Condo Painting across Randolph, Massachusetts.

Apartment-style buildings hold a sizable part of the town's housing. In census estimates, 2,481 units, 19.0% of the 13,080 total, are in buildings with five or more units; 1,749 of those are in buildings of ten or more, and 315 are in buildings of fifty or more. Another 1,272 units, 9.7%, are single-family attached homes, the townhouse-style rows where neighbors share walls, and 1,052 more sit in two- to four-unit buildings.

The census does not say which of those are condominiums and which are rentals. What it does show is that a Randolph condo owner might live in a large building with long corridors, a townhouse row with its own front door, or a small converted house shared with one or two other owners. Each layout splits the painting responsibilities differently.

What the owner paints and what the board paints

A common split gives the owner the interior surfaces of the unit and gives the association the structure, exterior and shared spaces, but the master deed and bylaws draw the exact line. In a townhouse community, the siding, trim and front doors may be common or limited common elements even though only one household uses them, and in that case a color change needs board approval.

Inside a unit, the work is the same as in a house: patching, walls, ceilings, trim and doors. Our interior painting page for Randolph goes through it room by room, and the cabinet painting page covers kitchen updates.

• Unit walls, ceilings, trim and interior doors
• Turnover repaints for owners who rent out a unit
• Hallways, stairwells, lobbies and laundry rooms
• Townhouse siding, trim, doors and railings

Common areas without closing the building

Shared corridors and stairs can't be shut down for a week. Working one floor or one stairwell at a time, posting notices with dates ahead of time, and leaving a clear path for residents keeps the building usable. Low-odor waterborne paint in a scrubbable finish holds up to scuffs from move-ins and deliveries, and stairwell walls and railings take the heaviest wear.

For exteriors, a written scope broken out by building or elevation lets a board phase the project across budget years. The exterior painting page for Randolph covers siding prep and timing.

Rentals, turnovers and lead

Renters occupy 28.7% of the town's occupied homes, 3,663 households in the census estimate, and a condo owner who rents out a unit faces a short window between tenants. That repaint has to be scheduled around the lease end and the next move-in.

The census puts 69.6% of local housing units in buildings from before 1980. In pre-1978 housing, the EPA's RRP rule applies to paid work that disturbs paint, whether inside one unit or in a shared hallway, and rental housing is covered the same as owner-occupied homes; the EPA lists narrow exemptions, such as zero-bedroom units and housing for the elderly or disabled when no child under six lives there. Our lead-safe painting page explains what applies.

Certificates of insurance and access

Your management company may require a certificate of insurance before a contractor works in common areas, and it may also ask to be named as an additional insured. AJ Painting is licensed and insured. Sending the exact certificate-holder name and wording with your estimate request avoids a delay at the start. It also helps to tell us early about elevator reservations, parking for work vehicles, and any quiet hours in the rules.