Co-op Board-Approved Painting in NYC

Paint Job or Alteration? Know What You’re Filing

Most co-ops and condos separate decorative work from alterations. Which side your job falls on decides how much paperwork you need and how long review takes.

Painting and plastering are on the NYC Department of Buildings’ list of work that doesn’t need a DOB permit, which is one reason many buildings treat a straight repaint as decorative. That doesn’t override your building’s own rules. Some buildings accept a contractor information sheet and a COI for a repaint. Others want a full alteration agreement for any outside contractor. Ask the managing agent which category your project falls into before you sign a contract. The answer sets your timeline.

Why Approvals Stall, and How to Avoid Each One

Boards and managing agents aren’t trying to block your project. They’re protecting the building, its insurance, and the neighbors who share your elevator. When a painting package gets sent back, it’s almost always for one of these reasons:

• The COI doesn’t match the requirements sheet. A wrong corporation name or a missing party is enough to get it returned. We copy names exactly as the building lists them. More on our COI page.
• The scope is vague. “Paint apartment” invites questions. A room-by-room scope that also says what is not included (no demolition, no plumbing or electrical) answers them up front.
• The proposal doesn’t match the scope. If the quote and the scope describe different jobs, management will ask why. Ours line up item for item.
• Hours or the elevator weren’t cleared. The start date has to match the house rules and the service elevator calendar.
• Pieces are missing. Unsigned agreements, a missing building check, or a form the building asked for that never got sent.

Why Boards and Managing Agents Approve Our Packages

• We’re insured, and the COI is right the first time. It names the building, the co-op or condo, and the managing agent exactly as the building requires.
• We’ve done this before. We work with co-ops, condos, boards, and managing agents regularly, so we know what they look for and the questions they’ll ask.
• Our scopes are clear. Rooms, surfaces, prep, coatings, and what’s excluded, written so a board member who has never seen your apartment understands the job.
• Our quotes and proposals are detailed. Line items that match the scope, so there’s nothing for management to guess at.
• We answer management directly. Questions go to us, not back through you.

What to Request From Your Managing Agent

Before we price the job, we ask you to get these from management. Forward whatever they send and we’ll take it from there.

• House rules or contractor rules: permitted work hours, quiet hours, holiday blackouts
• Insurance requirements sheet: the exact names to list on the COI and any coverage the building specifies
• Alteration agreement or decorative work form, if required
• Fees: the processing fee, any refundable amount the building holds, and how it’s returned
• Elevator policy: service elevator reservations, padding, and time windows
• Debris rules: what can go in building trash (often nothing) and how materials leave
• Super’s contact for access, staging, and building inspections

What Goes in the Approval Package

What we prepare:

1. Certificate of insurance naming the building, the co-op or condo, and the managing agent as the building requires, handled promptly so it doesn’t hold up approval. See how we handle COIs.
2. Written scope of work: rooms, surfaces, prep, coatings, exclusions, and a clear “decorative work only” statement when that’s accurate.
3. Detailed quote or proposal that matches the scope line for line.
4. Schedule: start date, expected duration, and daily hours that match the house rules.
5. Contractor information: Paint Squad NYC’s business name, address and phone, (646) 342-3743, plus the job supervisor’s contact.

What you usually supply: your signature on the alteration agreement or work form, the building’s fee checks, proof of your own unit owner’s insurance if required, and any neighbor notice the building asks for.

Every building’s list is different. One Riverdale co-op’s 2024 alteration packet, for example, asks for the original plus two copies of each contractor’s insurance certificate, a waiver of mechanic’s lien, a refundable payment held by the building, and work only between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. That’s why we start from your building’s paperwork, not a template.

Timeline: Plan for Approval, Not Just Painting

The painting is usually the shortest part of a co-op job.

1. Photos and written quote. You send photos, a short video or a floor plan, and you get a detailed written quote within 24 hours. You request the building’s requirements at the same time.
2. Contractor documents. COI, scope, proposal, and schedule, sent promptly once we have the building’s requirements.
3. Management and board review. Often one to three weeks, depending on the building and whether it’s decorative work or an alteration. A complete package moves fastest.
4. Approval. We reserve the elevator and confirm the start date with the super.
5. Painting. A few days for a room or a straightforward refresh. Longer for heavy plaster repair, skim coating, or a large unit.

The most common delay is a package returned for corrections. If you’re working toward a closing, a move-in, or a listing date, tell us when you send your photos and we’ll plan backward from it.

How We Work in a Shared Building

A good co-op job is one your neighbors barely notice.

• We check in with the super before day one to confirm access, the elevator window, and where we can stage.
• We reserve and pad the service elevator per building policy and stay inside the reserved window.
• We protect the route. Floor protection runs from the elevator to your door, and the door frame and threshold are covered.
• We work posted hours only. No early starts, late finishes, or weekend work unless the building approves it in writing.
• We don’t use building sinks or slop drains to clean tools unless the building allows it, and we leave nothing in common areas.
• We clean daily, inside the apartment and in the hallway, so your home stays livable while we work.
• We use low-odor interior coatings in occupied apartments and recommend sheens that hold up: washable walls, durable trim, and flat ceilings that hide flaws.

Where We Work

Manhattan co-ops

Prewar co-ops in Washington Heights, Inwood, the Upper West Side, and the Upper East Side usually mean plaster walls, detailed moldings, and strict contractor rules. Doorman buildings often need our COI on file before a crew can get past the lobby. Upper Manhattan is our core service area.

North Bronx co-ops

Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil have a deep stock of co-ops, many of them postwar buildings with established managing agents and detailed alteration packets. We also take select co-op and condo work in Yonkers and New Rochelle.

Queens co-ops

Garden co-ops and prewar buildings in Jackson Heights, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, and Astoria are often run by long-standing managing agents with set procedures. We follow them to the letter.

Brooklyn condos and brownstones

Brooklyn condos, from new developments to conversions, go through a board of managers and a management company instead of a co-op board, but the insurance and scheduling requirements can be just as strict. Brownstones and townhouses skip the board, but bring original plaster and trim that need careful prep.