Were These Windows Ever Painted Properly?

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We had our windows painted approximately 7 years ago by contractors for our local Housing Association - we paid them to do it. I am certainly not an expert on painting, but to me the job looked sub-standard at quite an early stage.

I've attached photos of the 'paint job' and you can see the peeling, and 'streak nature' of the paint work. I appreciate that 7 years has passed, but I would like to ask, do you think these windows were ever painted properly in the first place?

The darker green paint you can you on the peeled bits is the original layer of paint (it's only been repainted once.)

Thanks in advance.

paint1.png


paint2.png
 
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They wont be coming back FOC after 7years so no point in beating yourself up about it, they need doing again..end of

Yes, I appreciate that they won't be coming back and painting them free of charge. However, there is slightly more to the story - the housing association painted the windows very badly in my opinion (we paid for it,) and have announced that they will never paint them again (the task has been dumped on the residents of a very large building.)

Personally, if I can point out that they have messed up our windows, it may give me more leverage to get them to eventually come back and do the job properly (paid job of course.)
 
For what it's worth, I don't think they did the repaint very well at all. The streakiness of the paint suggests it was just a quick makeover job, performed with very little preparation and judging by the way the top coat has blistered and flaked. It looks as if grit and dust was left on the surface before they painted, which is a likely cause of those flaking areas. It may not appear much when first painted but as the timber expands and contracts, gets wiped over, rained on, etc., it doesn't take long for that grit to break through the paint film and cause flaking.

The original underlying paint seems far more stable, except for the one spot in the image where it has blistered back to the wood. This could be caused by a knot/sap in the wood or some constant dripping in that spot, especially if it's the window sill, but it isn't unusual to see anywhere on wooden windows.

It's no surprise to me for a Housing Association to get a job done on the cheap, as appears in your case, but still tell residents/tenants that the job is too expensive to undertake regularly. However, as you state that you (the residents) are the ones that paid for it, I'm surprised that they are no longer going to undertake the task, and they can't really make that claim. Out of interest, was the repaint paid for out of some form of annual/monthly maintenance payment made by residents, or were you made to pay out of pocket for the job?

It's probably wishful thinking that you will get them to accept that the job was done poorly, based on the fact it was so long ago, but if you pay a maintenance fee, they should be obligated to continue maintaining the appearance of the building, unless that fee/policy has been legally changed.
 
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The original underlying paint seems far more stable, except for the one spot in the image where it has blistered back to the wood. This could be caused by a knot/sap in the wood or some constant dripping in that spot, especially if it's the window sill, but it isn't unusual to see anywhere on wooden windows.

It's no surprise to me for a Housing Association to get a job done on the cheap, as appears in your case, but still tell residents/tenants that the job is too expensive to undertake regularly. However, as you state that you (the residents) are the ones that paid for it, I'm surprised that they are no longer going to undertake the task, and they can't really make that claim. Out of interest, was the repaint paid for out of some form of annual/monthly maintenance payment made by residents, or were you made to pay out of pocket for the job?

It's probably wishful thinking that you will get them to accept that the job was done poorly, based on the fact it was so long ago, but if you pay a maintenance fee, they should be obligated to continue maintaining the appearance of the building, unless that fee/policy has been legally changed.

Thanks MisterHelpful. From memory the painting was done out of some sort of cash pool that we had all paid into. I'd imagine this time around that cash pool is not big enough to cover the cost of painting. In my opinion residents cannot be allowed to each paint their own part of such a large building, as it will obviously just turn into a mess (unpainted windows, different colours, etc, etc.)

I have checked and the Housing Association are not under any legal obligation to paint our windows - however I am still going to try, as I honestly believe that it is the only practical option for the building.
 
It may be worth having a meeting with other residents and getting a price from a recommended painter to do the lot?

Unfortunately the building is so big, that is not really an option. I really think the way for it to be done properly is through the Housing Association.
 
I have checked and the Housing Association are not under any legal obligation to paint our windows - however I am still going to try, as I honestly believe that it is the only practical option for the building.

I may be missing something, but it seems a bit strange for a Housing Association to not be obliged to paint the exterior of their property. They may not be required to do it as often as you would like, or even to keep it up to the standard that most expect, but if you are just renting from them, you shouldn't have any obligation at all for the upkeep of the property (other than a maintenance fee in private tenancy situations). After all, it's their building and if you were to undertake the task yourself and cause some damage (without permission), they would probably claim from you for doing something you shouldn't have.

You also have to bear in mind that Health and Safety laws are constantly changing, meaning that for a professional decorating company to come in and paint windows, in what sounds like a vast building, will probably mean the need for extensive safety equipment. This alone can cost a small fortune, without the price of the actual materials and labour.
Gone are the days of 'Jack O'Altraides' running thirty feet up a pole ladder, unless you can find someone willing to do it. Even then, you are the party responsible for ensuring the person you hire is following H&S guidelines.

Hopefully you can work things out with them, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
@misterhelpful Yes, I can understand your confusion, normally in the past you would associate Housing Associations only with rented properties, however in some parts of the country there are housing associations looking after both tenanted, and private properties (in my case.)

As for the health and safety aspect, they have claimed that since our windows open inwards, then we can paint them ourselves regardless of the height involved.

Anyway, it's a pretty unworkable proposition in my opinion, and without doubt will lead to a decline in the appearance of the building (already started, judging from the state of my windows alone.)
 

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