What is the regular condo fee and who pays it?
In short: The regular fee is the monthly condo assessment covering the building’s routine expenses — front desk staff, cleaning, common-area electricity, and regular maintenance. Under a lease, the tenant pays the regular fee, as required by the Tenancy Law (art. 23, XII).
What makes up the regular fee
- Wages of condo staff (doorman, superintendent, cleaner)
- Electricity and water usage in common areas
- Cleaning and upkeep of common areas
- Preventive maintenance of equipment (elevator, intercom, pumps)
- Condo’s group insurance (the ordinary portion)
- Cleaning supplies and small routine repairs
- Condo management company’s fee
Why does the tenant pay it?
The logic behind Law 8,245/91 is that the regular fee represents the cost of living in the property — expenses that exist because someone is using the unit. That’s why they fall on whoever is using it: the tenant. Extraordinary expenses (which add permanent value or improvements to the property), on the other hand, fall on the owner.
How it’s billed
There are two models:
- Billed together with rent: Regente includes the regular fee amount in the tenant’s invoice — the owner then forwards it to the condo
- Billed directly by the condo: the tenant receives the condo’s invoice and pays the management company directly
The lease must specify which model applies.
What if the tenant doesn’t pay the regular fee?
Liability toward the condo rests with the owner — the tenant’s non-payment can generate a debt in the property owner’s name. That’s why the lease should include a contractual penalty for the tenant’s non-payment, and Regente monitors payment compliance.
Related questions
- What is the extraordinary condo fee and who pays it?
- What is the condo reserve fund and who pays it?
- Who pays for maintenance on a rented property: landlord or tenant?
- How much does a real estate agency charge to manage my property?
Not sure whether a charge is regular or extraordinary at your condo? Talk to Regente.