Choosing A Lawn Maintenance Contractor

For a variety of reasons, many homeowners prefer to hire out some or all of their lawn care and landscape maintenance chores. If you are looking to hire a contractor for your mowing and trimming, or fertilizing and pest control, or even to care for your trees and shrubs, there are steps you can take to find and hire a contractor who will be best suited for your needs.

An easy way to find a maintenance service is to keep your eyes open as you come and go through your neighborhood. If you have a neighbor who is using the type of service that you are looking for and it looks as though the contractors are doing a good job, you can always approach this neighbor and - after complimenting them for how nice their lawn looks - ask them if they would recommend the service. If you find several contractors that you believe might be suitable, you can request an estimate from each of them. Of course, you may also find suitable landscape maintenance services in the yellow pages, in the newspaper classifieds under Business Services, or from solicitations you receive in the mail.

When you find candidates for the maintenance you need, you should always ask for an estimate - preferably in writing. You should also check to make sure that they have any required licenses and permits, especially if they may be applying pesticides on your property. They should also have liability insurance should anything ever go wrong. You should also ask potential contractors how long they have been in business. How much expertise and education do they have for the work they may be performing? Will they supply you with references?

It is important to know exactly the type of service you are going to expect and convey that to any potential contractor. If you are going to be asked to sign a contract, be sure you read and understand all parts of the contract before you sign. It’s much better now to have too many questions than to later have regrets for not having made sure that the contract you signed would meet your needs.

For many homeowners, hiring out their landscape maintenance is not an option but a necessity. Many homeowners simply don’t have the time. If you are one of these people, do yourself a favor and take the time necessary to find a contractor you will be happy with.

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