Protect your Colorado properties, one reservation at a time.
Half Stays Local is the per-reservation program that automatically funds critical advocacy efforts that protect your business through the important work of Colorado Short-Term Rental Association and the Right to Rent Collaborative.
“Regulation risk is business risk. If one of your Colorado markets gets restricted, every owner relationship, every listing, and every future booking is affected.”
Colorado has no statewide short-term rental law. Every county and city writes its own rules, and they can change fast. Protection without organized, funded representation doesn’t hold. The Half Stays Local Program is how Colorado property managers make sure it does.
Advocacy That Gets Results
COSTRA is working every day to protect the future of short-term rentals across Colorado.
Through legislative advocacy, local government engagement, coalition building, and grassroots action, we help stop harmful policies, shape fair and workable STR regulations, and ensure the voices of property owners, managers, and tourism businesses are heard.
Our advocacy has helped protect property rights, defend the economic contributions of short-term rentals, and keep Colorado communities open to responsible STR businesses.
The COSTRA Impact Pyramid is a visual display of the areas that your contributions to our organization support.
Advocacy — Protecting property rights and influencing public policy.
Education — Providing the knowledge and tools members need to succeed.
Community — Connecting homeowners, managers, partners, and local leaders.
Business Growth — Delivering resources that help members operate stronger businesses.
Leadership — Advancing responsible tourism and shaping the future of Colorado’s visitor economy.
A FEW EXAMPLES OF COSTRA'S ADVOCACY IMPACT:
Defending against excessive taxation: COSTRA has actively opposed proposals that would place disproportionate tax burdens on short-term rentals, including efforts involving commercial property taxation and vacancy taxes.
RECENT WINS:
Killed the 400% property tax. SB33 would have taxed short-term rentals as commercial lodging at 27.9% instead of 6.76%. Defeated in committee, April 2024.
Killed the vacancy tax. HB 1036 exempted only licensed rentals, leaving every owner on a license waitlist exposed. Dead in House Finance, 7 to 4, February 2026.
Defeated the Steamboat Vacancy Tax, November 2025.
Helped Vail members defeat Proposition 2A, Fall 2025.
Shaping local STR regulations: COSTRA works directly with local governments and community stakeholders to advocate for reasonable licensing, occupancy, enforcement, and operational standards rather than overly restrictive regulations that threaten responsible STR businesses.
Protecting property rights: COSTRA consistently advocates for policies that recognize an owner’s right to use and rent their property while supporting reasonable rules that address legitimate community concerns.
Mobilizing the STR community: Through grassroots campaigns, public comment efforts, town halls, legislative outreach, and direct engagement with elected officials, COSTRA gives Colorado’s STR community a unified voice when important policies are being considered.
Building relationships at the Capitol: COSTRA engages legislators and policymakers throughout the legislative session to provide industry expertise, economic data, and real-world perspectives on how proposed legislation could affect property owners, businesses, and Colorado’s tourism economy.
Keeping STRs at the table: COSTRA has established itself as a trusted resource for policymakers, helping ensure that short-term rental issues are discussed with facts, data, and industry perspectives—not assumptions.
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS:
Enrollment takes just five minutes.
Start here to:
1. Sync your property management software (PMS) to the Right to Rent Program to automatically contribute $2/reservation post checkout. Select Colorado STRA during enrollment to send $1 of every $2 collected right to efforts in your back yard!
2. Choose how you’d like to handle the contribution:
- Split it with or pass it to your homeowners
- Pass it to guests
- Absorb it
That’s it! We’ll receive just enough information to calculate and collect your contribution on a monthly basis based on qualifying reservations, while you can rest easy knowing your contributions are working hard for you.
No minimum commitments. Start or stop at any time.
Half Stays Local is not a charity.
It’s an investment in market stability and peace of mind.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE:
Industry Affiliate Membership with COSTRA:
Get all the access and member benefits COSTRA provides with the Industry Affiliates membership. Upgrade your membership to Business Builder, Executive Partner, or Corporate Premier, after your first year of participation based on program performance.
R2RC Property Manager Badge:
Signal to current and potential homeowners your efforts to protect their right to rent.
Protections in Your Market:
Your dollars go to work for you, powering advocacy efforts with COSTRA as we work to protect properties, jobs, and local businesses like yours.
Impact Reports:
Keep your finger on the pulse of what Right to Rent is working on through annual reports, a clear grant process, and regular updates to members
See participating PMSs and FAQs below.
THE INVESTMENT MADE SIMPLE:
How to Handle the $2 in Your Business
Gross Revenue Split
Pull $2 from gross revenue before the commission split. Most popular — gives owners skin in the game.
Guest Invoice Line Item
Add it as a standard fee on the guest invoice. No owner conversation required.
50/50 with Owners
You and your owner each cover $1 per reservation. Clean and even.
PM Absorbs
You cover the full $2 from your commission. No owner conversation needed.
NO NEW TOOLS.
Works With Your Existing Software
If you already run one of these, you’re ready to enroll.
Don’t have a connected PMS?
Monthly and annual options available.
Choose your tier or enter a custom amount based on your monthly average reservations x $2 each – or the per-reservation amount that works best for your business.
LOCAL PROPERTY MANAGERS ENROLLED IN HALF STAYS LOCAL
Have Questions?
Send us your questions using the contact form below and we’ll get back to you quickly or provide support to get you connected with our friends at R2RC if their expertise is needed for extra attention to detail.
Half Stays Local Frequently Asked Questions
How will I know where my contribution is going?
By participating in Half Stays Local, $1 of every $2 collected per reservation will go to the state STR association you choose during enrollment. Each association shares updates differently, so talk to yours to find out how and where you’ll get impact updates. Make sure to choose the Colorado Short-Term Rental Association during enrollment to keep half of your contributions here in Colorado!
The other $1 will go into the Right to Rent Collaborative (R2RC) grant fund, and R2RC will share impact reports on R2RCollaborative.org and via email, so you can see the difference you’re making.
What do Right to Rent grants support?
The R2RC $1 supports grants for local and state STR associations across the country, helping fund startup costs, operations, lobbyists, legal support, outreach, education, and other advocacy needs.
What information do you receive from my PMS?
Property data and reservation data are transmitted, but only select fields are used to automatically calculate your monthly donation based on the checkout dates of applicable reservations: Property state, reservation amount, reservation creation date, and reservation checkout date.
How do I collect contributions on reservations?
Fee treatment varies by channel, so check how your PMS and your channels apply it before you set the amount.
That’s it. No math on the page, and a manager who’s paying attention knows to look before switching it on.
Talk to the R2RC team to explore your options in more detail.
Is this a manual contribution? How are my contributions collected?
The program is designed as a one-time setup through your PMS and Right to Rent’s system so it can run automatically each month and flex with your business.
Participating property managers set up a payment method during enrollment, and the program charges the card or bank account on file via Stripe for completed reservations processed through your PMS. A receipt is then sent afterward.
Which reservations count toward the program? Can this work for both direct bookings and OTA bookings?
The program applies to paid guest reservations booked and completed since enrolling in the program, regardless of where they were booked. Owner stays and maintenance blocks do not count.
Are contributions tax-deductible?
The Right to Rent Collaborative is a 501(c)(6)-pending organization, so contributions may be deductible as business expenses. Consult a professional tax advisor.
How is R2RC protecting my data privacy?
R2RC is deeply committed to your data privacy. You can see their detailed policies and practices on their website in their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.