23 thoughts on “CRIM in Puerto Rico

  1. Cassie

    Linda, I think we could have perpetually put this off and it would take forever for them to find out. We just wanted to make sure the house was put into our name, and this is the sure-fire way to make sure it gets in the registry -even though that can take forever too! You may have some back taxes, but even with late fees it wouldn’t add up to much. If you have less than an acre it’s probably nothing, but since you still have a house in the states, it may be. It’s a wild world here for sure! 🙂
    Rosa -I totally agree. I had to get out of that essence of red tape and walk on the beach for a bit. Online from now on.

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  2. Fran and Steve

    This will not be your last visit to CRIM. You can pay your bill and get a statement of accounts online (for $2.50 in sellos), but any other issue requires your presence at CRIM. And there are always issues. Get there early, take a number, and wait. In our case, they got our names right on the bill but the SS# is the previous owner’s. But when they look it up in their system, the # is the right one. We’ve had to pay full property taxes from the date of closing, Jan. 2011, through June 2012, because you have to be a resident and living in the house for a full fiscal year (July thru June) to get the exemption. It’s not cheap, either, over $100 a month on a house they appraised at $175k. The tax would be next to nothing for unimproved acreage. They may not know there’s a house on your land.

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  3. Daniel

    CRIM does have it’s issues with efficiency and keeping records up to date. But they are improving their system and will eventually catch up. The taxes for empty lots is minimal and taxes for non residents don’t seem to be outrageous compared to where I’m from in NY. Of course it depends on the accesed value of the house.If your a full time resident and it’s your primary home, not a vacation 2nd home then your exempt. When they find you in the listing for property via mortgage or other means they will access you the taxes plus interest and penalties for the years there. So it is advisable to straighten it out. I know it’s a pain and time consuming process but in the long run you’ll just have to grin and bear it. I’ve to go thru this process several times and had to deal with threat of seizure of your property thru non payment of back taxes,it only acumalates. Good luck,

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  4. Pablo

    Most government offices in Puerto Rico are deteriorated, inefficient and definitely not customer friendly. CRIM is probably one of the worst. They have electronically automated a lot of the processes during recent years, but even the website fails occasionally. You just have to be patient and understand that any task requiring a visit to a government office must be done early and may take most of the day. Not paying taxes is not a good idea as you will not be able to sell the property in the future. Back taxes and penalties can add up.

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  5. Addie Noda

    I was at CRIM in January for a Exoneracion Contributiva and was told that
    someone would be contacting my neighbor and no one has been to the
    property. I have been trying to contact your office and have not been
    able to reach anyone. Can you please give me a number where I can
    reach someone where I can find out what is going on. Please e-mail
    me back and let me know.

    Reply
  6. Rick Nemcik Cruz

    Here’s the Agency contact information for questions about Exoneraciones Contributivas:

    Información de la Agencia
    Jefe:
    Lcda. Gloria E Santos Rosado, CPA
    Dirección Postal:
    P.O. Box 195387
    San Juan,00919-5387

    Cuadro Telefónico:
    (787) 625-2746
    Fax:
    (787) 625-1459
    Dirección Física:
    Carretera Estatal 1 km. 17.2
    Edificio de Cruz Azul)
    San Juan, PR 00926

    Sitio Web:
    http://www.crimpr.net/

    Reply
  7. Luis Arroyo

    I knew the whole fearmongering against statehood by the self described “popular” Democrats was BS! The Democrats in PR claim that statehood will result in “everyone” losing their homes,because with it comes PROPERTY TAXES!

    WELL,THEN,WHAT THE HELL IS CRIM? PROPERTY TAXES HAVE ARRIVED SANS STATEHOOD. ANOTHER PRO COMMONWEALTH LIE DESTROYED!
    THERE’S NO FEDERAL PROPERTY TAXES.

    STATEHOOD PROPERTY TAXES ARE ALREADY IN PLACE…CRIM!

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  8. Luis Arroyo

    I wish my property taxes in New Jersey were 38 dollars a year,versus the 10,000 in Newark! More reason to move to this beautiful US Territory.

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  9. Herman

    My mom past away almost ten years I haven’t done a thing but maintain the property keeping it up to date. Guess a trip to GRIM is warranted. Time to take a winter break in February from NYC and take care of this. It’s a small house in a community so land is not an issue.
    What documentation should I take when I show up?
    Is this something a realtor can handle for me?
    Does anyone recommend having legal council for the process.?
    I guess the first step is to show up and check the status out?

    Thanks this post was very informational.

    Puerto Rico here I come and yes I plan to keep the house and put it in my name.

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  10. Jeanette

    I heard plenty of “war ” stories regarding CRIM – believed most of them but I didn’t think I would be a part of incompetance because I pd. my taxes every 6 mons. as required. How naive! When I didn’t receive my 2013 bill I called CRIM only to be told that my taxes had NOT been pd. since 2008 (when I purchased the property in Mayaguez). I couldn’t believe my ears. Immediately I started gathering my cancelled checks. Sadly, because of a few lost check registers I don’t have all of them but I will be sending them what I have and demand that a thorough investigation be done at their end to find the missing payments. I’m not optimistic but I’m not going to stop proving my case. When I think of all the senior citizens on the island who are victimized by this agency with no one to help them, it angers & saddens me. This is a disgraceful agency and someone should audit every manage and customer service agent.

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    1. Carlos

      Hi Jeanette, I hear you! A similar thing happened to me. Customer Service at CRIM is the worst. I’ve been trying to work with them to fix the issues they or their website system caused so I can straighten things out and continue faithfully paying the taxes. But no, they keep bouncing me around. Noone takes ownership of a client’s issue. I even went to their larger center in Caguas (I think it was Caguas) and after speaking with some Javier Garcia there the best he could do is to tell me that I need to come back with a notarized letter for whatever. What kind of nonsense is this? To this date they haven’t addressed my issue, I haven’t paid them because it doesn’t make sense to, and just last week they managed to freeze an account with some small amount of money I keep in Banco Popular. They are turning to desperate measures, yet, refuse to work with us. Don’t get me wrong I love PR but this agency just needs an overhaul! Never had an issue with the AEE or AAA agencies and when I do they seem vey helpful.

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  11. Martin Santiago

    I am a retired veteran who has lived
    on the Island for years. The CRIM
    office in Aguadilla is a joke. The Mayor
    wants to keep it at it’s present location.
    There must be a more adequate building
    in the center of town with parking etc.
    If CRIM really does generate as much
    money as he states it’s worth the big
    investment. Hire more employees, get
    more computers, re-locate and get your
    ACT together. If you want to play, you
    have to pay. Enjoyed your putting us all
    to march at the new veterans ceremony
    opening but your CRIM office is a real
    JOKE!

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  12. Luis Romero

    I have also had issues with payments “not” being received – thank goodness for proof/receipts and certified mail receipts. I’m proud of my island and its people but our on-island government has a real third-world mentality. Agencies seem unreasonably pre-historic in this age of internet/modernism. I can’t tell you how many times the phone is picked up and simply hung up lol. Sooo frustrating.

    They are up to speed with billing, interest and penalties though lol. It behooves you to be on your game and take care of it – your responsibility and no one elses. Honestly, I’m selling the place asap and investing locally in Massachusetts. When I visit the island I’ll stay in a hotel where modernism is alive and well.

    Reply
    1. Britton Post author

      Hi Luis! Of note, we just paid our latest CRIM bill online. The website has a history of payments and also sends you payment confirmation via email. It was a breeze and for that we are thankful!

      It does look like the site was recently revamped. We linked our new account with our numero de catastro. We also received the promoted 10% for paying before the end of July!

      Reply
  13. Victor Riefkohl

    Thank you for the article. Now I know what to expect when my wife and I complete all the paperwork on our lot. This article gave us the information we need to start.

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  14. Aida L. Martinez-Williams

    Thank you for the information. Would like to know how is it that some folks are only paying $14.00 to Crim? Our bill is $368.00 a year. Can someone help regarding the exemption status, as I’m a senior, and so are my siblings. I find the law to be ridiculous if you’re not living on the property, even though the property is being maintained, and kept cleaned by a relative. Our Crim office is located in Humacao, and my sister and I spent quite a few hours waiting for someone to help….forget about calling, because most of the time they can’t help you, or if they put you on hold, they never come back. Our property is less than an acre, and located in a “Parcela” in Rio Blanco, PR, a village in the town of Naguabo. This property was left to us by our parents, and they’ve been gone for more than 10 years….my mom was the last one. We’ve been paying the taxes since then, but payments are sometimes late, and being the eldest, my siblings are fed up with having to pay their share. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you, Aida

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      You have to live in it. Your lucky if your only paying $368 a year. They will check by contacting neighbors. If your house is worth more than $100K your probably paying to little. Don’t rock the boat or you may get a bill for over $1000 a year.

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  15. Stewart

    I have had to hire lawyers to handle and pay my CRIM invoices. Their receipts and the bills do not match.
    The CRIM was sending bills to a former owner, also did not apply my payments to my current account number and I don’t know why I have a new account number? The lawyers say the CRIM’s invoice is not correct? I don’t speak Spanish so very difficult to get an answer from afar.

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    1. Gatica

      Dealing with CRIM can be frustrating. We too had issues. We kept receiving statements in the mail that reflected that we were the owners of a property we didn’t even own! In another situation CRIM notified us that we owed them close to $5000. My husband and I found this to be odd because we have an impound account. Turned out that the bank was not making the payments to them and that we did owe the money in a sense. I had words with the bank and they immediately released the funds to the CRIM. I really can’t recall what the banks justification was in this matter, something about the property being new and it’s assessment. Regardless, this incident was by no means the CRIM’s fault. Both incidents had to be resolved in person which meant handling this while on our yearly vacation in PR. Fortunately we speak Spanish. Never simple when CRIM is involved but still quite worth it.

      Reply

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