How To Get Lawn Service Contracts

What Are A Landscapers Duties

A landscaper is typically in charge of maintaining the grounds on residential and commercial properties. As a result, they are generally tasked with the following

• Pruning of shrubs, thorns, and flowers
• Mowing the lawn to make it even and easy-to-maintain
• Spreading fertilizer as necessary
• Maintenance, i.e., use of pesticides and keeping the grounds clean.
• Raking, sweeping, mopping, and removing any unwanted dust, leaves, plants, etc.
• Adding aesthetic value to the flora in the premises, i.e., keeping everything manageable, organized, and aesthetically pleasing.

While landscapers are very in-demand in upscale localities, they dont typically require licenses either. As a result, a landscaper can be anyone who is capable and wishes to perform the aforementioned tasks. Their pay largely varies depending on the property, season, and level of expertise they possess. They may choose to charge in two ways per hour, or per square foot. The average rate in the United States for landscapers is $45/hr, while they charge $4-$12/square foot on average. Typically, larger properties get better rates, while smaller properties are likely to cost relatively more.

What Is A Lawn Care Contract

A lawn care or landscape contract is a document that contains all the details about your client and the service provider, along with the lawn services and payment.

The lawn care business owner must explain to the client about the contract. Upon finalization, the contract must be signed by the lawn care service provider and the client buying the services.

The lawn care or landscaping business can be either for residential or commercial purposes. Whatever the need is, signing a contract is a safe way to ensure you get paid by the client.

S To Writing A Statement Of Work In A Lawn Care Contract

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What To Do If One Party Fails To Deliver

It is possible for a lawn maintenance contract to be signed and one party fails to deliver. The service provider may fail to do the work as agreed. They can do all the work perfectly but the property owner fails to make the payment as agreed.

The lawn maintenance contract should have provisions on what should be done if one party fails to meet its role. The service provider should protect themselves by including clauses of non-payment claims and the possibility of use of lien.

How Professionals A Win Commercial Lawn Care Contract

In the corporate world, looks matter.

To win the big accounts, you must look like someone who can handle the big accounts:

• Do you have a professional website?
• Can your equipment do the job in time to make you money?

At Service Autopilot, we call that last one Job Costing.

Job Costing tells you how many labor hours it takes to do a job and how much you should charge to make a profit. Its key to making money in this industry.

If you dont know exactly how much it time it takes to maintain a property, you will lose money on your services.

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Would I Need To Take Additional Actions After Making A Contract For Lawn Service

When you are ready to wrap up your drafted contract, it needs to be signed by both you and the property owner. RocketSign® makes it easy to collect signatures on the go. Be sure to give a final copy of your fully signed agreement to the other party. As a Rocket Lawyer member, you also can download it in PDF format or as a Word file, print, and/or copy it as necessary.

Closing Thoughts On How To Win Lawn Care Contracts

Getting commercial lawn care contracts is more challenging than residential landscaping projects. However, if you know where to look and how to make a bid, youll land the big-ticket landscaping contracts with ease! For more tips on how to run your lawn care business, check out our guide on lawn care management.

Take your lawn care business to the next level with a free trial of Method:Field Services!

Image credit: Paul Moody via Unsplash

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Tap Into Your Residential Clients

Your existing relationships and clients are an easy place to start. If you previously worked with residential accounts, you can use your already established relationships to secure recommendations for commercial clients. Ask your clients if they have any commercial businesses that need your services, or if they can endorse you to businesses they know.

How Do Lawn Care Contracts Work In Florida

Lawn care companies can secure contracts with business owners to guarantee hired services. This is a popular way to provide a set it and forget it service to a Duval County or St. Johns County business owner. While having a contract can be a benefit, a short-term or long-term agreement might be very different depending on the company selected. If you are interested in learning how do lawn care contracts work in Florida, continue reading the content on this page that provides non-legal advice.

Two Basic Types of Contracts

As a business owner, it can be hard to perform research on why one length of service might be better than another. Consulting with an experienced landscaping company in Jacksonville will usually clear up any misconceptions about what is and what is not needed for your business. All lawn care contracts in Florida are covered under state legislation in all 67 Counties.

Companies that are providing chemical treatments for pest control are generally required to be licensed in the state of Florida. A company owner should verify a current license of a commercial landscaping company that will be providing pest control solutions as a part of a lawn care service package.Commercial Lawn Care Contracts Differences

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How Much Does Landscaping Cost

The cost of landscaping depends upon the type of services you are requesting as well as whether you will receive ongoing maintenance. While the national average of annual landscaping costs is around $14,000, this number may be higher or lower depending upon your needs. Always get several bids on a project before selecting a provider.

Small Business Service Contracts At Tlc

Depending on the needs of a company, a shorter or longer duration of a contract could be the right component of achieving a great-looking lawn. The installation of a new irrigation system or repair of an existing one could be on inclusion of a contract. A quote for all services can be obtained directly from this website. Terms of contracts can be explored after contact is made to the customer service department.

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How Do You Bid On A Mowing Contract

A commercial mowing client will first ask you to provide a bid for services. This bid should contain the list of landscaping services your business provides as well as the pricing. If you perform general gardening services like hedge trimming as well as mowing, clients can meet all their lawn care needs with the one contractor.

In the lawn care industry, the basic mowing and edging services will be about the same for all businesses, and its hard to differentiate based on anything but price. For that reason, its a great strategy to emphasise any additional or special services that your business can offer, helping your bid stand out from the rest.

When providing an estimate, be sure to visit the property yourself to inspect it. That way, you can visually gauge the amount of work required, and the client knows you are giving a quote specific to them, not a generic figure. This will also help you understand any unique needs the client has and how to win them over.

You may opt to add a section to your bid that contains references. If you have worked for a previous client who was pleased with the results, ask them if they are willing to take reference calls. This can give new clients confidence in your services, especially if youre relatively new to commercial work.

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The Statement Of Work

A statement of work in a landscape contract details the work authorized by the property owner. It describes the work and defines the scope, timelines, terms, and work location. The name of the service provider is included in the statement of work. These are the details contained in the statement of work.

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Commercial Lawn Contract Sample

Are you preparing to perform lawn care service to new clients? Downloading this very useful document complete with the sample provisions or content as to what should be part of a service contract will help you lay out the terms and conditions of your agreement with the client. Just edit and customize according to your companys and the clients details.

Should A Lawn Care Provider Be Licensed

In most cases, lawnmower providers are not licensed. They mostly provide basic maintenance services for lawns and gardens. The more established lawn care providers have registered companies that provide specialized services at a wider scope. They design landscapes do commercial lawn care. Transport trees, overhaul gardens/lawns, etc. Service providers at this level are usually licensed.

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How To Write A Contract For Lawn Care Service

• Subcontractor Employee Rights, Obligations & Duties

Contracts are written for your protection. A clearly worded contract can prevent misunderstandings on both parts, spell out what you will and will not be responsible for, and serves as a promise from your customer that you are going to be paid for your services. Writing a lawn-care service agreement won’t take you much time, but might save you a great deal of trouble should problems arise.

References

Whats Included In A Commercial Mowing Contract

You commercial lawn care contract should include the following details:

• Your businesss and your customers name, address, contact information, and the date.
• Your businesss license information.
• The time period in which your services should be rendered.
• The frequency of your visits.
• The number of workers assigned to the project and the amount of hours they will work per day.
• The equipment that will be used.
• The pricing.
• An outline of the services you will provide, along with a list of exclusions.
• Clauses to indicate which party takes responsibility for damages incurred to things like fencing, irrigation systems, etc.
• An agreement on the application of pesticides, including the names of pesticides to be used.

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How Are Lawn Service Contracts Structured

The specific details to add are:

As you might hope, Lawn Care Contracts that you build using Rocket Lawyer also contain the typical language with regard to the non-employment relationship, confidentiality, and finally, indemnification. While making your agreement, you’ll also have the ability to decide which state’s jurisdiction it will be subject to. Further adjustments and edits are permitted, as needed.

Any Issues That May Arise

Highlight issues that may be vague. The contract should state which party is accountable for repairing what items if there should be any damage. The agreement should have a section where it clearly states who is responsible for paying what for the service. Check out the termination of services letter template for more information.

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Tips For More Profitable Commercial Mowing Contracts

There are a number of factors that go into creating the best commercial mowing contracts and all of them must be in line in order to have success. In fact, even if you have just one item askew, it can eat away at your profitability.

As a commercial mower, your goal is for all of your jobs to be profitable. With the cost of doing business not getting any cheaper, you need to be able to make more money and build up more profitable commercial mowing contracts in the pipeline.

This doesnt just happen by chance. There is a lot of legwork that goes into improving your success. Bruce Birdsong, founder, and CEO of Precision Landscape Management, a full-service commercial landscape management firm employing over 300 employees, knows this very well. Hes been in business for nearly four decades and has learned from his mistakesand his many successesabout what it takes to produce more profitable commercial mowing contracts.

Bruce recently shared 5 of his best tips that he says can make all the difference between a profitable contract and one that falls short of helping your bottom line.

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Tips On Writing Turf Contracts And Landscape Specifications

Maintenance contracts for turfgrass areas should be written to provide security for all parties involved. The person or company receiving services should know precisely what to expect, and the company providing the services should be aware of everything it has agreed to and therefore is required to do. This publication provides basic guidelines on how to write a good contract regarding turfgrass maintenance.

Outline Services To Be Performed

If your services are strictly trimming, mowing and weeding, state it clearly in the contract and define the service limitations properly. If for instance, the client owns pets such as dogs and cats with feces in the front lawn, let the owner know this isnt part of your agreement anymore. If you are willing to provide additional services such as the removal of dog waste, the contract should clearly outline how much will be charged to the client on extra fees.

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How To Get Started With Commercial Lawn Care Contracts

Commercial lawn care contracts are centered around building relationships. From the very beginning, you should be focused on getting to know the property managers and real estate board members in your service area.

1. Make contact with them.

You can do this through phone calls, emails, postcards and flyers, or meetings.

Even though some property managers wont necessarily be looking for a contractor right now, they might be in the future. The objective is to build a relationship so you can ensure youre the one who gets the job.

2. Make sure you have quality references from previous clients.

Ed explains that referrals are one of the most important parts of landing commercial clients.

If they offer a fixed contract, theyll want an established company for it. Theyre not just going to hire anybody to do it. They want to see a reputation.

Most commercial clients will want to call the property managers youve worked with in the past. So, tailor the references you give based on the client for the best results.

For example, if youre trying to land a contract with a condo property manager, try to find a referral from another condo property manager youve worked for before.

How to get started without commercial experience

If you dont have referrals yet, Ed suggests getting your lawn care name out there by doing some basic industry discovery.

How To Write A Landscaping Contract

Creating a contract is an essential part of any successful landscape project.

A landscaping contract needs various key details in order to be legally binding and to ensure it holds up in court. Having all the necessary information also helps avoid future misunderstandings and conflicts.

Here are the must-haves that every landscaping contract should include:

• The names and contact information of the property owner and landscaping contractor.

• A statement acknowledging the consent of both parties.

• A description of the type of landscaping duties that will be provided, as well as maintenance and inspections.

• The price of the services and the terms of payment.

• The contractâs start and end dates.

• A completed copy of an invoice template to be used when accepting payment.

• The terms for terminating or amending the contract.

• The way non-payment claims will be handled.

• Liability limitations in regard to third parties.

• The Local, state, and federal laws governing the agreement.

Landscaping contracts are relatively straightforward in regard to the fact that they donât require.

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