Section 20 consultation: a reminder

Before asking for a quote

Some things to ask for (but not necessarily all) are:

• How long has the company been established? Ask to see a copy of the Company Registration certificate.
• Are they members of the Painting and Decorating Association (formerly known as the British Decorators Association). Check the website for member companies at www.paintingdecoratingassociation.co.uk or phone them on 024 7635 3776.

For larger jobs, are they accredited by Constructionline, the largest register of qualified construction contractors and consultants in the UK, or Sinclair, the largest privately run register of quality construction practitioners in the UK?
Are they accredited by CHAS (Construction Health and Safety Forum). This does not prove that they are a good contractor, but it does show that they have made a substantial investment in H&S training and have reached a very high standard.
Can they supply copies of testimonials and references?
Do they hold proper insurances? They should have at least £2 million of public liability. Get proof: request a copy of the certificate.

Getting the specification right

Preparation & planning

However, for any job large enough to warrant Section 20 Consultation, I would strongly recommend employing a professional agent to act as contract manager for the works. If your building has managing agents then they will usually fulfil this role.

The contract manager would normally be a surveyor, and should of course be a member of the RICS (Royal Institution of chartered Surveyors). He or she can prepare the specification that can be sent to tender, thus ensuring that all the quotations will be on the same basis. You can download free building contracts at the FMB web site, however, for any job worth £20,000 or more, I would suggest that a formal contract such as a JCT standard form should be used.

The work required will vary enormously depending on the condition of the existing coatings, the type of substrate, the intended new coatings, the condition of the surface etc. Manufacturers state that, in normal circumstances, recoat times should be approximately 3-5 years for standard paints, and if you stick to this you should have a good ‘canvas’ to work on. This can be increased to up to 10 years for highly specialised coatings, although these invariably cost much more and require additional preparation and you can soon lose the apparent cost advantage of not having to decorate so often.

Without wishing to state the obvious, old paintwork should be washed down to remove any dirt and grease, all loose paintwork should be removed by stripping, the edges rubbed down to a smooth surface, bare areas primed with suitable primer, and either one or two undercoats applied followed by either one or two top coats of paint. For masonry work two coats would normally be sufficient although three coats can be required in some circumstances. Follow this as a guideline because if a contractor suggests cutting corners – I suggest cutting him off your tender list!

Any professional surveyor should be able to advise on an approximate contract period, however it would be foolhardy to lay down a precise time limit for a job unless it really is critical. Far better that the contractor works out the most efficient and cost effective method of working given the resources at his disposal and submits a programme based on that. In simple terms, one coat needs to dry before the next is applied!

Finally, security!

Reproduced by kind permission of Deacon
Tel 08000 92 93 94
www.deacon.co.uk