Vacation Rentals in Rio de Janeiro

Short-term letting itself is lawful in Brazil as locação por temporada under Article 48 of Lei 8.245/91. What changed in 2026 is the condominium question: on 7 May 2026 the STJ held in REsp 2.121.055 that letting through platforms is permissible only where the condominium convention expressly authorises it. The STJ then suspended related cases nationwide under Tema 1.443 pending a binding thesis. So the answer depends on your specific building's convention, and a definitive ruling is still awaited.

Yes, in the current state of the law. Following the May 2026 STJ decision, the convention governs. Changing it in either direction requires a two-thirds majority of owners under Article 1,351 of the Civil Code, and a prohibition should be registered at the property registry to bind future purchasers. Always read the convention and recent assembly minutes before buying with short-letting in mind.

Not yet. Projeto de Lei 372/2025 would introduce mandatory host and property registration, Cadastur inscription and platform tax collection, and a commission approved its report in December 2025, but it has not passed the full council and is not in force. It is sensible to assume registration is coming.

City-wide, the average listing ran at about US$121 a night with 40.8% occupancy and roughly US$12,800 of annual revenue in the twelve months to July 2026, across some 32,200 active listings. That is gross revenue before commission, cleaning, condomínio, IPTU, furnishing and tax. A well-located Ipanema or Leblon apartment with a pool or terrace earns substantially more than the city average; a dated studio earns less.

Not automatically. Long-term letting produced a 6.25% gross yield in Rio in June 2026 with one contract and minimal running effort, while the average short-let sits empty about three nights in five and carries commission, cleaning, furnishing and management costs. Short-letting beats it clearly in the top tier — good building, good view, outdoor space, professional management — and loses to it in the average case. Model the specific apartment rather than the category.

Up to 90 days. Beyond that it is no longer a locação por temporada under Article 48 and becomes an ordinary residential lease, with the tenant protections that carry. If you need somewhere for six months or a year, see our long-term rentals instead.

Yes. Urban residential property carries no ownership restriction for foreign nationals and needs no visa or residency. You will need a CPF, Brazil's individual taxpayer number, which also lets you declare the rental income. Rural land and border areas are the exceptions, and neither applies in Zona Sul.

A temporada letting is a residential contract for a temporary stay, up to 90 days, with no reception, no daily service and no hospitality licence. A hotel or pousada is a licensed commercial operation. The distinction matters because the 2026 STJ reasoning turns on whether repeated platform letting turns a residential unit into something hotel-like — the more your operation resembles a hotel, the more exposed it is.

Yes — that is most of what we do on the short-let side. Listing and pricing, guest screening, check-in, cleaning, linen, maintenance and a monthly statement. We work in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, and we will tell you honestly if your building's convention makes short-letting unwise.