Commercial Landscaping

Maintenance

Landscapes offer a serene setting for customers and employees alike. For these reasons, alone, landscapes should and probably already do maintain a high priority in your business plan. But just as important as your landscape are the people who maintain it. There are plenty of landscape management companies who would like to have your business. Many are credible and capable of providing quality service. And all have their strengths and weaknesses. The challenge for homeowner associations, property managers, and owners is to find a landscape maintenance firm that has the experience, expertise and ability to get the job done in the way it truly needs to be done.

Following are some guidelines to follow to ensure the landscape maintenance firm you choose will meet your high expectations.

Know what you want. This may sound overly simplistic, but it's important. Jot down what you have in mind for your landscape before you let out a bid or otherwise go shopping for a landscape maintenance company. The only way to ascertain what a firm can provide is to know upfront what you want.

Do your homework. Look around at other properties in the area to see who is maintaining them. Ask other property managers who they would recommend. Then call the company(s) and ask a few key questions such as: Do you have degreed horticulture people on board? Do you have insurance to protect both employees and the property owner? Do you provide continuing education for employees? Do you have a formal safety program in place?

Talk with landscapers about specifics to make sure they know what your expectations are and you know they plan to deliver them

Don't just assume the lowest bid is the one with which to go. The lawn maintenance firm placing the low bid may not fully understand the parameters of the job, or might be relatively inexperienced in the field.

Once you decide on a company, give them time to perform up to your expectations. If your landscape has a serious problem, it will take time for even the best landscape maintenance company to correct it.

Last but far from the least, determine how much experience each contractor has within the industry and with projects similar to yours.

Remember, landscape maintenance is like any other business. There are good operators, poor operators, and a host of people who fall somewhere in between. The competitive nature of this industry, however, forces too many companies to promise the world and deliver ever so little. Your landscape is far too important to be left to just any company. Know what you want, ask for details and talk with other property managers. The message should come through loud and clear.