Yesterday we set out to complete one of our goals for the trip, to get the property ownership transferred to our name for tax purposes. The Centro de Recaudacion de Ingresos Municipales (CRIM) or translated, Agency for the Collection of Municipal Taxes is where you get this done.
I am never quite sure what to expect when we go to government agencies here but they all generally have the same florescent lit waiting rooms with lots of people waiting, standing or sitting in plastic chairs. I showed up to the CRIM office in Aguadilla in the afternoon. Cassie got antsy and left me waiting in line and she went outside for a bit to walk around -as the ocean was just across the street. I was standing in line…waiting…then I started to question if I was in the right line. I noticed that everyone around me had papers that looked like bills….The room with the chairs had people with manila envelopes. Then it hit me..”AH….I am not in the right place!”
I asked a lady if she spoke English. She responded no…So I did my best to ask if we were in the line to pay. I simply asked “Pagar?”. She responded “Si”. So I then pointed at the room and asked “registro?”. She said something to the effect of “Si” and talk to the “recepcionista”.
I understand more Spanish than I speak and I need to improve, but I was working my way around none the less..lol. Since I didn’t have my “muleta” (Cassie- my crutch) I had to make do.
I spoke to the recepcionista and she put me on the list. Cassie came back and joined me in the waiting room. We ended up being the very last ones to be helped that day. I think normally we would have been turned away, but not sure. I got the impression that they gave out numbers earlier in the day, then stopped at some point.
CRIM Bill Received in the Mail
We waited for about an hour then spoke to a CRIM employee that was doing the change of ownership for us. We were taken into a little space with about four employees, in drab cubicles, bad lighting and boxes piled to the ceiling. There is a form to fill out and some questions you have to answer. They also made a copy of the deed we took with us.
Since we had 4 cuerdas there is an extra charge. We weren’t sure about the exemption stuff or any other legal status issues, we just kind of went in blind. We most likely ended up paying too much, it came out to $38/yr for property tax.
Honestly, I was just glad to get it taken care of. For $38 I’d just pay it to be done. In the future we can just pay CRIM online like the water and electric bill. That would be awesome to never have to go back there again. I hate waiting in lines at government agencies no matter where I am…and when there is a beautiful beach on the other side of an imposing and depressing concrete government building it really made us want to leave. All in all though this wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.
Here is the offical link to the CRIM de PR site www.etaxpr.com/crim to pay your Puerto Rico property taxes online.
This blog post about what to expect at CRIM was helpful for me too here’s the link.
We hate CRIM!! I do pay all my bills online, hate going to Aguadilla and stand around for hours…
Stefan has this online http://ca2pr.com/2010/09/24/paying-property-tax-in-puerto-rico/
It will make it easier next time you pay! We’ve never paid taxes and I’m starting to wonder when they will catch up to us. We bought our house 4 years ago and paid cash. I’m starting to get a funny feeling I better look into it.
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.
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.
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,
They are crooks they forge my signature on a letter that I did not sign.
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.
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.
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/
Jaja! Welcome to paradise!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.