The urban landscape of Brazil's major cities has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade, marked by rapid vertical growth and a radical shift in citizens' consumption habits. The traditional housing model, strictly focused on privacy and individual ownership, is gradually being replaced by a vision of the condominium as an integrated, functional ecosystem. Against this backdrop, the sharing economy is emerging not merely as a passing trend, but as an indispensable management strategy for building managers seeking efficiency, cost reduction and increased property value.

The Rise of the Sharing Economy in Brazil's Urban Landscape

The concept of the sharing economy, also widely known as the collaborative or network economy, is founded on the premise that access to a good or service is more valuable and efficient than owning it outright. This movement gained global traction after the 2008 financial crisis, driven by the need to make better use of resources and by advances in digital technology that made it easier to connect people with complementary needs. In Brazil, uptake of this model is evident in the success of transport and accommodation platforms, but its most promising application is now found within condominium gates.

The scale of this transformation is borne out by market data showing robust growth in the vertical property sector. In the city of São Paulo, for example, the number of condominiums rose from 23,000 in 2014 to approximately 31,000 in 2024, representing an increase of 34.8% in just ten years. With ever-larger developments (the average has risen to 75 flats per building), the condominium has become a "mini city", where population density creates the perfect environment for the sharing economy to flourish.

The introduction of spaces dedicated to the sharing economy is designed, above all, to enhance the services available, bringing convenience and well-being to residents. The modern condominium is no longer just a place to sleep, but is becoming a convenience hub, where areas that once sat idle are repurposed to meet the demands of a population that values sustainability and practicality.

Theoretical Foundations: From Ownership to Access in Modern Condominiums

The shift from an ownership model to an access model redefines the relationship between residents and their living space. In theory, the sharing economy within a condominium rests on three fundamental pillars: environmental, economic and social. The economic pillar focuses on reducing individual and collective spending by sharing infrastructure and tools; the environmental pillar seeks to reduce the carbon footprint and waste; and the social pillar aims to strengthen bonds of trust and community spirit.

By its very legal and structural nature, a condominium is already an exercise in sharing. Residents split the cost of maintaining lifts, roofs and façades. However, the sharing economy extends this concept to items and services that were traditionally private matters. The idea that "you don't need a drill, you need a hole in the wall" perfectly illustrates this logic: rather than hundreds of residents each owning a piece of equipment that will be used only a few times a year, the condominium maintains a shared tool library.

This model requires a shift in mindset from both residents and managers. The role of the building manager evolves from a simple administrator of maintenance contracts into a "mayor" or facilitator of social and economic interactions. Trust between strangers, an essential element for sharing platforms to work, is built within the condominium through clear rules, monitoring technology and transparent management.

Shared Spaces: Turning Common Areas into Hubs of Value

The layout of common areas in new developments already reflects the priority given to shared use. Spaces such as coworking areas, communal laundries and gourmet areas are no longer considered luxury extras, but basic functional requirements. For older condominiums, the challenge and the opportunity lie in adapting underused spaces to these new purposes.

One notable example is the conversion of old storage rooms or games rooms into remote-working hubs (coworking spaces). With the definitive rise of home working, offering a professional workstation within the condominium removes household distractions and cuts residents' transport and rental costs. Likewise, a shared laundry allows flats to gain usable internal space, removing the need for individual washing machines, which also saves water and energy for the building's systems as a whole.

Beyond physical spaces, the sharing economy also manifests itself in the sharing of movable assets. The "Home & Share" concept introduces the rental of bicycles, electric scooters and even fleets of shared cars exclusively for condominium residents. This model not only promotes sustainability but also reduces the need for parking spaces, one of the most costly items in contemporary construction.

Cost-Benefit Analysis: The Financial Impact on Management

For the building manager, the introduction of shared spaces should be assessed from the standpoint of financial viability and return on investment (ROI). Although the initial installation may require contributions from the reserve fund, the long-term reduction in operating expenses and the increase in property value justify the effort.

Energy efficiency is one of the areas where the sharing economy delivers the most striking results. In 2025, electricity tariffs in Brazil rose by a cumulative 11.95%, significantly outpacing inflation of 4.41%. This increase has a direct impact on the condominium service charge, since lighting for common areas, water pumps and lifts are major consumers.

Adopting sustainable technologies and sharing energy resources allows the condominium to cut fixed costs. In addition, the presence of shared facilities makes the condominium more attractive on the market, increasing the resale and rental value of units. On the other hand, the building manager must weigh up the drawbacks, such as increased equipment wear from frequent use and the need for rigorous management to prevent misuse and damage.

Community Spirit and the Reduction of Interpersonal Conflict

One of the most intangible yet most valuable benefits of the sharing economy is the strengthening of the condominium's social fabric. Historically, life in blocks of flats has been marked by isolation, with next-door neighbours rarely getting to know one another. Shared-use spaces break down this barrier, creating natural points of interaction and dialogue.

Initiatives such as community gardens, book-swap fairs and car-sharing groups encourage residents to work together towards common goals. This collective engagement fosters empathy and solidarity, which naturally reduces the incidence of trivial conflicts and improves the atmosphere at meetings. When residents feel part of a community, they tend to take better care of common areas and show greater respect for the rules of coexistence.

The "pride of belonging" to a condominium that stands as a benchmark for sustainability and social innovation has a positive impact on residents' mental health. In addition, projects that involve children and young people, such as youth councils or educational activities in shared spaces, prepare future generations for more harmonious and conscious community living.

Legal Challenges and the Intended Use of Residential Units

Introducing the sharing economy requires navigating a complex legal framework, particularly with regard to the commercial use of residential units. The Civil Code, in Article 1,336, establishes that it is the duty of the unit owner to give their portion the same use as the building as a whole. For most residential condominiums, any activity that deviates from this purpose may be subject to penalties.

The building manager must be able to distinguish between remote working (home office), which is widely accepted and does not generate a flow of strangers, and systematic commercial activities that affect security and peace and quiet. Selling handmade products or offering services from within a resident's own unit is common practice in the sharing economy, but it must be regulated to prevent abuse.

If an activity generates a constant flow of outside customers, excessive lift use or noise above permitted levels, it ceases to be informal collaboration and comes to be regarded as an irregular commercial activity. Recent case law from the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) reinforces that the condominium's bylaws take precedence and that the intended use set out in the development's founding documents must be respected, even in the face of new market trends.

Security and Governance: Risks of Opening Up to the General Public

One of the most critical decisions a building manager faces is whether to allow sharing-economy spaces to be accessed by people from outside the condominium. This openness can bring financial benefits, such as reducing the service charge through the commercial use of underused areas, but it poses serious challenges to security and privacy.

Opening up to the general public requires the condominium to function as a mixed-use environment. Structurally, this calls for independent access points for commercial visitors and security systems that ensure outsiders do not move through strictly residential areas. Without this physical and documented separation, the risk of conflict between residents and outside visitors is high.

In the case of "honesty markets" (unstaffed, trust-based markets), security is a constant concern. Although convenient, these spaces can be vulnerable to fraud, improper sharing of QR codes, or access by minors to restricted products such as alcoholic drinks. The building manager needs to implement clear rules and use video monitoring and facial recognition technology to mitigate these risks, ensuring that innovation does not compromise the integrity of the community.

NewSun Subscription: An Energy Revolution and Financial Predictability

At the heart of the sharing economy as applied to building infrastructure, NewSun Energy Group offers a disruptive solution to one of the biggest challenges in condominium management: the cost and instability of the electricity bill. The NewSun clean energy subscription works as a large-scale shared-consumption model, in which the condominium uses energy credits generated at remote solar farms, removing the need to invest in photovoltaic panels on the building's own roof.

This solution is especially strategic for the building manager because it stabilises the electricity bill for common areas, providing the budget predictability essential to the condominium's financial health. By adopting the model, the condominium becomes shielded from fluctuations in tariff bands, which often push up bills during periods of drought or energy crisis. NewSun's tariff is linked to the green band, ensuring the condominium always pays the lowest possible rate, regardless of the external conditions set by the local utility.

Beyond protection against rate increases, NewSun delivers progressive savings, with discounts on the bill starting from the very first cycle after activation, with no joining fee and no need for building works that could disturb residents. This "zero maintenance" approach reflects well on the building manager, who delivers an immediate, sustainable financial result without the risk of structural problems or leaks caused by improper installations on slabs and roofs.

The experience with NewSun goes beyond the technical side, offering a genuinely human service that understands the nuances of condominium routines. To complement this efficiency, the company provides the NewSun Energy Club, an exclusive and intuitive platform where building managers and board members can track energy consumption, credits applied and savings generated, bringing complete transparency to monthly financial reporting.

Discover our Solutions for Condominiums.

Trends and the Future of Shared Living up to 2030

The condominium management market is definitively leaving amateurism behind. Trends for the coming years point towards condominiums that are increasingly integrated, technological and focused on human well-being. Electromobility is one of the major pillars of this future, requiring building managers to plan shared charging areas for electric cars and scooters, which brings challenges around fire safety and internal regulation.

Sustainability will stop being optional and become a compliance requirement. Investment in environmental certifications and water-reuse systems will go hand in hand with the complete digitalisation of management, where artificial intelligence will assist with predictive maintenance and spending analysis. The sharing economy will be the common thread running through these innovations, allowing the costs of technological implementation to be spread across users while the benefits are reaped by the whole community.

The building manager of the future will be, above all, an experience manager and a resource strategist. Those who embrace the sharing economy and efficiency tools such as the NewSun subscription will be at the forefront of a market that values agility, sustainability and, above all, transparency.

Successful Collaborative Management

The transition to a condominium built on the sharing economy calls for balance and long-term vision. The building manager must act as guardian of the collective interest, ensuring that opening up to new services and shared spaces does not compromise residents' security and peace and quiet. It is advisable that any significant change to the intended use of common areas, or to permission for commercial activities, be thoroughly debated at a general meeting and duly recorded in the internal by-laws.

As for sales and access policy, the recommendation for strictly residential condominiums is to prioritise the internal network, encouraging entrepreneurship among residents themselves. This strengthens mutual trust and keeps control over who moves through the building. Should opening up to the general public prove necessary for financial reasons, investment in segregated access infrastructure and advanced monitoring is essential to mitigate legal and security risks.

Finally, adopting clean-energy subscription solutions, such as the one offered by NewSun, stands out as the ideal "first step" for any management team looking to embrace the sharing economy. It is a change that requires no building works, delivers proven cost reductions and prepares the condominium for the environmental and financial demands of the next decade. By focusing on efficiency and community, the building manager turns the condominium into a smarter, more economical and, above all, more human place to live.