Renovated vs unrenovated apartment: which to buy in Batumi

What "renovated" means in a listing

A "renovated apartment" in a listing can mean very different things. In a new build it is the developer's finish, and what it includes is set by the contract: the word "renovation", like the terms white frame and green frame, has no legal definition. In a resale apartment the renovation was done by the previous owner, and there is usually no specification for it.

In resale apartments, a renovation is either lived-in or done for the sale. A lived-in one was done by the owners for themselves and has been used, so its weak spots show in the wear. A pre-sale renovation is done for good photos, and anything can be hiding under the fresh paint.

For a buyer these are different jobs. A developer's finish is checked against the list in the contract and accepted by signing the developer's handover certificate. A renovation in a resale apartment is checked before you pay the deposit, because whatever turns up after the purchase is, as a rule, fixed at your own expense.

Renovated vs unrenovated apartment: time and money

A finished renovation saves time. You can move in or list the apartment for bookings almost straight after the deal, while your own renovation of a 1+1 (one-bedroom) apartment from white frame, with furniture, takes several months. For short-term rental that can mean a whole season: most tourists come to Batumi between July and September.

Money is more complicated. You pay for a finished renovation as part of the apartment price, upfront or on a payment plan, even if you later redo part of it. An unrenovated apartment costs less, your own renovation is paid for stage by stage, and the money for it is needed over several months rather than on the day of the deal.

In a resale apartment, the seller puts a value on the renovation, and it does not always match its condition. If after you buy it turns out that the bathroom has no waterproofing and the consumer unit (fuse box) has old circuit breakers, you pay for the renovation twice: once in the apartment price and again in a new estimate. An inspection report with photos and a preliminary estimate for the fixes helps you negotiate the price before signing.

How to check someone else's renovation before you buy

The finish hides what matters most: pipes, wiring, waterproofing and the state of the walls under the paint. Some of this can be assessed without opening anything up, and this is what we do at an inspection:

• We check the external walls, the corners by the windows and the wall behind the bathroom with a moisture meter, and look behind wardrobes for stains and a smell of damp.
• Under the sink and through the access hatch we look at the pipes and the riser: the material, leak marks, new clamps.
• In the consumer unit we check whether the wiring is copper, whether the breakers are new and whether the circuits are labelled.
• On the bathroom and kitchen ceilings we look for patches painted separately from the rest of the ceiling, which is often how a leak from above is hidden.
• We check the draught in the ventilation ducts and extractors, the window seals and any signs of condensation on the window reveals.

We ask the seller for documents: photos of concealed work, routing diagrams, receipts for materials. If there are none, that is no reason to turn the apartment down, but then the inspection is the only source of information about what is inside. If you have a choice, view the apartment after a few days of rain, when damp corners and streaks on the window reveals are easier to see.

When your own renovation makes more sense

Your own renovation gives you control over what you will not be able to see later. You choose the waterproofing, the ventilation, materials for a humid climate and sockets placed for your furniture, and concealed work is photographed before it is closed up and goes into the handover file. For a short-term rental, it also means materials that will stand up to a steady flow of guests.

We are a renovation company, so we will be direct: if a renovated apartment has passed the inspection and the layout suits you, there is no need to redo it just for the sake of a new renovation. Often a few targeted jobs are enough, such as replacing the silicone and grout in the shower, reworking the consumer unit or changing the window seals.

Tax on resale and renovation paperwork

If you might have to sell the apartment within the first 2 years, the two options also differ on tax. Under the rules for 2026, such a sale of residential property is taxed at 5% of the increase in price, and documented renovation costs, according to a 2026 clarification from Georgia's Ministry of Finance, are added to the purchase price in this calculation. After 2 years of ownership there is no tax on selling residential property.

If you bought a renovated apartment, the cost of the renovation is already included in the price in the sale and purchase agreement. Your own renovation counts in the calculation if the costs are backed by documents. Keep the renovation contract, the signed acceptance certificates and the receipts together with the papers for the apartment, even if you have no plans to sell yet.