Condo Painting right here in Medford, Massachusetts.

The Census counts 25,587 housing units in the city, and a large share sit in shared buildings: 27.1% in two-unit buildings, 7.2% in three- or four-unit buildings and 25.0% in buildings of five or more. Buildings of fifty or more units alone hold 17.0%. The Census doesn't separate condominiums from rentals, so those numbers describe building size, not ownership.

For a painting project, building size predicts most of the logistics. A two-unit association decides over the kitchen table; a large building works through a board, a manager and a vendor packet.

Two- and three-unit associations

When a two-family has been converted to condos, the two owners usually are the association. Exterior paint, the shared front hall and the back stair are typically common or limited common elements, and the master deed sets how costs split. An estimate broken out by area lets owners see what each part costs and divide it by their percentage interest without arguing over a single lump sum.

If one owner wants their own porch or entry door painted a different color, check the bylaws first. Bylaws may require consent for changes visible from outside, and getting that in writing before the work avoids a dispute.

Managed buildings

If the building has a manager, expect a request for a certificate of insurance naming the association and the management company. AJ Painting is licensed and insured; send the certificate holder name and any additional-insured wording the manager requires with the bid request. The board or manager may set work hours, elevator protection, parking for work vehicles, and where materials can be kept overnight; sending those rules with the bid request saves a round of questions.

Phasing common-area work keeps a clear path for residents:

• One stairwell or one floor's corridor at a time, with notices posted beforehand
• Unit entry doors and frames scheduled by floor so owners know their day
• Lobbies, mail areas and trash rooms done early or late to limit traffic
• Exterior elevations bid separately so the board can phase them over budget years

Older buildings and lead in shared spaces

Three in four local housing units (75.9%) were built before 1980, so a condo building here may well predate the 1978 lead-paint cutoff. In a common hallway, sanding stair rails, hall doors or window trim makes dust in the one space every resident walks through. EPA rules require certified, lead-safe practices for that: plastic containment, misting, HEPA vacuums and a cleaning check before the area reopens. See the lead-safe painting page for details, including when children under six live in the building.

Repainting common areas or the exterior is not demolition, so the city's demolition delay ordinance for buildings 75 years and older is not triggered by paint alone. If the building sits in a local historic district, exterior work needs a Historic District Commission certificate; the exterior painting page explains what the city does and does not review.

Inside your own unit

Unit interiors are usually the owner's responsibility, within building rules on hours and access. Renters occupy 45.9% of occupied homes here; if your unit is one of them, the gap between leases is the simplest time to repaint. Plaster and trim prep is covered on the interior painting page. Associations in Wellington, Medford Square and Glenwood can arrange a walkthrough with the board or manager.