Dean decorates rented homes in Bellinge for private landlords and letting agents, from our Northampton base about 3.5 miles to the west. Most lets here are terraced houses on the 1970s-80s estate, and the job is usually a fast, hard-wearing repaint between tenancies.
How much of Bellinge is let
Renting makes up a large share of the estate. These are the 2021 Census tenure figures for the core Bellinge area (LSOA E01027140). That area also takes in some caravan homes outside the estate, so treat the figures as a guide:
| Tenure (2021 Census) | Households |
|---|---|
| Owner-occupied | 352 |
| Social rented | 164 (153 of them from the council) |
| Private rented | 141 (106 through a landlord or letting agent) |
Roughly a quarter of households rent socially and around a fifth rent privately. Most private lets are likely to be terraced houses in the courts, since terraces make up most of the core estate; a Rightmove rental search for Bellinge listed one on Campion Court. Where similar houses are advertised at the same time, tidy paintwork is something a viewer notices.
Turning round a Bellinge terrace between tenants
These are compact 1970s-80s Development Corporation houses with standard ceiling heights and simple joinery, so a full interior repaint is a contained job. On a typical void we would:
- Wash down kitchen walls and the hall, where grease and hand marks build up.
- Fill fixing holes, dents and cracks, and seal any plaster patches before painting.
- Stain-block water marks or smoke staining on ceilings so they do not bleed through.
- Paint every wall in one neutral, scrubbable emulsion so the next touch-up matches.
- Refresh skirtings, door frames and doors in water-based satin, which stays white longer than oil gloss.
The TCPA has said that some of the eastern Northampton estates need significant renewal, and older lets on the estate can show it. Previous DIY, painted-over wallpaper or flaking woodwork add preparation time. We point those out at the quote stage so there are no surprises once the house is empty. More on how we approach voids is on the main landlord decorating page.
Shared houses under the Article 4 direction
Bellinge sits inside the borough-wide Article 4 direction that West Northamptonshire Council has applied across the former Northampton borough. Since 13 November 2020, turning a family house (C3) into a small HMO (C4) here has needed planning permission. So any shared house on the estate is a regulated property. Its hall, stairs and landing are communal areas that take far more traffic than in a family let. For those we use the hardest-wearing wall finishes available, keep colours consistent so individual walls can be patched, and finish handrails and spindles in a satin that can be wiped clean.
Keys, access and agent instructions
Many Bellinge front doors open onto paths and greens, part of the estate’s Radburn design. Materials come in from shared court parking, so if an agent is handing over keys, a note on which parking area is closest to the property saves time on the first morning. We can work from a written schedule of rooms, send photos at the end of the job and leave the remaining paint labelled by room for future touch-ups.
Exterior items can be added to a void visit where the let is between tenants anyway. Lets on the A45 side of the estate pick up traffic film on sills and doors, which is washed off before any recoat. For budgeting, our painting cost guide for Northampton explains what drives the price of a void repaint. The Bellinge area page covers exterior and other work on the estate.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
