We decorate rental homes in St James, Northampton NN5 for landlords and letting agents, mainly between tenancies. Dean covers St James from our Northampton base, about 0.6 miles from the town centre, and gives free quotes for single properties and repeat work.
What gets let in St James
St James is marketed to tenants on location: under a mile to the town centre and a short walk to Northampton station. Several agents advertise lettings here, and the properties fall into a few clear groups, each with its own decorating pattern.
| Property | Where you see it | Decorating pattern at changeover |
|---|---|---|
| Victorian terrace | Wimbledon Street, Althorp Road and nearby | Uneven walls, heavily painted woodwork, scuffed narrow hall and stairs |
| Modern townhouse | Bruce Street, Ross Road, Countess Road | Flat plasterboard, MDF trim, wear on stairs and kitchen walls |
| Purpose-built flat | The Approach and similar blocks | Compact rooms, quick to turn round, communal areas handled separately |
| 1999-2000 house | Former Express Lift site off Weedon Road | First full refresh due on 25-year-old original finishes |
The terraces take the most time per room, because of the woodwork and the old plaster. The newer homes are quicker but tend to show every scuff on flat painted walls. Council flats near Franklin’s Gardens, built on land cleared of terraces, are managed by their housing provider, so any decorating there follows the provider’s own specification.
Turnaround time is what most landlords ask about first. A compact flat with sound walls is quick to turn round, while a three-bedroom terrace with a steep straight staircase and a lot of old gloss on the skirtings takes noticeably longer, mainly because of the woodwork and the stairwell access. We give a day count with the quote so you can line up the check-in.
The 2020 HMO direction and what it means for decorating
Since 13 November 2020 a borough-wide Article 4 direction has covered the remaining parts of the former Northampton borough, St James included, so turning a family house into a small house in multiple occupation now needs planning permission. That rule is about use, not paint: it does not control colours or decoration. Shared houses get heavier wear in the hallway, stairs, kitchen and shared rooms than a family let, so we price those areas with more filling and a tougher finish.
Setting the spec once, then repeating it
The quickest changeovers come from a standard spec that every repaint follows. For St James rentals we usually suggest:
- One neutral wall colour across the property, recorded so touch-ups match next time.
- Durable or scrubbable matt on walls, satinwood or waterborne enamel on woodwork.
- Stain-block on any water marks, smoke stains or marker before the emulsion.
- Breathable paint on ground-floor walls in houses on the river side of the district, where floodplain properties can have damp at the base of the wall.
That last point matters for repeat complaints. A vinyl finish over a damp wall in a floodplain terrace will blister, and the tenant reports it as a new defect. A breathable coating avoids part of that, though the damp source still needs sorting.
Keys, parking and timing
Most St James terraces are parked on the street, and Weedon Road gets busy on match days at Franklin’s Gardens and Sixfields. If an agent is holding keys, let us know the dates the property is empty and we will avoid match days for a van-heavy first day where we can. We can work from photos for a rough idea, but a short visit gives a firm quote.
Our main landlord and letting agent decorating page explains how we handle tenancies in general. For costs, see the Northampton decorating cost guide, and for the area itself our St James page.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
