Working in Long Island City buildings: COIs, alteration agreements and freight elevators

A certificate of insurance is a one-page document from a contractor's insurer that shows their coverage. Buildings usually want to be named on it as an additional insured, often along with the managing agent, and they send a sample certificate showing the exact wording they need.

According to Brick Underground's guide, at least $1 million in liability coverage is a common floor, and the certificate is typically due at least a day before the work. Residents also report buildings that ask for one even for furniture assembly. Don't assume a small job is exempt; ask.

An alteration agreement is the building's contract for work that changes the apartment. The NYC Bar's model co-op alteration agreement shows the usual shape: permitted work days and hours, the contractor's insurance naming the co-op and its managing agent, floor protection, and debris out by the freight elevator only.

Each building decides what counts. Big Six Towers, a co-op in Woodside, lists plumbing and electrical changes, floor replacement and replacing major fixtures or cabinets as alterations, and asks contractors doing them for EPA lead-renovation certification. Hanging a shelf is rarely an alteration. Swapping kitchen cabinets usually is.

The 37-14 34th Street Condominium in Dutch Kills publishes its alteration application (revised 2021). It's a good picture of what a formal process looks like:

• —The contractor's license and COI go to the managing agent for review before the application is submitted.
• —A $350 processing fee plus a $1,000 security deposit, returned when the work is done, any permits are closed and nothing is damaged.
• —$1 million in liability and $1 million in property-damage coverage, plus workers' comp, naming the condominium, the managing agent and the unit owners as additional insureds.
• —Work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, noisy work only after 10 a.m., nothing on weekends or holidays.
• —Approval usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.
• —Plumbing and electrical work must be done by NYC-licensed plumbers and electricians.

Service elevators are booked, not assumed. Big Six Towers, for example, takes deliveries Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with 24 hours' notice so the elevator can be padded.

Underneath every building's rules sit the city's: construction noise is allowed on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (NYC Admin Code §24-222), and buildings often set a tighter window. You'll see LIC-wide rules like "72-hour elevator booking" or "moves only before 9 a.m." quoted online. Those come from moving-company marketing, not from building rules. Read your own building's rules instead.

A few city rules apply no matter what the building says:

• —Landmarks: exterior work on a house in a historic district, such as the Hunters Point Historic District on 45th Avenue, needs a Landmarks Preservation Commission permit first.
• —NYCHA: residents need an Appliance Agreement (form 150.110) before installing an air conditioner, clothes dryers aren't allowed, and video doorbells must mount with adhesive, not screws.
• —Window guards: in buildings with 3 or more apartments where a child 10 or younger lives, the owner must keep approved window guards in place, and an AC install can't undo that.

Four steps, in this order, avoid most wasted trips:

1. 1.Ask management for its contractor requirements and its sample COI form.
2. 2.Send both to us with your request, along with photos of what needs doing.
3. 3.Book the service elevator and a time inside the building's work window.
4. 4.Confirm the approval came through before the visit day.

Tell us your building's requirements when you request a visit, and we'll tell you before booking whether we can meet them. If we can't, you find out before anyone blocks a morning for it.