Dean decorates rental properties for landlords and letting agents in Great Billing, about 3.9 miles east of Northampton town centre. Great Billing is mainly owner-occupied village and estate housing, so let properties here are usually individual flats such as those at Lakeview Court, or single houses, rather than large portfolios.
What letting looks like in a small village
Great Billing is not a typical rental area. The old village is a compact stone conservation area, and the housing around it is mostly detached and semi-detached estate houses built from the later 20th century onwards. There is little sign of a large lettings market here. The most likely let units are flats such as Lakeview Court on Wildacre Drive and individual houses on the closes off Great Billing Way. If you own one of these, or manage one for a landlord, the job is usually a single property turned round between tenancies, and that is the kind of work this page is about.
Holiday lodges and caravans at Billing Aquadrome are holiday homes, not residential lets, so they are covered under our commercial work instead.
Changeover repaints in flats and estate houses
A modern flat or estate house in NN3 is a straightforward repaint: plasterboard walls, MDF or softwood skirtings and standard internal doors. Because a Great Billing landlord usually has one unit rather than a block of them, the changeover is planned around that one flat or house:
- For a Lakeview Court flat, access to any communal areas and parking on Wildacre Drive are agreed with the managing agent before we start.
- For a house on one of the closes, we pair the interior repaint with any fence or soffit work the tenancy has left behind, in one visit.
- Where garden trees shade a north-facing room, mould is treated and sealed before the washable neutral emulsion goes on.
Keeping a record of the exact colour and product used makes the next changeover quicker and cheaper. We note it for you. For a flat in a shared block, we also check what the managing agent allows for communal parts and access before starting. Our main landlord and letting agent decorating page covers how we work with agents on key collection and check-in dates.
Letting an older Great Billing house
If the property you let is one of the stone cottages in the conservation core, the repaint is less simple. Walls of coursed limestone rubble with lime plaster are better suited to breathable paints than to standard vinyl emulsion, which can trap moisture and blister. Several houses on High Street, Elwes Way, Church Walk, Cattle Hill and Pound Lane are listed, and stripping old finishes or making a marked colour change on a listed building may need consent. A fast, cheap changeover that uses the wrong paint can cost more later. We will tell you plainly when the cheaper option will not last on an old wall.
Licensing and HMO rules to be aware of
Great Billing sits within the former Northampton borough, where an Article 4 direction removes permitted development rights to convert a family house (use class C3) into a small house in multiple occupation (C4). If you are thinking of letting a Great Billing house by the room, that needs planning permission first. This is not a decorating matter, but it affects which properties end up let here and how they are used, so it is worth checking with the council before you plan a refurbishment.
Practical points for agents
Many of the modern homes are on closes and cul-de-sacs, and in the old village the lanes are narrow. Tell us about any parking permits or access codes when you book. We can work from a key-safe or agent pick-up and send photos when the job is done. Prices depend on the property, so see our painter and decorator cost guide, and our Great Billing area page for more on the village.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
