DH Painter & Decorator decorates rental homes in Spencer, NN5 7, about a mile north-west of Northampton town centre, for private landlords, letting agents and managing agents. Work ranges from quick between-tenancy refreshes in Countess Road's flats to void repaints on social-housing streets to a set specification.
How Spencer’s rental market is made up
Rented homes in Spencer split into two quite different markets, and they need different approaches.
The larger share is social housing. In the published street data, Pembroke Road, Lyttleton Road, Cardigan Close and Spencer Haven are majority social-rented, and social housing is the largest single group on Gladstone Road. On Pembroke Road, for example, the sample shows 68 social-rented homes against 33 owner-occupied and 15 privately rented. When those properties change hands, the decorating is normally void work to a council or housing-association specification.
The second market is Countess Road, near Spencer Bridge Road. It is mostly recent flats, with a median build year of 2019, and 63 of the 128 homes in the street sample are privately rented. So that is where private landlord and letting-agent demand in Spencer is concentrated.
The way we handle rental decorating generally is set out on our main landlord and letting agent decorating page. This page looks at the Spencer details.
Turning round a private flat on Countess Road
A recent flat that is between tenants usually needs a light, fast refresh rather than a full redecoration. The usual list:
- filling picture-hook holes, furniture dents and small settlement cracks, which are common in walls only a few years old
- washing down and recoating kitchen and hallway walls, where marks build up quickest
- touching in or recoating MDF skirtings and door frames scuffed by moving furniture
- keeping to the existing neutral colour, so partial repaints blend in and future touch-ups stay easy
Countess Road blocks are managed, so access, parking and lift or stair use often go through the managing agent as well as the letting agent. We can work with both, handle key collection and return, and send photos when the work is done so the landlord does not need to visit.
Void work on Spencer’s estate streets
For social-rented houses and flats, the specification sets the rules: approved colours, washable emulsions, and a consistent finish that the next tenant can maintain. Mid-century semis on streets like Pembroke Road and Tenby Road usually mean straightforward walls, ceilings and woodwork, not period restoration, though old gloss on original doors and skirtings often needs proper keying before recoating. The flats and bungalows in Cardigan Close and Spencer Haven, mostly built around 1970, are compact, so a whole void can often be completed in a short programme.
HMOs and the Article 4 direction
Since 13 November 2020, West Northamptonshire Council’s Article 4 direction for the remaining areas of Northampton, which includes Spencer, has meant that turning a family house into a small HMO needs planning permission. As a result, private landlord work in Spencer leans towards self-contained flats and houses rather than room-by-room HMO lets. If you are refurbishing a house for an approved HMO, we can decorate it with tougher finishes in shared kitchens, halls and stairs. The planning side is up to the landlord.
| Rental type in Spencer | Typical brief |
|---|---|
| Private flat, Countess Road | Quick between-tenancy refresh via letting or managing agent |
| Social-rented semi or terrace | Void repaint to the provider’s specification |
| 1970s flat or bungalow, the closes | Compact full repaint with durable neutral finishes |
| Older terrace across Spencer Bridge Road | Private let, more filling and woodwork prep |
For budgeting, our decorating cost guide explains what affects the price. For the wider area, see the Spencer area page, or call Dean on 07539 779 036.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
