Costa Rica Crime Alert Hits Vacation Rentals

Published on Dec 1, 2025, 5:01 pm CST

10 min read

Key points

U S Embassy in San José issued a November 25, 2025 security alert about rising crimes against foreigners across Costa Rica
The alert highlights robberies break ins and extortion schemes at foreign owned homes and short term rentals including Airbnbs
Criminals have forced victims to hand over valuables or make large ATM withdrawals and bank transfers under threat
Costa Rica remains at State Department Level 2 exercise increased caution due to crime rather than a higher advisory level
Embassy guidance urges tighter rental security better neighborhood research and avoiding displays of wealth or resistance during robberies
Travelers can still visit but should prioritize vetted locations secure properties and clear plans for reporting crimes to local authorities

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Risk is highest at stand alone houses and remote beach or rural rentals with limited staff weak locks or easy vehicle access
Best Times To Travel: Daytime arrivals to major hubs and transfers in daylight to well established areas reduce exposure when first reaching a rental
Onward Travel And Changes: Build extra buffer for late night arrivals from Juan Santamaría or Liberia when driving to coastal rentals and consider private transfers
What Travelers Should Do Now: Review existing Costa Rica bookings for location and security basics upgrade weak rentals and brief everyone on robbery and reporting protocols
Health And Safety Factors: Balance normal beach and nature plans with sharper situational awareness around rentals banks ATMs and late night movements

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A new Costa Rica crime alert for rentals from the U S Embassy in San José on November 25, 2025, warns that property crimes and robberies targeting foreigners are rising across the country. The nationwide security message calls out criminal gangs that have focused on foreign owned homes, businesses, and short term rentals, including Airbnbs and similar platforms. For travelers, the biggest shift is that choosing a villa, condo, or beach house now carries a clearer security tradeoff, and planning a trip means treating locks, lighting, and neighborhood patterns as seriously as surf breaks and cloud forests.

In practical terms, the Costa Rica crime alert for rentals asks visitors and foreign residents to raise their baseline defenses, while the broader State Department advisory for Costa Rica remains at Level 2, exercise increased caution, due to crime, rather than moving to a higher warning tier.

What The New Security Alert Actually Says

According to summaries of the embassy note, the November 25 security alert describes a pattern of property crimes, financial crimes, and robberies that has hit U S citizens, other foreigners, and foreign residents in multiple parts of Costa Rica. Criminal gangs have targeted foreign owned homes and businesses for break ins, armed holdups, and extortion schemes. In some cases, victims were forced at gunpoint to withdraw large amounts of cash at ATMs or to complete bank transfers while under threat.

The alert explicitly mentions that tourists staying in short term rentals such as Airbnbs have faced similar attacks, with intruders entering properties and demanding valuables at gunpoint. Local reporting notes that these incidents are not limited to a single coast or city, but rather follow foreigners and high value targets wherever criminals see opportunity, including in popular expat zones in Guanacaste and the Central Valley.

The embassy and State Department both stress that Costa Rica is still a major tourism destination and that millions of visitors are not affected by violent crime. At the same time, they are blunt that crime trends have worsened in recent years and that tourists can be singled out because they are perceived to carry cash, electronics, and other portable valuables.

How This Fits With The Level 2 Travel Advisory

The underlying U S travel advisory for Costa Rica has been at Level 2, exercise increased caution, due to crime since December 10, 2024. That country level note highlights petty theft and pickpocketing as common, but also warns that more serious crimes such as armed robbery, homicide, and sexual assault have affected tourists. It advises travelers not to resist robbery attempts, not to display signs of wealth, and to stay aware of surroundings, especially at night.

The new security alert does not change the numeric advisory level, so Costa Rica is not in the same category as countries where the U S government asks people to reconsider travel or to avoid travel entirely. Instead, the alert functions as a sharpened warning that certain types of stays and behaviors are more exposed than others, particularly isolated rentals, unsecured vehicles, and predictable routines that criminals can study over time.

For renters, the key difference is that security risk is now explicitly linked to foreign owned homes, villas, and apartments, rather than treated as a generic urban crime issue. That gives visitors a concrete reason to compare a free standing villa on a quiet road against a condo in a staffed building or a hotel with round the clock guards and cameras.

Which Stays And Areas Are Most Exposed

The pattern described by the embassy and local media points to higher risk for independent stays in stand alone houses, remote beach properties, or rural homes where there is no staffed reception, minimal street lighting, and easy vehicle access at night. Properties that sit behind low walls, have a single gate, or back onto open land can give criminals privacy and multiple escape routes.

Attacks have not been limited to one region, but several recent cases have involved popular coastal areas such as Tamarindo and other Guanacaste beach towns, where foreign owned homes and vacation rentals sit in small clusters on the edges of local communities. In one high profile July 2025 incident, a Canadian tourist was killed during a violent home invasion at a rental property near Tamarindo, underscoring how fast an opportunistic burglary can turn into a deadly confrontation.

Urban neighborhoods in San José, especially those away from main hotel corridors, also see property crime and street robberies. Apartments or small hotels that lack controlled entry, locked parking, or basic CCTV coverage expose guests in similar ways to isolated coastal homes. Even in well known tourist towns, basic measures such as solid doors, modern locks, and well lit approaches can mark the difference between a soft target and one criminals decide to skip.

Choosing Safer Neighborhoods And Properties

For travelers already booked into Costa Rica, the first step is to pull up the exact address of any rental and put it into a mapping app in satellite and street view modes. Look for how close the property is to main roads, whether there is street lighting, how many neighbors are nearby, and whether there appears to be a community presence such as other rentals, small hotels, or businesses that stay active into the evening.

Listings should show at least basic security features, including sturdy doors, window bars or secure latches where appropriate, lockable gates, and ideally exterior lighting that can be left on overnight. Hosts who provide detailed information about how to access the property, where to park safely, and how to reach them or a property manager in an emergency are usually investing more thought in guest safety.

If a listing lacks detail on security, or if reviews mention break ins, suspicious activity, or poor lighting, travelers should consider switching to a different property, even if it means moving to a slightly busier neighborhood or paying more for a staffed building. Adept Traveler readers looking for a deeper checklist can pair this alert with a structured vacation rental safety guide and a broader Costa Rica travel safety overview when those resources are available.

When comparing rentals against hotels, it is reasonable to see the latter as a lower risk choice in many Costa Rica destinations, because midscale and upscale hotels often have security staff, controlled access to guest areas, and more established relationships with local police and the Organismo de Investigación Judicial, OIJ, the investigative agency that handles serious crime.

Arrival, Transfers, And Moving Around

How and when travelers arrive matters almost as much as where they sleep. Many visitors land at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) near San José or Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) near Liberia, then drive rental cars several hours to coastal towns. Arriving late at night, collecting a car in the dark, and then navigating unfamiliar roads to a remote house can leave guests unloading bags and figuring out locks at exactly the time when visibility and neighborhood activity are lowest.

Where schedules allow, it is safer to plan flights that arrive earlier in the day, arrange private transfers from reputable companies, or book a first night in a hotel near the airport or in the main town before transitioning to a more isolated rental. Visitors who do drive should keep bags and electronics out of sight, lock doors manually before walking away, and be aware that thieves in Costa Rica have used key fob jammers to keep cars unlocked unless drivers check handles.

The same logic applies to daily movements. Walking back to a rental along dimly lit streets, especially after drinking, or taking a beach path at night carries avoidable risk. In many Costa Rican coastal towns, taxis or app based rides are inexpensive compared with the cost of a stolen phone or a violent robbery, and splitting fares within a group can make that default choice.

Preventive Habits And What To Do In A Robbery

The embassy and State Department guidance are clear on one point that some travelers find counterintuitive: do not resist an armed robbery. Tourists should hand over phones, wallets, and bags rather than try to argue, run, or fight, since criminals often carry firearms or knives and may be nervous or under the influence of drugs.

Day to day, avoiding displays of wealth is a simple yet effective filter. That means leaving expensive watches and jewelry at home, keeping cameras and high end phones put away when not in active use, and spreading cards and cash across several pockets or money belts rather than one wallet. At banks and ATMs, travelers should scan their surroundings before inserting a card, avoid using machines late at night or in isolated spots, and consider setting lower daily withdrawal limits to make forced withdrawals less rewarding.

Inside rentals, basic steps such as keeping doors and windows locked, closing curtains at night, storing passports and backup cards in a small safe or hidden bag, and not discussing exact plans or valuables with casual acquaintances all reduce exposure. Hosts should be contacted immediately if locks are broken or if unknown people loiter near the property, and guests should not allow workers or supposed officials to enter without verifying identity.

How To Report Crime And Get Help

For emergencies in Costa Rica, travelers should dial 911 for local police and then contact the U S Embassy in San José at +506 2519 2000 or the after hours emergency number if needed. To start a formal investigation, victims must file a denuncia, or police report, with the OIJ. The OIJ maintains offices across the country and offers the OIJ CR Safe app to help people find the nearest location.

Tourist Police units can offer limited help in starting a case in places like San José city center, major airports, and popular beaches including Tamarindo, Puerto Viejo, and several others on both coasts. Enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, STEP, before travel also makes it easier for the embassy to contact U S citizens during an incident and to push updated alerts if the security picture changes again.

Travelers who experience crime should also notify their travel insurer as soon as practical and keep copies of police reports, medical records, and receipts, since most theft and trip interruption policies require documentation for claims. While it can feel uncomfortable to relive an incident in detail, precise reports help both Costa Rican authorities and future visitors understand where risks are concentrated.

Balancing Security With A Trip That Still Works

Costa Rica still draws millions of visitors each year for beaches, rainforests, and wildlife, and most trips will not be defined by crime. The new security alert does not ask travelers to cancel plans so much as to treat security as a central planning input, especially when renting private homes or choosing nightlife and banking habits. For many people, the right adjustment will involve shifting to better located rentals or hotels, organizing arrivals in daylight, and tightening personal routines rather than avoiding the country altogether.

By approaching Costa Rica in 2025 and 2026 with eyes open, a clear checklist, and a willingness to upgrade weak bookings, travelers can reduce exposure to the patterns that concern the embassy while still getting much of what makes the country appealing. The core message of the alert is not that Costa Rica has suddenly become uniquely dangerous, but that visitors who treat rental security and everyday habits as seriously as they would in any large city are more likely to have the trip they planned rather than the one criminals choose for them.