We decorate rented homes in Ecton for private landlords, letting agents and housing providers, travelling about 4.9 miles north-east from Northampton. Ecton is mostly owner-occupied, so lets here are a mix of listed cottages, Ecton Hall apartments and 20th-century houses, and each needs a different approach between tenants.
A small rental market in an owner-occupied village
Figures from the 2011 census, quoted in the Ecton Neighbourhood Plan, show 73.9% of homes owner-occupied, 12.3% socially rented and 13.8% privately rented or rent free. With 211 households recorded that year, the number of lets is modest. That matters for a landlord, because a rented home in Ecton is up against owner-occupied houses for comparison. A tenant viewing a cottage on the High Street will notice scuffed paint more than in a street of rentals.
Homes also skew large: 39.4% are detached and a quarter have four or more bedrooms. A let here may be a family house with a lot of wall area, so a changeover is more about deciding which rooms really need coats than about speed.
Letting an apartment at Ecton Hall
Ecton Hall, a Grade II* Gothick country house of around 1756, was saved from demolition in the late 1980s when it and its coach house, stables and laundry were turned into apartments. It is the main multi-unit property in the village. For a landlord with a flat there, the split of responsibility is the first question:
- Inside the flat, walls, ceilings and internal woodwork are usually yours to repaint between tenants.
- Communal halls, stairs and the outside of the building normally fall to the managing agent.
- Historic features inside a flat, such as panelling, shutters or sash linings, should be repainted like for like. Stripping them may need listed building consent.
We work inside the flat, protect shared areas on the way in and out, and can liaise with the agent if communal access needs booking.
Between tenants in a listed cottage
A rented cottage in the conservation core brings the same issues as any old stone house, plus the pressure of void time. Street-facing walls on cottages built straight onto the footpath can be damp, and the valley slopes have natural springs. Covering a damp patch with a stain blocker just before a viewing hides the problem only until the next tenant complains. We would rather tell you the wall needs a breathable paint and time to dry, so you can decide.
Older cottages also have sloping attic ceilings, beams and small rooms. Cutting in round them takes longer than rolling the flat walls of a modern house, and that should be in your void-period planning. For a practical rental finish, a durable breathable paint in one neutral tone across the cottage makes later touch-ups simple.
Bungalows and semis: quicker changeovers
| Let type in Ecton | Usual changeover work | Points to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Church View bungalow | Walls, ceilings, skirtings and doors on one level | Often done in a short visit; fascias and fences may also need attention |
| Semi on West Street or Northampton Road | Standard emulsion repaint, stairs and landing, woodwork | Hall and stairwell take the most wear |
| High Street cottage | Breathable finishes, beams, cut-in round slopes | Damp checks; parking at pinch points |
| Ecton Hall apartment | Interior only | Agent rules and heritage features |
The village asks visitors to park with care on its narrow roads, so on High Street jobs we unload and move the van rather than leave it at a pinch point such as the stretch by the Three Horseshoes.
Our main landlord and letting agent decorating page explains how we handle repeat changeovers and paint records. For budgeting, see the painter and decorator cost guide, and for other services in the village, the Ecton page.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
