5 Things Every Tree Removal Contract Should Have
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- Free Shit: treesavages.com
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No one likes surprises, especially when it comes to their money. So when you're out signing tree service contracts, it's important to know what should be included in the contract. That way, the customer won't have any unwelcome surprises when the bill arrives. And you can rest easy knowing that your company isn't going to get sued because of a poorly worded contract.
What type of contract you use depends on the nature of the work being performed. When writing up the contract, ask yourself these things:
1) What is the scope and size of the job?
2) How much money will I have to invest?
3) Am I willing to assume any additional risks if something unexpected comes up?
And if you're in the business of providing tree service, consider these things when writing up a contract for your customers to sign:
1) What is the consumer's reason for hiring my company?
2) How much money do they have to invest?
3) Are there any risks associated with this job that I should disclose ahead of time?
These are all things you should ask yourself before signing a tree removal contract, but what exactly do you include in the contract?
Here are five things that every tree service contract should include.
1) A General Business Scope of Work
It's important that your contract includes all the things you're obligated to do as an arborist. Your contracts should have a general description of the work your company does. However, if there are specific tasks that you do not want to be included in the contract, they can be identified as exclusions. It's also important to detail what exactly your company will do for the consumer. This will help avoid any confusion about the type of work that is to be done.
2) Detailed Job Description
It's a good idea to have a list of everything that's included in the work being performed. For example, list the specific number of trees, the type of tree and the location of the tree. This section should provide a detailed description of the work that needs to occur. You may also want to include additional services that your company offers within this section. For example, many arborists offer specialized pruning or planting after completing larger jobs involving tree removal or maintenance. If any of these services apply to the consumer's project, you may wish to list them here so they can choose whether or not they would like you to perform those services at an additional cost. Additionally, some companies charge
3) The Performance Window
In addition to a detailed description of the work being done, your contract should include an estimated start and finish date, as well as a list of what needs to get done. Your contract should include a time frame for the work being done, this will give the customer a clear idea of when your crews can arrive. If unexpected circumstances arise that cause your crews to run into some problems, you can rest easy knowing that there is a performance window in place.
4) The Price and How it's Calculated
Your contract should clearly define which costs are included in the total bill presented to the customer. These usually include equipment rental, materials used for the job, or travel time if those expenses apply towards completing this particular task. Then state how the total price is determined. For example, we use a liability-adjusted, net-daily formula in our tree service pricing calculator, the Margin Multiplier. This way we can calculate our prices instantly and we always know what our profit margins are.
5) Rock Solid Tree Service Industry Specific Terms And Conditions
Tree service contracts often include specific terms and conditions for the arborist to perform work on their property. These terms and conditions should be industry standard and written with everything we know about tree care in mind. Things your tree service contracts should include are; performance, workmanship, insurance, ownership of trees, scheduling/cancellation fee, safety, pet waste, tree decline or failure, rates and settlements and terms of payment.
In Conclusion
The bottom line is, make sure your tree service contract has everything they need to know about the project before they sign on the dotted line. This way you can avoid any future surprises and you can rest easy knowing that everything is clear cut between your company and the consumer.
There you have it - five things that should always be included in a tree service contract. By knowing what to expect, you can avoid any unpleasant surprises down the road. And if drafting contracts isn't your thing, no problem! Check out our template contracts to save endless hours drafting your own or hundreds of dollars hiring a lawyer! These templates include all the essential information needed to protect both you, the arborist, and your clients so they can relax knowing everything is taken care of.
Been doing tree work for almost 38 years. Never have used contracts, and have given very few written estimates. If customer appears sketchy, I charge a down payment.
Pet waste is a good one.
I usually verbally express that when giving the estimate but I'll go ahead and include that.
1. Raking
2. Stamp grinding
3. Performance window
4. Price
5. Trend and conditions
Homeowner pays for all the beer n weed
Awesome information
Thanks!
It's nicer to just shake hands with people and talk.
Awesome! Thanks
Is this Redbeard saws as well?
It’s not.
Yup
So do you have terms and conditions on your website?
Hi, you did not mention what certifications that you have.
not every customer is going to ask for that
❤
My tree guy screwed me over. I clearly told their estimator that I wanted an old Ash tree "cut down and chopped up" but not hauled away. He sent me an email saying "$450 to Fell tree", so they send a 4 man crew over, fell the tree in ten minutes, then I'm asking why they're not cutting it up. They say that's all the contract says. And I'm about to lose it, and tell them that's not what I agreed too. They get on the phone and he talks to someone and says for an extra $200 they'll chop it up. I have to choice but to say "yes". I realize now, no one brings a crew of 4 guys for a ten minute job, if it was really just a "fell". Wish I had seen this earlier.
Well…you don’t really know how things work for a tree service crew even though you are pretty “sure” in your assumptions. It would not be at all uncommon for a 4 man crew to show up for an easy, quick job…it’s not the only thing they’re going to do for the day, they’re probably just squeezing it in between their bigger jobs of the day…they’re not going to split up when your job is just a quick stop on their way to or from a bigger job. It sounds like there was a big miscommunication between you and the estimator…without knowing any details, it is a lesson learned to get things in writing. As someone who’s been on a tree crew for 30 years, I can tell you, if an estimate (I.e. your email) says X$$$ to FELL a tree, I’m reading it as…put the tree on the ground and NOTHING else. I’ve found that oftentimes, homeowners know what they want, but use terminology that they THINK means X, but to a crew or estimator means Y. Your instructions to have the tree “cut down and chopped up” would be confusing to most crews…do you mean you want the wood bucked into firewood lengths or do you mean you want the brush chipped? Or both?! These are things that should have been made clear by both you and the estimator. Nevertheless, $650 is a pretty reasonable price to pay to have a decent sized tree dropped and diced up…whether you like it or not, you’re not just paying for time, you’re also paying for the expertise involved in not crushing your flower beds, driveway or house. And remember, if you come at the crew with an aggressive, demanding attitude, you’re gonna get it right back from them. (most crews have some pretty no-nonsense guys). So, take it down a notch…I always go that extra mile for customers who treat us like we’re fellow human beings.
@@johns3106 That's garbage. Their estimate to chop it up and clear it was 950. The work involved would have been much more difficult. I never used the word "fell the tree". I'm thinking sending an "estimator" out is a way to cover their butts in exactly a situation like this. They also should have clearly began explaining exactly what they were going to do upon arrival. If there was a problem, I could have said, "No, that's not what we agreed on". They're a very large tree company, around for a decade. BTW, the "chopping up" I paid an extra $200 for, was over in 16 minutes. Still huge parts of the trunk left. The whole thing started because a buddy of mine wanted the wood, he said it beforehand, for his large wood boiler. Thank God he came by with a 26 inch chainsaw and took it away.
@@Blackdog4818 What I’m saying is that the red flag for YOU should have been when you got their email that said it would be “$450 to fell tree”. Right there was your cue to say, “Wait a minute…this estimate doesn’t seem to say exactly what I want done. Maybe I need to get ahold of them and clear this up!” You’d be surprised at how various terms can mean very different things to a tree crew than they do to you…for instance, to many crews, the term “removal” might only mean that they are getting the entire tree on the ground rather than pruning it…there are LOTS of variables as to what the crew is supposed to do with a “removal” once it is on the ground…taking ALL material off site or; chipping the brush and hauling chips away but leaving the big wood on site or; leaving the wood on site but bucking it into firewood or; just leaving everything as it fell because the homeowner wants to do ALL cleanup on their own. We see all of these scenarios all the time…just like you wouldn’t tell a house painter, “Just paint my house blue” (you’d want to make sure the painter knew just which blue you wanted), you want to make sure you are very clear to the tree crew about exactly what you want the job to look like when they are done. That being said, there are some shady tree services out there, but it sounds like, in your case, there was a lack of clear communication between homeowner and estimator.
I was very clear...to the estimator. He wasn't there. That's probably #1 on the problems list. Again, when I call a paint crew, I probably have a color picked out. If they came and painted the house in stripes, instead of one color, and told me I was going to have to pay $200 to fix it, I'd be angry. That's essentially what happened.
That's on you. Take some responsibility. When the estimate was not what you asked for you should have called and asked for clarification or to have them add "chop logs into firewood length and cut branches off trunk." Or cut up tree. Also those same four guys probably have to go to another job or two that day. Those guys have an hourly cost and only have so many hours in a day to be profitable for the company. They can't send one guy to you in a truck and leave the other three sitting at the shop and charge you less.
and a red card 😉
First
Animal waste? Lol