A landscape maintenance contract is not a catch-all agreement. Most homeowners and property managers sign one expecting everything will be handled, then find out mid-season that certain work costs extra. Understanding the scope before you sign saves you frustration and budget surprises.
Most contracts in the Northern Colorado area cover recurring services on a fixed schedule. That means lawn mowing, edging, and blowing debris off hard surfaces. Depending on the agreement, it also includes garden bed weeding, shrub trimming, and seasonal cleanouts in spring and fall.
Irrigation monitoring is often included at a basic level. We check that heads are working and make minor adjustments during regular visits. This matters on the Front Range, where dry summers and water restrictions in cities like Longmont, Windsor, and Fort Collins mean your system needs to run efficiently without wasting water.
A good contract also defines visit frequency. Weekly mowing from May through September is standard. Bi-weekly visits during slower growth periods in spring and fall are common. Make sure your contract spells out exactly how many visits per month are included and what triggers a schedule change.
This is where most surprises happen. A maintenance contract is not a construction contract. If a retaining wall shifts, a patio settles, or a tree needs removal, that work is quoted and billed separately. Routine mowing agreements do not cover structural repairs.
Fertilization and weed control applications are often excluded unless you add them as a separate service line. The same goes for aerating, overseeding, and dethatching. These are annual treatments, not weekly tasks, and they need to be written in explicitly if you want them included.
Hail damage cleanup is another area where homeowners get caught off short. Colorado's hail season strips foliage, shreds annuals, and leaves debris throughout beds. Most maintenance contracts do not include storm cleanup. It's billed as a separate job. If you're in an area that gets hit regularly, like the east Longmont corridor or properties along the I-25 corridor, ask your contractor how they handle it before the season starts.
Irrigation repairs beyond minor head adjustments are also typically excluded. If a zone fails, a pipe breaks, or a controller needs replacement, that's a separate service call. Our landscape maintenance services are structured so clients know exactly what's included and what requires a separate work order.
Read the scope of work line by line. Ask what happens if a visit is skipped due to weather. In Colorado, late spring snowstorms are not rare. We've had crews skip April mowing visits across multiple properties after an unexpected foot of snow. A good contract addresses how skipped visits are handled.
Ask whether the contract auto-renews and what the cancellation terms are. Ask who handles communication if something looks off on your property between visits. These are operational details that tell you a lot about how a company runs.
After 20-plus years running maintenance contracts across residential, commercial, HOA, and municipal properties in Northern Colorado, the most common source of client frustration is not the work itself. It's the assumption that everything is included. Set clear expectations in writing from the start, and the relationship works well for both sides.
Call us at (303) 774-9449 or request a free quote.
