Junk Removal Rules for Apartments, Condos and HOAs
Buildings and HOAs have rules that catch people out — COIs, lift bookings, working hours and kerbside bans. Here is what to check first.
Most apartment buildings and HOA communities restrict when removal work can happen, require a certificate of insurance before a lift can be used, and prohibit items being left in common areas. Discovering this on the day is the single most common reason a booked job does not happen.
The certificate of insurance
Most managed buildings require the contractor’s insurer to issue a certificate naming the building owner or management company as additional insured, before granting access to a loading dock or freight lift. It is routine, it is free, and it usually takes a day to issue.
What causes problems is timing. Requesting a COI the morning of the job does not work. Send us the building’s requirements when you book and it will be in place.
Freight lift bookings
Buildings with a service lift almost always require it to be reserved, often with padding installed and sometimes with a refundable deposit. Slots go quickly at month end, when everyone moves. Book it before you book us.
Working hours
Many buildings restrict move-in and move-out activity to weekday business hours, specifically to avoid disturbing residents. Some HOAs prohibit contractor work at weekends entirely. Check before assuming a Saturday appointment is possible.
Nothing in the common areas
This one catches people constantly. Leaving a sofa in a corridor, a lobby or beside the bin enclosure — even for an hour — commonly triggers a violation notice and sometimes a fine charged to your account. Items must go from the unit to the truck in one movement.
It is also why so much illegal dumping happens in HOA bin enclosures, and why “clear the dumped items before residents complain” is the most frequent call we get from boards.
Gated communities
Guardhouses need the contractor on an access list in advance. Turning up unannounced means a phone call to the resident, a wait, and sometimes a refusal. Give us the community name and gate when you book and we will call ahead.
What to send us when you book
- Building or community name, and the management contact
- Any COI requirement and the exact wording of the additional insured
- Permitted working hours
- Freight lift booking rules
- Whether there is a loading dock, and its height restriction
- Floor and unit number
Send that once and it is handled. Left to the day, any one of them can stop the job.