Dean decorates rental homes in Far Cotton for landlords and letting agents, from shared houses to leasehold riverside flats, 0.9 miles south of Northampton town centre. Jobs are planned around void periods, with hard-wearing, wipeable finishes and a clear list of which rooms really need repainting.
What the Article 4 directions say about lettings here
Far Cotton and Delapre have their own HMO Article 4 Direction. It was made in June 2017, confirmed in February 2018 and in force from September 2018, and it means turning a family house into a small house in multiple occupation now needs planning permission. A separate immediate direction covering parts of the two areas was confirmed in July 2017. Councils bring in these controls where they see family houses being converted to shared lets, so the shared houses that already exist here are a recognised part of the local market.
For a landlord, the practical effect is that an existing shared house is worth keeping in good condition. Decorating between tenancies is part of that. The general approach to rental work is on our main landlord and letting agent decorating page. This page deals with Far Cotton’s mix of property.
Finishes for shared houses
In a house shared by several unrelated tenants, the shared rooms take far more wear than the bedrooms. We choose finishes for each room on that basis:
| Area | Finish we suggest | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shared kitchen | Washable kitchen and bathroom emulsion | Grease and steam from several people cooking |
| Hall and stairs | Scrubbable matt walls, satin woodwork | Bikes, bags and furniture moving in and out |
| Bedrooms | Durable matt in one neutral colour | Quick touch-ups between tenants |
| Bathroom | Anti-mould bathroom emulsion | Several showers a day in a small room |
Keeping one colour and one product per surface throughout the house means the next touch-up is a patch, not a whole wall. We note the exact products used so you or your agent have them for next time.
Turnaround on the older terraces
Terraced lets on the older railway-era streets have compact rooms and narrow halls. A terrace between tenants can usually be prepared and painted in a short, planned run, provided keys and access are sorted before day one. Two local details catch people out. Some rear alleys are locked under the community council’s key scheme, so if the job includes the back yard, rear windows or a yard wall, we need the alley key or to bring everything through the house. And parking on the busier streets near Towcester Road and London Road can limit when materials are dropped off.
Flats on the riverside estates
The 2000s estates at Riverside Wharf, Cotton End and Southbridge include leasehold flats, such as River View and Mill House. Inside the flat, decoration is a matter for the landlord. Communal halls, stairs and the outside face of the flat front door usually fall to the management company. We keep the shared stairwell protected while we carry materials in, and work to the building’s rules on access times.
Some ground floors near the river also need a quick damp check between lets. If a tenant reports marks low on a wall, we find out what is causing them first, since covering a damp patch for a new tenant only moves the complaint along a few months.
Working with agents
We can take instructions and keys from a letting agent, send photos of finished rooms, and give a written list of anything outside decorating, such as a sticking door or a crack. Far Cotton is 0.9 miles south of the town centre, so collecting keys and checking a void is straightforward. See the Far Cotton area page or the decorating cost guide, and call Dean on 07539 779 036 for a free quote.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
