Important Considerations for Your Landscaping Contract

Below We’ll Cover:

• Important Details to Include in Your Landscaping Contract
• Clauses to Consider Adding
• Errores a evitar
• Links to Additional Resources
• How to Get Your Contract Signed

Important Details to Include in Your Landscaping Contract

A landscaping business may provide a variety of services to clients that range from cutting the grass at a residential property on regular basis to installing an elaborate display of greenery at a commercial property. Whether the job is big or small it is imperative that the terms and details are clear to both parties to avoid future disputes. The best way to do that is to create and execute a well-drafted contract.

When creating your landscaping contract, be sure to include the following details:

• Contact information for both parties
• A detailed description of the landscaping services to be performed
• Location at which the landscaping services are to be performed
• Service schedule
• Payment terms and time frames
• Representations and obligations
• Seguros
• Liability waiver
• Termination provisions
• Legal provisions

Clauses to Consider Adding

Along with the basic terms and provisions that should be in every landscaping contract, you may also need to add specific clauses to protect yourself and your client, such as:

• Ongoing services. If you plan to provide ongoing services, such as scheduled maintenance or cutting the grass on a regular basis, be sure to include a provision that sets forth the details of that ongoing service, including payment terms.
• Sub-contractors. It is common for landscapers to utilize sub-contractors when completing large jobs. To put your client on notice and to ensure that you are protected, consider adding a clause that makes it clear you have the right to employ sub-contractors.
• Contract Deadline. The cost of materials can change rapidly in the landscaping industry. With that in mind, consider adding a contract acceptance deadline. You can use Nitro Sign to get any of your contracts or important documents signed quickly and easily!

Errores a evitar

Avoiding disputes that could lead to litigation is undoubtedly a primary motivation for creating and signing a landscaping contract. To get the most out of your contract, avoid making common mistakes when creating your customized landscaping contract, such as:

• Lack of detail regarding services to be performed.  Often, attaching a separate document with the details of the landscaping services to be performed is the best option. The more detailed your description, the less likely you will find yourself in a dispute. If you do add a separate addendum, be sure to reference it in the contract.
• Failing to account for factors out of your control. Landscaping, by its very nature, is particularly susceptible to outside factors, such as weather or material shortages. Be sure to account for factors such as these that are not within your control in your contract.
• Omitting termination details.  Either party may decide to cancel a landscaping contract for any number of reasons. Be sure to include adequate details regarding how the contract can be terminated and what each party’s obligations are if the contract is terminated.
• Failing to address modifications. Clients often want the details of a landscaping job to be modified after the contract is signed. You may also need to make modifications based on material availability. Any verbal agreement to modify the contract should be reduced to writing and signed by both parties immediately.

Links to Additional Resources

• How to Write Landscaping Contracts: 5 Essential Elements
• How to Write a Contract for Lawn Care Services
• Tips on Writing Turf Contracts and Landscape Specifications

How to Get Your Contract Signed

Proper execution of any contract is crucial to ensuring that the terms agreed upon in the contract will hold up in court should a dispute arise. In today’s digital world, the ability to have your contract signed electronically is imperative. Once you have customized your landscaping contract to reflect the agreement reached between you and your client, sending it to your client for a signature is easy and quick with Nitro. Start your Nitro free trial today.