Condo Painting right here in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Brookline's housing leans toward multi-unit buildings. Census estimates show 19.5% of units in buildings of fifty or more, 16.4% in buildings of five to nine, and 25.7% in two- to four-unit structures; detached single-family houses make up 18.3%. The census doesn't identify which units are condominiums, but it shows the spread of buildings an association might run, from a two-unit conversion to a large elevator building.

Some of those buildings are well over a century old. The 1985 National Register nomination for the Beacon Street district describes three- and four-story brick buildings from the mid-1890s to about 1910 that by then had become condominiums, offices or apartments with units smaller than the originals. Converted buildings like that can carry decades of paint in their halls, stairwells and trim, which shapes the prep for both owners and boards.

If you own a unit

The master deed sets the boundary between your unit and the common elements. Interior walls and ceilings are typically yours to paint, while the hallway face of your entry door, shared stair walls and exterior trim around your windows may belong to the association. Read the documents or ask the manager before committing to a color on anything shared.

Paid painting that disturbs old paint in a pre-1978 building falls under federal and Massachusetts lead-safe rules, and dust from inside one unit can reach shared halls if it isn't contained. That applies equally if you rent the unit out, which matters in a town where renters occupy 53.1% of occupied homes. Details are on our lead-safe painting page.

• Walls, ceilings, trim and doors inside the unit
• Kitchen and bath cabinets (see cabinet painting in Brookline)
• Repainting between tenants
• Neutral refresh before listing a unit for sale

For boards and property managers

Halls, lobbies and stairwells have to be painted while residents keep using them. A workable plan posts the schedule in advance, splits the job by floor or stair so one route stays open, protects elevator cabs and floors, and uses low-odor, scrubbable finishes suited to traffic.

Boards also need something they can vote on. Ask for an estimate broken out by area (entry and lobby, each stairwell, corridors, exterior elevations) so the work can be phased across budget years if the reserve requires it.

Certificates of insurance

Your management company or the association's master insurance policy may require a certificate of insurance before any contractor works in common areas. AJ Painting is licensed and insured. Send over the certificate-holder name and any additional-insured wording your manager requires at the estimate stage, so the paperwork can be sorted out before a start date is set rather than holding it up.

Association buildings in historic districts

Exterior work on a building inside one of Brookline's Local Historic Districts generally goes to the Town for review, since most modifications to building exteriors require it. The Certificate of Appropriateness fee scales with the project ($2 per $1,000 of estimated cost, $50 minimum) and triples if the application comes in after work starts, so the board should file before signing a start date. The Preservation Commission meets monthly with deadlines about three weeks ahead.

Historic areas here hold more than single-family houses: the National Register nomination for Longwood lists townhouses, churches and Longwood Towers among its building types. National Register listing and local district status are separate designations, so a board should confirm whether its building sits in a Local Historic District, such as Cottage Farm, before assuming review does or doesn't apply. For buildings around Washington Square or Brookline Village, the exterior side of the job is covered on our Brookline exterior painting page.