Condo Painting right here in Billerica, Massachusetts.

Multi-unit housing is a real share of the town's stock. Census estimates count 16.3% of housing units in buildings with five or more units, and most of that group, 12.7% of all units, sits in buildings of twenty or more. Another 4.1% are in two- to four-unit buildings and 5.8% are attached single-family homes such as townhouses. The census does not say which of these are condominiums and which are rentals; a building's recorded master deed is what makes it a condo.

Renters occupy 20.6% of occupied homes in town. When a condo unit is one of those rentals, the person living in it is not the one who hires the painter. Access, notice and who signs the estimate get worked out at the start.

Who is responsible for which surface

Massachusetts condominiums are governed by Chapter 183A. Section 8 requires the master deed to describe the common areas and facilities and each unit's proportionate interest in them. That interest is the usual starting point for dividing shared costs such as a building repaint, though a master deed can set out a different allocation method, so read yours before the board votes. Interior walls inside a unit are commonly the owner's to paint, while corridors, lobbies, siding and trim are commonly common areas. Entry doors, balconies and decks vary from one master deed to the next, so check yours before ordering work on them.

Bylaws and rules can add their own requirements even for work inside a unit: advance notice to the manager, proof of the contractor's insurance, set work hours, or elevator padding and reservations in larger buildings.

Painting inside your unit

A unit repaint follows the same steps as any interior job, with tighter logistics. Parking and loading may be limited, materials go up a shared stair or elevator, and odor carries into hallways, so low-VOC waterborne paints make sense. In a building that predates 1978, the EPA lead-safe rule applies once more than 6 square feet of paint per room is disturbed; the same rule covers common areas of pre-1978 housing. The interior painting page covers wall, ceiling and trim prep in more detail.

Corridors, stairwells and lobbies

Common-area work is done around residents who need every exit open. The workable approach splits a corridor or stair tower into sections, keeps one path clear at all times, posts dated notices ahead of each section, and leaves floors and railings clean at the end of every day.

Hallway walls take abuse from furniture moves, bikes and strollers. A scrubbable eggshell or satin on walls and semi-gloss on doors, frames and handrails can be washed between repaints; flat paint marks easily in a hallway.

Exterior repaints and what a board needs on paper

Where the master deed makes siding and trim common areas, repainting them is an association expense. If the complex sits inside one of the four local historic districts, design or material changes go to the Historic Districts Commission; paint color on residential buildings is excluded under the posted by-law, but confirming non-applicability with the Commission first costs nothing.

• A certificate of insurance naming the association, and the management company if asked, delivered before work starts
• A scope listing buildings, elevations, surfaces, products, colors and coats
• Lead-safe compliance for any building constructed before 1978
• A schedule by building or section so residents know when to move cars and keep windows shut