Commercial Painting Contractors | Office Projects from £1,200

Q: What should I look for in a commercial painting contractor?

For commercial office work, the key requirements are CHAS accreditation (or equivalent), fixed-price contracting (not day rates), experience working in occupied buildings, and the ability to provide method statements, COSHH assessments and insurance documentation without being chased. A proper commercial painting contractor will visit the site before pricing — not estimate based on square footage — and provide a programme of works as part of the contract, not worked out informally on the day.

Q: What documentation should a painting contractor provide?

As a minimum: CHAS accreditation certificate (or equivalent), public liability and employer's liability insurance certificates, method statement, COSHH assessments for all materials used, and a risk assessment. For managed buildings and institutional landlords, also expect: a contractor compliance file, photographic completion records, and a programme of works. Renova provides all of this as standard — without being asked for each item separately.

Why clients appoint us

Single project — you need a contractor, not a painter

An office repaint, void unit redecoration or dilapidations remediation is a contract. It needs a programme, a fixed price, compliance documentation and a single point of accountability. Appointing a sole-trader decorator creates three separate problems — access, quality, and administration. We solve all three.

FM works programme — you need reliability across sites

Managing agents and FMs with rolling redecoration programmes need a painting contractor they can appoint once and rely on across multiple buildings. One compliance file, consistent documentation, and a contractor who understands managed-building protocols — inductions, permit-to-work, out-of-hours access — without being trained on each site.

Dilapidations — you need the surveyor's schedule priced correctly

Decoration is almost always the largest trade item on a schedule of dilapidations. Getting it wrong — either by underpricing to win the appointment or by not understanding reinstatement standard — creates problems at sign-off. We price from the schedule, line by line, and deliver to the surveyor's standard without surprises.

What Makes a Painting Contractor

The difference between a painter
and a painting contractor

A painting contractor is not a painter who has scaled up. The distinction matters when you are appointing someone to work in an occupied commercial building, manage a dilapidations schedule, or deliver a PPM programme across multiple sites.

Renova Projects operates as a principal contractor for commercial painting and decorating work. We manage vetted subcontractors under our oversight, carry the insurance and accreditations, provide the compliance documentation, and hold the programme to the contract. You appoint one organisation — not a decorator who answers only to themselves.

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Fixed-price contracts

We visit the site, assess surface condition and access, and return a fixed price. No day rates, no provisional sums. The number in the contract is the number on the final invoice, unless you change the scope.

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Programme delivery

The programme of works is set at the quote stage and committed to in the contract. We do not work it out informally once we start. For occupied offices: evenings, weekends or phased. For void units: faster daytime schedule.

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Compliance documentation

CHAS accreditation, method statements, COSHH assessments, risk assessments and insurance documentation provided as a standard pre-construction pack — not issued piecemeal on request after the programme has started.

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Multi-site capability

Managing agents and FMs can appoint us across multiple buildings under a single framework. One point of contact, consistent documentation standards, and consolidated reporting — not a separate appointment for every site.

Contract Costs

What commercial painting
contracts typically cost

Costs vary with the size of the space, surface condition, specification and access requirements. The figures below cover standard commercial repaints — walls, ceilings and woodwork — in reasonable existing condition. Prep-heavy surfaces, specialist coatings or restricted-access buildings sit toward the top of the range or above it.

Contract scope	Typical range	Key cost drivers
Small office suite (1–2 rooms)	£1,200 – £2,500	Surface condition, woodwork, access
Open-plan floor (2,000–4,000 sq ft)	£2,500 – £8,000	Ceiling height, prep required, finish spec
Reception & meeting rooms	£1,500 – £4,000	Feature walls, spray vs roller, area
Common areas & stairwells	£800 – £3,000	Anti-scuff spec, access, number of floors
Dilapidations redecoration	£8 – £18/sq m	Schedule of works, reinstatement standard
Full building / multi-floor contract	Quoted on survey	Phasing, access, specification across areas

We visit the site before pricing — not just the schedule or a floor plan. Prep work is usually the biggest variable and cannot be properly assessed remotely. Fixed price returned 3–5 working days after the visit. No charge for the visit.

Request a Contract Quote

Contract Scope

What a commercial painting
contract covers

Office repaints — full scope

Walls, ceilings, woodwork and metalwork to commercial standard. Mid-sheen or eggshell on walls, flat matt on ceilings, anti-scuff coatings in high-traffic areas as standard on commercial projects. Works programmed around occupiers.

Dilapidations painting contracts

Schedule-based reinstatement priced line by line. We understand what a dilapidations standard means in practice — not a coat of white over existing stains. Photographic completion records provided for your surveyor's file.

Void unit redecoration contracts

Between-tenancy repaints for landlords preparing units for reletting. Typically a fast-programme daytime contract. Can include minor surface repairs, skirting and woodwork, and any specific surveyor requirements built into the brief.

PPM painting programmes

Rolling 3–5 year redecoration cycles for FMs with planned maintenance obligations. Pre-agreed schedule, annual budget visibility, consistent specification across all areas. We track the programme and flag issues before they become reactive work orders.

Cat A & Cat B fit-out painting

Painting as part of a wider fit-out or refurbishment contract. Where Renova is the principal contractor, decoration is managed within the programme — not handed to a separate subcontractor who becomes the critical path item.

Multi-site framework contracts

Managing agents with portfolios of managed buildings can appoint us on a framework basis. One compliance file, one point of contact, consistent documentation and reporting across all sites. Particularly suited to common area maintenance programmes.

Programme management

What you get from a contractor
vs a painter

When you appoint a sole-trader decorator, you manage the access, the quality, the programme, the documentation and the problem-solving. When something goes wrong — and it always goes wrong at some point — there is no contract to enforce.

When you appoint Renova as a painting contractor, we manage all of that. The programme is in the contract. Quality is our responsibility to deliver, not yours to inspect. Documentation is provided as standard, not assembled under pressure when your compliance team asks for it.

Fixed programme committed in the contract, not adjusted informally on site
Single point of accountability — one call resolves any issue
All surfaces and furniture protected before work starts
Snagging completed and signed off before the project closes

Contractor documentation

Pre-qualification ready,
without the chasing

Institutional landlords and managing agents who run formal contractor approval processes expect a complete compliance file before a contractor sets foot on site. Assembling that file — CHAS, insurance, method statements, COSHH assessments, risk assessment — takes time that delays the programme.

Our compliance documentation is maintained and ready to submit. We can usually complete a pre-qualification questionnaire and provide all supporting documents within 24–48 hours of being asked.

CHAS accreditation certificate — current and on file
Public liability and employer’s liability insurance — up to date
Method statement and COSHH assessments — provided as standard
Photographic completion records — for PPM, dilaps and audit files

Who Appoints Us

The clients who
need a contractor

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Facilities managers

FM teams with PPM obligations and occupied building constraints. They need a contractor who understands managed-building protocols — permit-to-work, building inductions, out-of-hours access — and delivers to a programme without constant supervision.

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Managing agents

Multi-building portfolios managed on behalf of institutional and private landlords. They need consistent documentation standards, consolidated reporting, and a contractor they can appoint once across multiple sites rather than re-tendering every job.

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Building surveyors

Specifying consultants who need a painting contractor that works from NBS clauses and schedules of dilapidations. They expect line-by-line pricing, fixed-price quotes and photographic completion records returned without being asked.

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Commercial landlords

Landlords repainting void units between tenancies, maintaining common areas, or undertaking dilapidations settlements. They need a painting contractor who understands the letting process and can deliver to a standard that satisfies a departing tenant's surveyor.

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Office occupiers

Tenants refreshing tired workspaces, preparing for a return-to-office push, or managing their own dilapidations obligations at lease end. They need works planned around their team — and a contractor who can deal with the building management so they don't have to.

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Principal contractors

Fit-out and refurbishment contractors who need to appoint a painting subcontractor they can rely on to deliver to programme without becoming the critical path. We work under NEC, JCT and bespoke subcontract terms depending on the project structure.

The Process

From appointment
to signed-off completion

Site visit — within 48 hours

We visit the site, assess surface condition, note access constraints and operational requirements. We review any written specification or schedule of dilapidations at this stage. No charge for the visit, no obligation to proceed. Compliance documentation provided with the quote if required for pre-qualification.

Fixed-price contract — 3 to 5 working days

Fully itemised fixed-price quotation returned within 3–5 working days. Prep work, materials, labour, specialist finishes and any access requirements all specified and priced. No provisional sums. Programme of works included as part of the contract, not agreed informally later.

Programmed works — to contract

Works delivered to the programme set in the contract. For occupied offices: evenings, weekends or phased room by room as agreed. For void units and unoccupied buildings: daytime programme. All surfaces and furniture protected before starting. Building management requirements, inductions and permit-to-work procedures managed by us.

Sign-off & completion records

Full snagging walk-through on completion. Any items requiring attention dealt with before sign-off — not logged as a return visit. Photographic completion records provided for your file — PPM audit, dilapidations surveyor or service charge reporting. Completion certificate issued on request.

Why Renova

A contractor, not a painter
who takes on contracts

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Commercial fit-out background

Our background is commercial fit-out and FM maintenance — not domestic decorating that has grown. We understand occupied buildings, programme management, managed-building access protocols and the documentation requirements that institutional clients expect as standard.

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One contract, one point of accountability

We manage vetted decorating subcontractors under our direct oversight. You deal with one organisation from site visit to completion. One call resolves any issue — regardless of whether it originates with the decorator, the materials or the programme.

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Fixed price — always

We visit the site before pricing. Prep work, access constraints and surface condition are all assessed and priced into the quote. The number in the contract is the number on the final invoice, unless you change the scope. No provisional sums, no day-rate exposure.

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CHAS accredited, documentation ready

CHAS accreditation, NAFDI membership, method statements, COSHH assessments and insurance documentation are in our standard pre-construction pack. For clients running formal contractor pre-qualification processes, our file is ready to submit without delay.

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Programme committed in the contract

The working programme — dates, sessions, phasing — is set at the quote stage and written into the contract. We don't start work without a confirmed programme and we don't revise it informally. If circumstances change, that is a contract variation, not a phone call.

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London, Kent and the South East

Based in Westerham, Kent. Active across London, the M25 corridor, Essex, Surrey and the South East. An established subcontractor network across this geography. Site visits are straightforward to arrange. No travel surcharges for the areas we cover.

Coverage

London, Kent, Essex
& the South East

Based in Westerham, Kent. Commercial painting contracts delivered across London and the South East:

London

Commercial painting contractor across all London postcodes. City of London, Canary Wharf, Southbank, Farringdon, Victoria, the West End and throughout South, East and North London. London office work — standalone painting contracts, dilapidations and fit-out painting — is core to our workload.

London → City of London Canary Wharf Southbank SE1 Farringdon Victoria West End Waterloo

Kent

Head office in Westerham, Kent. Commercial painting contracts across the county — Dartford, Crossways, The Bridge, Kings Hill, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Ashford. Kent's business park stock generates consistent demand for painting contracts as part of periodic maintenance, tenancy changes and dilapidations programmes.

Dartford Gravesend Sevenoaks Kings Hill Maidstone Tunbridge Wells Tonbridge Ashford

Essex & the M25 corridor

Thurrock, Basildon, Chelmsford, Brentwood and the M25 business parks at Lakeside and the A13 corridor. The volume of 1990s office stock in this area drives consistent painting contract work, particularly PPM programmes and between-tenancy redecorations.

Thurrock Basildon Chelmsford Brentwood Lakeside Romford

Surrey, Sussex & Hertfordshire

Croydon, Guildford, Reigate, Redhill, Crawley and Brighton in Surrey and Sussex. Watford and St Albans in Hertfordshire. Particularly suited to managing agents with multi-building portfolios across the South East.

Croydon Guildford Reigate Crawley Brighton Watford

FAQs

Appointing a painting contractor —
common questions

What should I look for in a commercial painting contractor? ▼

For commercial office work the key requirements are CHAS accreditation or equivalent, fixed-price contracting rather than day rates, experience working in occupied buildings, and the ability to provide method statements, COSHH assessments and insurance documentation without being chased. A proper commercial painting contractor visits the site before pricing — not estimates from a floor plan — and provides a programme of works as part of the contract, not arranged informally once the job starts.

How much does a commercial painting contract cost? ▼

A single open-plan office floor of 2,000–4,000 sq ft typically runs £2,500–£8,000 depending on surface condition, ceiling height and specification. Smaller suites start from around £1,200. Dilapidations repaints are priced against the schedule of works — typically £8–£18 per sq m for standard reinstatement. Multi-floor and portfolio contracts are quoted on survey. We provide fixed-price quotes after a site visit.

What documentation should a commercial painting contractor provide? ▼

As a minimum: CHAS accreditation certificate, public liability and employer’s liability insurance, method statement, COSHH assessments for all materials, and a risk assessment. For managed buildings and institutional landlords also expect: a contractor compliance file, photographic completion records, and a written programme of works. Renova provides all of this as standard — without needing to be asked for each item individually.

Can you deliver to a tight programme? ▼

Yes. We set the programme at the quote stage and commit to it in the contract. For occupied offices we work evenings, weekends or phased room by room — the specific approach depends on the space and your operational constraints, which we agree before quoting. For void units and unoccupied buildings, daytime programmes typically move faster. We do not start work without a confirmed programme and we do not revise it informally once work is underway.

Do you cover multi-site painting portfolios? ▼

Yes. Managing agents and FMs with multi-building portfolios can appoint us on a framework basis. We price and programme each building individually but provide a single point of contact, consistent documentation standards and consolidated reporting across the portfolio. This is particularly suited to common area maintenance programmes across multiple managed buildings.

Are you CHAS accredited? ▼

Yes. Renova Projects holds CHAS accreditation and NAFDI membership. Our compliance file — CHAS certificate, insurance certificates, health and safety policy, method statement templates and COSHH assessment library — is maintained and ready to submit. For managing agents and institutional landlords with a formal contractor pre-qualification process, we can usually complete the approval process within 24–48 hours of being asked.

Get a Contract Quote

Tell us about the
painting contract

Site visit within 48 hours. Fixed-price contract quote returned in 3–5 working days. Pre-construction compliance documentation available on request.

What happens next 1. We confirm a site visit time within 24 hours
2. Our team visits to assess surfaces, access and scope
3. Fixed-price itemised contract quote returned
4. Programme of works agreed and committed in the contract

Prefer to call? 020 3393 9600 [email protected]

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