How do I check a landscaping company’s snow-removal contracts before buying?

Snow work is a different business from summer lawn care, and a landscaping company’s winter income may rest on a handful of contracts. Ask for copies of all of them and read the key terms yourself: what triggers service, how it is billed, what the company promises to do, and who bears the risk if the weather is unusual. Look at renewal and termination. Some contracts renew automatically; others are reviewed each season. Some can be ended on short notice or need consent when the company is sold. Your lawyer can read these clauses with you.

Then test the capacity. Count the plows, spreaders and operators against the routes promised. A contract the company cannot serve well becomes a complaint and a lost client. Ask about subcontractors, how they are paid and whether they are likely to stay. Finally, ask about the claims history: slip-and-fall incidents, damage to property, and how insurance responded. Your insurance adviser can tell you what coverage you will need. Ask whether any client has complained about response times, and how the company logged and answered those complaints during the worst storms.

Key takeaways

• Read every contract for renewal, termination and consent terms.
• Match the promised routes against real equipment and operators.
• Ask for claims history and talk to your insurance adviser.
• Ask how the company handled complaints during its worst storms.