources or a professional before you act.