Describe the intervention before choosing the document
Give the professional an existing plan, proposed changes, available building manuals, photographs and a list of systems affected. Specify removed walls, heavy finishes, new openings, hydraulic routes, electrical changes and any common duct or façade interface. “A small kitchen job” is not enough to assess consequences.
Civil Code article 1336 addresses building safety, external appearance and safe, healthy, peaceful use. Ask the síndico for the convention, internal rules and reform procedure. A private-area boundary does not make a shared stack, structural element or escape route available for unrestricted alteration.
Check the professional and the actual responsibility
The ART law establishes technical responsibility for the relevant engineering services; CAU explains RRT for architectural and urban-planning activities. Confirm the professional’s active registration and competence for the specific intervention. The choice follows the responsible profession and activities, not whichever document seems cheaper.
Ask whether design, execution, supervision and specialist systems require distinct responsibilities or records. The CAU guidance distinguishes activity groups and requires execution RRT before the activity begins. A paid fee, a draft form or a registration bearing the wrong address and scope is not the complete evidence you requested. Keep the final identifiable record and check how revisions and completion will be handled.
Submit a useful plan and obtain a recorded response
| Item | What to define | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and drawings | Existing/proposed work, systems affected and protected parts | Dated drawing and scope revision |
| Technical responsibility | Named competent people and their actual activities | Applicable ART/RRT and agreed services |
| Programme and access | Dates, noisy tasks, crew, delivery and waste routes | Building response and access arrangements |
| Shared installations | Shutdowns, connection boundaries and reinstatement | Specialist decision and agreed procedure |
| Public procedure | Applicable municipal and other approvals | Required receipt, permission or reasoned applicability check |
Crea’s reform-plan guidance describes scope, programme, workers, storage, waste and responsibilities. Use it to prepare the discussion; have the professional consult the current applicable ABNT NBR 16280 and other standards. Identify what is required for your actual work rather than assuming every paint touch-up needs the same technical package.
Send the agreed revision through the building’s stated channel and retain the response before scheduling affected work. An unexplained refusal, unresolved safety question or changed scope needs clarification; a delivery booking is not approval of the technical design.
Keep public approvals and building consent separate
The São Paulo municipal information includes low-impact situations and exclusions. The licensing portal is the local entry point. Have the professional check the current rules, address, preservation status and precise works. Do not assume every internal job needs an alvará, or that none does because floor area remains unchanged.
The síndico’s acceptance does not replace a public approval or make the síndico the designer. Conversely, a municipal filing does not grant access to common areas on any terms. Clarify any decision concerning common property with the appropriate people; do not import one assembly-voting rule into every private interior renovation.
Fund logistics without turning deposits into expenses
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial technical assessment | 1 600 |
| Defined plan and professional services | 1 800 |
| Professional-registration/local-charge allowance | 400 |
| Route and lift protection | 600 |
| Agreed shutdown attendance | 250 |
| Refundable access/damage deposit | 1 000 |
| Initial cash requirement | 5 650 |
| Final cost if deposit fully returned | 4 650 |
Record the R$1,000 recipient, return conditions and review date separately. If an accepted documented R$200 charge is retained, final cost becomes R$4,850 and R$800 is returned. Counting the whole deposit as permanent cost and then adding the same R$200 would duplicate it. Confirm whether the professional’s quoted service already includes registration charges before adding the allowance.
Maintain the file through changes and completion
- Record the approved plan, technical activities and access conditions.
- Notify changes affecting systems, structure or common parts before execution.
- Keep crew and delivery details current through the agreed channel.
- Collect applicable technical completion records and revised drawings.
- Inspect retained common areas, restore access and reconcile any deposit.
Use Reno Pro for project stages, notes, costs and recorded payments. It does not issue ART/RRT or approve the work. The useful outcome is a documented division of responsibilities, with the technical and building questions resolved before the crew reaches the apartment.
Sources, date and scope
- Presidência da República — Código Civil — condomínio, art. 1.336
- Presidência da República — Lei 6.496/1977 — arts. 1º e 2º, ART
- CAU/BR — Perguntas frequentes — Registro de Responsabilidade Técnica
- Crea-RJ — Síndicos — orientações para reformas e manutenções
- Prefeitura de São Paulo — SMUL — Reforma — Geral (LOE 16.642/17)
- Prefeitura de São Paulo — Portal de Licenciamento
Sources checked on 19 October 2026. Unless stated otherwise, the local example is São Paulo city; check municipal and condominium rules for the actual address and work. Teaching figures are invented final amounts in Brazilian reais, not surveyed prices, offers or official fees. Projects in different articles are independent. Technical assessment, professional records and authorisations remain with the competent people.