How to hire a landscaper that the strata corporation will be happy with!

Do you want to fire your strata landscaper? If so, then welcome to the club!

As a Vancouver property management company, we hear more complaints about the landscaping company than any other contractors. It’s not uncommon for a strata corporation to go through a new landscaping company every year or two.

What can be done about this turnover of strata landscaping companies?

Although there is no simple, one-size-fits-all solution to this common property management issue, here are a couple of things that we recommend strata council’s try in order to harvest a more fruitful relationship with your landscaping contractor.

1. Expectation management. Like most things in life, managing expectations is the key to satisfaction. Exactly what is expected of each party? Nailing down the details in a well drafted agreement will go a long way to ensuring that both parties are happy.
2. Create a landscaping committee. Strata Council’s that have one or two appointed members in charge of landscaping tend to do a much better job of managing their landscaping contractor. Delegating this task to the strata manager usually doesn’t work too well as the strata manager isn’t onsite, overseeing their work on a daily basis. Designate one or two people who live on site to communicate directly with the landscaping company, and things will generally go much more smoothly!
3. Recognize the seasonal nature of the landscaping business. Landscaping is a seasonal business, and understand that your contractor very often has to re-hire every spring after slowing things down during the winter months. Help them bring new employees up to speed, and understand that this can be challenging and take some time.
4. Budget accordingly. We continually see Strata corporations under-budget for landscaping expenses. Like all things in life, you get what you pay for, and if you’re expecting the Butchart Gardens on a $300/ month budget, then prepare to be disappointed!

As you can see, there is no magic Bullet when it comes to ensuring that your strata council will be satisfied with your landscaping services, but these simple items are guaranteed to help create a more effective and productive relationship with your landscaper!

Looking for some strata management advice? Please reach out to us here to see how we can help you out!