Condo Blinds in the GTA: COI, Building Rules, and What to Know Before You Book

1. Certificate of Insurance (COI)

Almost every GTA condo building requires the contractor to submit a Certificate of Insurance naming the corporation as an additional insured, usually with $2M or $5M in commercial general liability. We carry $2M standard and can add the building as additional insured on request.

Turnaround for a COI is usually 1–2 business days from our insurance broker. Ask your property manager for their exact wording — some buildings want specific language about "including but not limited to" that generic COIs don't include.

Any installer who says "you don't need that" is either uninsured or planning to sneak in claiming to be a resident's friend. Neither is going to end well for you.

2. Elevator booking

Most condos require the service elevator to be booked in advance for any contractor delivery. This is on the resident (you), not the contractor. Book a 1–2 hour window that overlaps with our arrival time.

For a whole-unit install we usually only need the elevator for 20–30 minutes on arrival — the shades come up as a bundle of tubes and hardware, not as bulky crates.

3. Common-area rules and moving pads

Most buildings require moving pads in the elevator and floor protection in the common hallways. We bring both.

Some buildings also require shoe covers in the unit and a drop cloth on the floor. If your building is strict, tell us in the WhatsApp thread before we arrive.

4. Common-element windows

The window itself is a common element in almost every GTA condo, meaning you can't drill into the frame without corporation approval in some buildings. Most buildings quietly allow inside-mount installs into the drywall around the window without issue, but a small minority (usually newer glass-wall towers) require pressure-fit or bracket-clamp installs to avoid drilling.

We measure and mount for either — but check your rules package before ordering hardwired anything. Motors are fine; wiring through common-element walls is not.

5. Bylaws on visible fabric colour

A meaningful share of GTA condo corporations — in our own installs, roughly one building in five — have a rule requiring the outward-facing side of any window covering to be white, off-white, or a specific neutral. This is to keep the building looking uniform from the street. Your declaration or rules package is the only reliable source; ask the property manager before ordering.

We carry white-backed fabrics in every product line for exactly this reason. Check your building's rules before ordering a coloured or patterned front.

6. Installation windows

Most GTA condos allow contractor work Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., with no work on Sundays or holidays. We schedule accordingly.

A one-bedroom install is 45–60 minutes. A two-bedroom + den is 90 minutes. Three-bedroom penthouses with tall windows run 2–3 hours.

The easy version

Send us your building name in the WhatsApp thread. We'll tell you what that building requires (COI wording, elevator booking, colour rules) before your quote so there are no surprises on install day.