Before you hire anyone to clean the outside of your building, ask about their WSIB clearance status, their liability insurance, the access method their crew is certified to use, what the written quote actually covers, and whether they can provide references from other high rise buildings. These five questions separate a properly certified contractor from one that could leave your building, and your budget, exposed. Here is what each question really means and why it matters.
Question 1: Do You Have a Valid WSIB Clearance Certificate?
This is the first question, and it is non negotiable for any exterior work on a high rise in Ontario. A WSIB clearance certificate confirms a contractor is registered with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and that their premiums are paid and in good standing.
Most property managers already know they should ask about insurance. Fewer realize that WSIB clearance is a completely separate requirement, one that exists specifically because construction and exterior maintenance work, window cleaning included, carries a higher injury risk than an average office job.
What a WSIB Clearance Certificate Actually Proves
Without a valid clearance certificate, your building could be held liable for a contractor’s unpaid WSIB premiums if something goes wrong on site. The certificate exists specifically to protect the property owner from that exposure, not just the contractor.
In Ontario, anyone who hires a contractor for construction related work is considered a principal under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. That means the legal responsibility to check for a valid clearance certificate sits with the building, not just the crew doing the climbing. If a worker is injured and the contractor turns out to be behind on premiums, an uncertified hiring party can be on the hook for costs that were never supposed to be theirs.
A clearance certificate is free to obtain and takes only a few minutes through the WSIB’s online eClearance system, so there is no good excuse for a legitimate contractor not to have a current one on hand.
Why an Old Certificate Is Not Good Enough
A clearance certificate is not a one time document. It expires, and a contractor showing you one from months ago is not proof of anything current.
A WSIB clearance certificate is only valid for up to 90 days, so an old one does not prove a contractor is covered today.
Ask for a fresh certificate before the work starts, not a screenshot from an old file. A contractor with nothing to hide will pull one instantly through the WSIB’s own eClearance system, and most will offer it before you even ask.
If a job stretches across several months, or the contractor comes back for a second visit later in the year, request an updated certificate at that point too. A clearance from the spring does not carry over to a fall cleaning automatically.
Question 2: What Liability and Insurance Coverage Do You Carry?
WSIB clearance covers worker injury. It does not cover damage to your building, your tenants’ vehicles, or a window that comes loose mid clean. That is where general liability insurance comes in, and it is a completely separate question.
Liability coverage for a window cleaning business typically spans several categories: general liability for property damage and third party injury, commercial auto for vehicles and equipment being transported, and sometimes professional indemnity for larger commercial contracts. A company working on high rise buildings should be able to speak to all three without hesitating.
Certificate of Insurance Versus a Verbal Promise
Never accept a verbal assurance that a company is insured. Ask for an actual certificate of insurance naming your property, with coverage limits that make sense for a high rise job, not a small residential one.
A certificate of insurance is a standard document any legitimate insurer issues on request, and it lists the coverage types, limits, and expiry date in writing. If a contractor cannot produce one within a day or two, or keeps promising to “send it over later,” treat that delay as an answer in itself.
Coverage limits matter as much as the paperwork existing at all. A policy built for a small residential window cleaning operation may carry limits far too low to cover an incident on a commercial high rise. Ask what the actual dollar limits are, not just whether a policy exists.
General liability coverage for a window cleaning business can start as low as $39 a month, which shows how affordable proper coverage really is, and why a contractor skipping it is a red flag worth taking seriously.
If a company balks at providing proof, or the quote seems unusually low, missing insurance is often the reason why.
Question 3: What Access Method Will You Use, and Is the Crew Certified?
Not every high rise job uses the same equipment, and the right method depends on your building’s height, facade, and anchor points.
Rope Access, Bosun’s Chair, Swing Stage, or Aerial Lift
Ask specifically which method the crew is trained and certified to use on your building. A company that seems unsure, or that plans to improvise with whatever equipment they have on the truck, is not the right fit for a commercial high rise.
Rope access relies on harnesses, ropes, and certified anchor points, and suits buildings without a permanent facade access system. A bosun’s chair is a simpler single-point suspended seat, often used for shorter, more limited access jobs. A swing stage is a suspended platform that can carry more than one technician and equipment at once, common on larger commercial towers. An aerial lift works from the ground or a rooftop mount and suits lower floors or buildings with clear ground access. Each method has its own training requirements, and a crew certified in one is not automatically qualified in another.
Safety Standards Behind the Method
Properly certified crews work to documented safety standards like ANSI/IWCA I-14.1 for rope access, with strict wind, weather, and anchor point rules built in. Ask how the company handles a weather hold, since the answer tells you a lot about how seriously they take safety on your property.
A company that has never had to reschedule for weather is either extremely lucky or is not being honest about how closely they follow safety limits. Wind speed thresholds, anchor point inspections, and pre-job safety briefings should all be things the contractor can describe clearly, not vague reassurances that “we’re always careful.”
Question 4: What Does the Written Quote Actually Include?
A quote that just says “window cleaning” is not detailed enough to compare against anything else. Get specifics in writing before you sign.
Scope of Work, Frequency, and Exclusions
Ask exactly which surfaces are included, whether frames and sills are part of the job, and how many visits the quote covers per year. If you are not sure what a realistic schedule looks like for your building, our guide on how often high rise windows should be cleaned breaks down the factors that shape a proper calendar.
A quote should also spell out exclusions clearly: does it cover interior glass, or exterior only? Are ground floor and lobby windows part of the same visit, or billed separately? Is there an extra charge for particularly stubborn buildup, like construction dust or old sealant residue, or is that included as standard? None of these questions are unreasonable, and a company used to commercial work will already have clear answers.
Ask how the quote handles rescheduling too. Weather holds are a normal part of high rise window cleaning, not a sign something has gone wrong, but a written quote should say what happens to your spot in the schedule if a visit gets pushed.
A vague quote today usually turns into a surprise invoice later. Get the scope in writing, and confirm what happens if weather pushes a visit back a week.
Question 5: Can You Provide References From Other High Rise Buildings?
A company that has done plenty of residential window cleaning is not automatically ready for a commercial high rise. Ask specifically for references from buildings similar to yours in height and facade type.
References are one of the few checks that cost nothing and take almost no time, yet they get skipped more often than any other item on this list. A short phone call to a property manager at another building can confirm whether a contractor shows up on schedule, communicates clearly about delays, and actually delivers the quality they promised in the sales conversation.
Why Local Experience Matters
A certified high rise window cleaning company in Vaughan that has already worked on buildings in your area understands the local weather patterns, the seasonal grime, and the access logistics around busy corridors. That local track record is worth more than a generic portfolio.
Local experience also tends to show up in smaller, practical ways: knowing which loading areas get congested at certain times of day, understanding permit requirements for a particular municipality, or simply having already built a relationship with the property management companies operating nearby buildings.
Red Flags That Mean You Should Keep Looking
A handful of warning signs tend to show up together, and any one of them on its own is worth pausing on.
A quote that comes in noticeably lower than every other bid, with no explanation for the gap, is one of the most common red flags. Low bids sometimes mean a company is cutting corners on insurance, training, or crew size to make the numbers work, and those corners tend to show up later as either poor quality or, worse, an incident that could have been avoided.
Reluctance to provide a WSIB clearance certificate or a certificate of insurance on request is another. A legitimate contractor treats these documents as routine paperwork, not a hassle. If a company hedges, delays, or tries to talk you out of asking, that reaction says more than the documents themselves would.
Vague answers about which access method the crew actually uses is a third. “We’ll figure it out when we get there” is not an acceptable answer for a job involving harnesses, anchor points, and several stories of open air.
No references, or references that turn out to be for small residential jobs only, rounds out the list. A company with strong commercial high rise experience will usually offer references before you even ask, because they know it is one of their strongest selling points.
With more than 36,000 window cleaning businesses operating just in the United States as of 2023, and plenty more across Canada, the pool of options is large. That makes proper vetting worth the extra ten minutes, not a step to skip.
In the U.S. alone, more than 36,000 window cleaning businesses were operating as of 2023, which is exactly why vetting the right one for a high rise building is worth the extra step.
What a Proper Vetting Process Looks Like Step by Step
Once you know the five questions, it helps to know the order to ask them in, so nothing gets missed in the back and forth of comparing quotes.
Site Assessment and Custom Quote
A reputable provider starts with an assessment of your building’s height, facade, and access points, then puts together a written, itemized quote rather than a flat number over the phone. This step alone filters out companies that are not equipped or experienced enough for commercial high rise work, since a proper assessment takes real expertise to do well.
Documentation Review
Before signing anything, collect the WSIB clearance certificate and the certificate of insurance, and confirm both are current, not just on file somewhere. It helps to keep copies of both on hand for your own records, in case questions come up later from a board, an insurer, or a tenant.
Reference Check
A quick call to one or two references from similar buildings confirms the company’s claims hold up in practice, not just on paper. Ask the reference specifically about punctuality, communication around weather delays, and whether the finished work matched what was promised, since those three details tend to predict how a new relationship will go.
Running through these three steps in order, assessment, documentation, and references, rarely takes more than a day or two, and it is a small time investment against the cost of a poor hire on a building with dozens or hundreds of units depending on the result.
How Vaughan Property Managers Can Apply This Locally
Properties in fast growing corridors, including areas near Martin Grove Rd and the Express Toll Route, deal with more construction dust and traffic grime than quieter stretches, which makes a contractor’s experience and documentation even more important to verify. A high rise window cleaning provider that already knows the local conditions can plan around them rather than being caught off guard.
Communities across Clairville and the surrounding Vaughan area deal with a similar mix of seasonal grime and fast moving traffic corridors, which is exactly why the five questions above matter as much locally as anywhere else.
If your building has never had a proper high rise window cleaning vaughan vetting process, a free assessment is a good place to start.
Andean High Rise Window Cleaning Serving the Clairville Community and Beyond in Vaughan
Andean High Rise Window Cleaning works with buildings throughout Clairville and the greater Vaughan area, including properties near Vaughan Grove Sports Park and the busy Martin Grove Rd and Express Toll Route corridor. Our crews are familiar with the local coordinates around 43.7677046, -79.5977895 and the documentation, certifications, and access methods that come up in these five questions on every job.
Get High Rise Window Cleaning Clairville Service Now
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important question to ask a window cleaning company before hiring them?
Whether they can provide a current WSIB clearance certificate is usually the first and most important question, since it protects your building from liability for a contractor’s unpaid premiums.
Is a certificate of insurance the same as a WSIB clearance certificate?
No. A WSIB clearance certificate covers worker injury claims through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, while a certificate of insurance covers property damage and general liability. A properly certified contractor should be able to provide both.
Why does the access method a company uses matter?
Rope access, bosun’s chair, swing stage, and aerial lift all come with different certification requirements and safety standards. A company that cannot clearly explain which method they use, and why, is a warning sign.
What should a written quote for high rise window cleaning include?
A proper quote should specify which surfaces are covered, how many visits are included per year, and what happens if weather delays a scheduled cleaning. Vague quotes tend to lead to unexpected charges later.
How many references should I ask for before hiring a window cleaning company?
One or two references from buildings similar in height and facade type to yours is usually enough to confirm a company’s claims hold up in practice.
