When the tenant gives notice of departure, the first thing a property owner does is schedule key handoff. The second, often, is discovering that the property is not in the same condition it was handed over.
Walls with stains, screw holes unrepaired, scratched flooring, oxidized shower enclosure, peeling paint from excess moisture. What would have taken a weekend of care accumulated over two or three years of the rental contract.
The question every property owner asks at that moment: who pays for this?
What the law says
The Tenant Protection Law (Law No. 8.245/1991) divides responsibility into two categories:
Ordinary wear and tear: deterioration that occurs from normal use over time — paint that loses luminosity with years, sealants that age, rubber gaskets that dry out. This cost is the property owner’s responsibility.
Damage from misuse or negligence: unrepaired holes, deep stains, floor scratches, moisture from lack of ventilation, broken glass, damaged locks. This cost falls to the tenant — and can be charged.
There is also a third relevant situation: when the property is handed over to the tenant with fresh paint, the contract can — and should — specify that it be returned in the same condition. In that case, the obligation to repaint upon departure falls to the tenant, regardless of whether it is or is not “ordinary wear and tear.”
The strategy of painting before the first rental
Regente Imóveis encourages property owners to paint the property before offering it for rent for the first time. The reason is practical: a property handed over with fresh paint creates an objective and contractual reference — and allows demanding the same standard upon return.
This standard is maintained across subsequent rentals. With each new contract, the standard is renegotiated. A property that starts in good condition tends to be maintained better — and the owner does not need to foot the bill for repairs that are not his responsibility.
Ordinary wear and tear from normal use is expected and foreseen. What Regente Imóveis’ Total Guarantee covers are damages beyond the normal — signs of misuse, negligence, or deterioration that exceed the legitimate wear from the contract term.
The problem starts at entry — not at exit
Most damage at tenant departure originates at the moment of entry: the inspection was not done, or was done superficially — without photos, without detailed report, without signatures from both parties.
Without an entry report, the owner has no documentary basis to charge. The tenant can claim the hole was already there, the wall already had that stain, the floor was already like this. Without documentation, it is difficult to contest — and in practice most owners absorb the cost as inevitable.
Regente Imóveis’ inspection is descriptive and photographed in minute detail. Every room, every wall, every finish item — recorded with photo and written description, signed by the tenant upon entry. This process is what guarantees the owner the right to charge for proven damage and is one of the pillars of the trust Regente Imóveis maintains with its property owners.
The real cost of exit repairs in Florianópolis
Prices vary by property size, condition, and contractor. As a reference in 2026:
| Service | Cost range |
|---|---|
| Full painting — studio (35–45 m²) | R$ 1,800–R$ 3,500 |
| Full painting — 2 bedroom (60–80 m²) | R$ 3,000–R$ 6,000 |
| Grout and floor repairs | R$ 400–R$ 1,500 |
| Lock replacement | R$ 200–R$ 600 |
| General repairs (glass, faucets, shower enclosure) | R$ 300–R$ 1,500 |
A full renovation in a 2-bedroom apartment can exceed R$ 8,000. For a property with R$ 3,000/month rent, this equals nearly 3 months of rent — or more than 2 years of management fees.
How professional management solves this
At departure, the entry report is compared with the current state of the property. What is documented damage is charged to the tenant or deducted from the guarantee. What is ordinary wear and tear is treated as the owner’s responsibility — no ambiguity, no dispute.
With Regente Imóveis’ Total Guarantee, the property owner is protected even when the tenant lacks resources to cover the damage: the Guarantee covers the repairs necessary to return the property to rental-ready condition. No negotiation, no court process to collect repairs for a shower enclosure.
To understand what each guarantee type covers — including at tenant departure — the guide on rental guarantees compares guarantor, security deposit, guarantee insurance, and Total Guarantee in detail.
The logic of paying to avoid the hassle
“Management fees are a cost.” That is the easy calculation.
The hard calculation: how much did the last exit renovation cost? How much time did you spend scheduling, supervising, and charging the tenant for damages? How much time did the property sit vacant between contracts because repairs were needed but not documented at entry?
Professional management does not eliminate wear on the property. It eliminates wear on the owner — who no longer is the one scheduling the painter, arguing over the shower enclosure, and absorbing the cost of what was not documented at entry.
To understand what is included in the fee and how the calculation base affects net returns, the guide on real estate management fees in Florianópolis details the components and what each percentage means in practice.
Sources: Law No. 8.245/1991 — Tenant Protection Law, art. 22 to 26 (Planalto.gov.br); Regente Imóveis operational data (2026).
