Decorating your home

You are responsible for decorating the inside of your home. This includes filling in any small cracks or holes; we will do more major plaster repairs. You can visit our self-help page on how to fill cracks and holes in plaster for guidance and videos.

We are responsible for decorating the outside of your home and major plaster repairs. In blocks of flats we are also responsible for any shared (communal) areas such as staircases, landings and corridors.

Some things to bear in mind

You are free to decorate inside your home to your own style and taste and to put up any shelving. However there are a few things you need to bear in mind:

Your tenancy agreement requires you to keep your home decorated and in good condition, with no graffiti or damage
If you want to remove Artex please get advice from your local housing office or our asbestos team at Pollution and Safety Services (023 8083 2170)
If you move into one of our properties and Artex is on the ceiling or walls and the Artex is in need of repair, we will repair and match the style where possible. In general we don't remove Artex
Asbestos was widely used as a building material until the mid-1980s. You should have been given an information sheet telling you where, or if, asbestos is to be found in your home and what to do to avoid damaging it. If not then contact your local housing office for the information

Decorating paint packs when moving into a property

If you have moved into a property with poor decoration, you may be supplied with a starter decoration pack containing some basic decorating tools and some white paint to help towards redecorating the property. This will be issued by your Local Housing Office as part of the sign-up process.

Decorating vouchers after a repair has been undertaken

If there is a need to touch up paintwork following a repair such as damp and mould treatment, we may give vouchers to help with the cost of decorating. These will be issued by the tradesperson on completing the repair, the tradesperson will arrange with the Local Housing Office to activate the vouchers for your use.

The value of the voucher(s) varies based on room type, and they can only be used for decorating materials such as interior paints. You can use the voucher(s) at any B&Q stores and they are valid for six months after being activated by your local housing office. The amount should be written on the back of the voucher. There are some helpful guides and videos on our website on how to paint a wall or ceiling.

You can also use these handy ceiling painting calculator or wall painting calculator to work out how many litres of paint you need to buy.