Planning communal decoration

A building-wide appearance, separate work areas

The Sloane Square appraisal describes mansion flats in red brick with a range of decorative dressings and window types. Begin with an inventory of the actual entrance, stairs, landings and apartment doors, rather than a generic allowance per floor. Record the materials that will remain visible and the surfaces to be painted. If internal and external faces of the same window are controlled by different parties, identify that boundary in the instruction and keep the two finish records together.

Sources: RBKC: Sloane Square conservation area

Management approval and heritage checks

Obtain the building’s current finish schedule and identify who approves samples and variations. Check listing and conservation status for the address as a separate step. RBKC’s listed-building guidance includes internal features within the protection, so a shared hallway is not automatically outside the consent question. Where a change may affect character, resolve the proposed treatment with the relevant authority. The quotation should say who is obtaining advice and which approved documents define the work.

Sources: RBKC: listed buildings explained; RBKC: conservation areas and property checks

Plan around residents and the building’s arrangements

Agree how people will pass each working area, where protection can be placed and how deliveries will reach the agreed storage space. Ask management to identify the building’s access and fire-safety arrangements before any sequence is fixed. Do not include alterations to doors, seals, closers or other safety components as incidental painting work. Record which doors and fittings are within the decorative scope and refer other work back to the responsible person for a separate decision.

Keep unloading distinct from parking

For RBKC addresses, assess whether a maintenance van needs a parking suspension and apply in advance if that is the agreed arrangement. If a journey uses TfL red routes, loading bays are subject to their signs and must be vacated when loading is complete. Check the actual delivery point, not just the front door postcode. Coordinate receiving materials, any lift booking and the carrying route so deliveries do not depend on temporary storage across a resident entrance.

Sources: RBKC: parking suspensions; TfL: red route loading

Approve a sample and retain the finish record

Review colour and sheen under the shared hall’s actual lighting, including beside flooring, metalwork and retained joinery. Record the product for each surface and distinguish local repairs from wider plaster preparation. Agree who will review the completed areas and how remaining items will be recorded. Keep the final schedule with management for later maintenance, and provide a separate room schedule for any private apartment work requested alongside the communal scheme.