Choosing a Commercial Exterior Contractor: A Property Manager's Checklist (COIs, WSIB & More)
Hiring the wrong exterior contractor on a commercial property doesn't just cost you a redo. It can leave your ownership group carrying liability for an uninsured worker injury, expose you to a Ministry of Labour stop-work order, or stall a sale when due diligence turns up unpermitted work. The lowest bid is rarely the cheapest outcome.
This is the checklist our commercial clients in the GTA use before signing anything — whether it's a parking lot reseal, a building-envelope repair, or a full site landscaping contract. Run a prospective contractor through it before the work starts, not after.
1. Insurance and the Certificate of Insurance (COI)
A real commercial contractor carries proper coverage and can prove it in minutes. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) issued by the contractor's broker, naming your ownership entity (and property management company, if separate) as additional insured.
What to confirm on the COI:
- Commercial General Liability (CGL) of at least $5 million per occurrence. Many institutional owners and REITs require $5M minimum; some require $10M for larger sites.
- Your legal ownership name and management company listed as additional insured — not just "the building."
- A policy that is current and dated past the project completion window.
- A certificate holder field that matches who you are.
Do not accept a COI that the contractor types up themselves. It must come directly from their insurance broker. If they hesitate or "need a few days," that's a signal.
2. WSIB clearance — non-negotiable in Ontario
In Ontario, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) clearance certificate matters more than most owners realize. If a contractor's worker is injured on your site and the contractor isn't in good standing with WSIB, liability can flow back to the property owner.
Ask for a WSIB Clearance Certificate before work begins, and confirm:
- The account is active and in good standing.
- The clearance period covers your project dates.
- The legal name matches the company you're contracting with.
Clearances expire. Pull a fresh one for every project — and for long-term maintenance contracts, refresh it annually. You can verify status independently through WSIB's online clearance system, which we encourage.
3. Health & safety: WHMIS, working at heights, and a safety record
Exterior commercial work means traffic control, elevated work, and heavy equipment around tenants and the public. Confirm the contractor's crews hold current Working at Heights training (mandatory in Ontario for anyone on a ladder or lift over the regulated threshold) and WHMIS certification.
Ask directly: "What's your incident history, and do you have a written health and safety policy?" A contractor who has run commercial sites will have a documented program, a designated safety lead, and traffic-management plans they can show you.
4. The right structure: insurance, paperwork, and permits
For anything structural or permit-triggering — building envelope, retaining walls, drainage alterations, accessibility ramps — confirm the contractor handles permits and works to the Ontario Building Code and applicable municipal bylaws (Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, and each GTA municipality has its own process and inspection requirements).
Unpermitted work is a liability you inherit as the owner. It surfaces at the worst possible time — during a refinance, a sale, or an insurance claim.
5. Quote quality: scope, not just price
A professional commercial quote tells you exactly what you're buying. Vague quotes hide the cuts. Compare bids on substance, not the bottom-line number.
| What to look for | Red flag |
|---|---|
| Detailed scope of work and materials by spec | "Supply and install — $X" with no detail |
| Base build / sub-base specs spelled out | No mention of excavation or compaction |
| Defined start date and completion timeline | "We'll fit you in" |
| Warranty terms in writing | Verbal "we stand behind it" |
| Provision for tenant access & site safety | No traffic or pedestrian plan |
| Itemized change-order process | No mention of how extras are handled |
On paving and site work especially, the difference between a 10-year surface and a 3-year failure is almost always the base, not the top layer. Make sure the parking lot and asphalt scope specifies excavation depth, granular base, and compaction — not just the asphalt thickness.
6. Commercial experience and references
Residential and commercial work are different disciplines. Commercial means phasing around occupied buildings, after-hours scheduling, coordinating with tenants, and meeting institutional documentation standards. Ask for:
- References on comparable commercial or industrial sites — ideally property managers or facility managers, not homeowners.
- Examples of work at similar scale (square footage, complexity).
- Confirmation they can work around your operating hours if needed.
A contractor who normally does driveways may not be ready for a 200-stall lot with live traffic and accessible-parking compliance.
7. Capacity, communication, and a single point of contact
Who answers when something goes sideways at 4 p.m. on a Friday? Confirm you'll have one project lead and a clear escalation path. Confirm the company has the crew size and equipment to hit the timeline without subbing out the whole job to a third party you never vetted. If they do sub-contract portions, your COI and WSIB checks need to extend to those subs too.
Quick pre-signing checklist
Before you sign, you should have collected and verified:
- COI from the broker, $5M+ CGL, you named as additional insured
- Current WSIB clearance covering the project dates
- Working at Heights + WHMIS confirmation
- Written, itemized scope with base/material specs
- Permit responsibility clarified for anything code-triggering
- Written warranty terms
- Commercial references you actually called
- Named project lead and escalation contact
Why this matters more in the GTA
Our freeze-thaw climate is unforgiving on exterior surfaces, and our regulatory environment is strict. A contractor who cuts corners on the base, skips the permit, or carries thin insurance is shifting risk onto you — and that risk compounds across a portfolio. The vetting time up front is trivial compared to the cost of a failed surface, a liability claim, or a stalled transaction.
If you manage multiple properties, build this into a standard onboarding packet. Make every contractor clear the same bar, every time, and keep the certificates on file.
Work with a vetted commercial partner
Reformity carries full commercial coverage, maintains active WSIB standing, and provides COIs and clearances as standard practice on every job — no chasing required. Explore our full range of commercial services, and when you're ready to scope a project or set up a maintenance contract, contact our commercial team for a site walk and a detailed, itemized quote.