Dean decorates rental properties in Wellingborough for landlords and letting agents, about 9.7 miles north-east of our Northampton base. The town's lets range from flats above town-centre shops and converted shoe factories to new builds at Stanton Cross and Glenvale Park, and each needs a different approach at turnover.
Three kinds of rental stock, three different jobs
We have no rental figures for the town, but its building stock splits clearly into a few groups, and the decorating at the end of a tenancy depends on which one you own. A flat over a Market Street shop and a three-year-old house at Glenvale Park share almost nothing except the need to be ready for the next tenant by a fixed date.
| Property | Where | What usually needs attention |
|---|---|---|
| Flats above shops | Market Street, Midland Road, Cambridge Street, High Street, Sheep Street | Stairs and landings, worn woodwork, damp or stained ceilings under roofs, neglected exterior joinery |
| Converted shoe factories | Victorian east of the town and the centre | Communal stairwells, large wall areas, painted metal window frames |
| New-build lets | Stanton Cross, Glenvale Park, Park Farm | Settlement cracks, scuffed contract-matt walls, gaps along skirtings |
| Estate houses | Hemmingwell, Queensway, Kingsway | Full interior repaints, doors and skirtings, kitchen and bathroom walls |
How we prepare, fill and choose hard-wearing finishes for rental work is set out on our main landlord and letting agent decorating page. Below is what is particular to the Wellingborough lets.
Flats over the town-centre shops
Some of the older buildings in the town-centre shopping streets have flats above the ground-floor shop. The council’s 2009 conservation area appraisal points out that some town-centre landlords are absent and that maintenance of these buildings, including paintwork, is poor. It also notes that access to upper floors and the rears of buildings can be restricted. So at turnover we expect woodwork that has gone years without a coat, and we check ceilings under the roof for old water stains.
We stain-block marked ceilings before the finish coats, so old water marks don’t bleed back through the new paint. If the stain is still damp, we’ll tell you so the roof or gutter can be dealt with first. Outside, flats in the conservation area already need planning permission for external changes, so exterior repaints keep to the existing colours unless you have consent.
Flats in former shoe factories
Some of Wellingborough’s boot and shoe factories have been converted into flats. They can have big wall areas and communal stairwells that take heavy wear from tenants moving in and out. Where the original cast-iron windows survive, the appraisal treats them as essential to the building’s character. When they need repainting, they get wire-brushing, a rust-inhibiting primer and a gloss made for metal, rather than ordinary trim paint. In shared halls, a scrubbable finish keeps the space presentable between full repaints.
New-build lets east of the station
When a home at Stanton Cross, Glenvale Park or Park Farm is let from new, the first tenancy is usually when settlement cracks appear. The builder’s contract matt marks easily, too. At the first turnover it is usually worth filling and caulking all the cracks, then repainting in a durable matt that can be wiped down, so the next check-out is easier to manage.
Landlords who don’t live locally
If you own a Wellingborough flat but live elsewhere, we can collect keys from your letting agent and keep both of you updated as the work goes on, so you don’t need to visit. We tell you about anything that needs another trade, such as a leaking gutter or a failed seal. Street parking near the centre is limited, so we agree access arrangements at the quote stage. Budgeting for a turnover is covered in the decorating cost guide, and the Wellingborough overview has more on the town’s property types.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
