Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Lawn Care Company

Before you hire a lawn care company in Canada, ask these questions. Are you insured, and can I see proof? Are you in good standing with your province's workers' comp board? Will the same crew come every time? How do you set the price? What's in each visit? What happens if you miss a day, or I'm not happy? How do I pause or cancel? Get every answer in writing before the first cut.

Why ask questions before you hire a lawn crew?

Lawn care looks simple. Someone shows up, cuts the grass and leaves. But the crew you pick will be in your yard every week for months.

A good crew is easy to live with. A poor one leaves you chasing texts, paying for missed visits and fixing scalped spots. The trouble usually starts with something nobody asked about up front.

A few plain questions sort that out in ten minutes. A good company answers them without fuss. If a company dodges them, that tells you something too.

Are you insured, and can I see proof?

Ask this one first. Lawn work throws things. A mower can flick a stone into a window. A trimmer can chip paint on a car or a door.

If the crew carries liability insurance, their insurer handles that kind of damage. If they don't, you may be stuck sorting it out yourself.

• Ask for proof of insurance, not just a "yes."
• Check that the name on the proof matches the business you're hiring.
• Check that the dates cover the season you're booking.

Our page on what "vetted and insured" means explains what we check before a crew can join our network.

Is the company in good standing for workers' comp?

This is the question most people skip. In some provinces, it can matter to your wallet. Workers' comp boards charge businesses premiums to cover their workers. If a contractor doesn't pay, the board may look to the customer who hired them.

Each province runs its own board, and the rules differ. Here's what three of them say.

British Columbia: WorkSafeBC

WorkSafeBC tells homeowners to get a clearance letter for each contractor. Without one, you "could be held jointly liable" for premiums the contractor didn't pay while working for you. If a sole owner does the work alone with no workers, coverage is optional for that owner.

Alberta: WCB-Alberta

WCB-Alberta says a clearance letter shows if a contractor has coverage and is in good standing. If you don't have one and the contractor hasn't paid, "you may be liable for those premiums." WCB-Alberta says to get a clearance before you hire and again before you pay.

Ontario: WSIB

In Ontario, the WSIB calls it a clearance certificate. It's free, and it lasts up to 90 days. If a home's resident hires a contractor for home repairs or renovations, a clearance isn't required. You can still check a company's clearance with the WSIB online tool. No login is needed.

In every province, the question is the same: "Are you registered, and can you show me you're in good standing?" A good crew won't mind.

Will the same crew come every visit?

Some companies send whoever is free that day. That means a new person every week who doesn't know your yard.

The same crew learns the little things. They know the gate latch sticks. They know where the garden bed starts, and which corner stays wet after rain. They know the dog stays in on Tuesdays.

Ask it plainly: "Will the same people come each time?" Then ask who you text if something goes wrong.

How do you set the price?

Ask what the price is based on. A fair price follows the work your lawn needs. The main things that change it:

• The size of your lawn, front, back and boulevard
• How often you want it cut
• Slopes, hills and tight side yards
• Gates, fences, beds and trees to work around
• Hedge length and height, if you add hedge trimming
• Leaf volume and haul away, for cleanups

Also ask if the price is fixed for the season. And ask what could make it change. A surprise extra charge in August is a bad sign.

We measure each lawn from satellite images, so nobody has to visit. You get your price by text within 60 minutes, from 7am to 8pm. Here's how the 60-minute satellite price works.

What exactly is in each visit?

"Lawn care" means different things to different companies. Ask for a list. A full mowing visit usually covers:

• Mowing the whole lawn, front and back
• Trimming along fences, posts and beds
• Edging along the driveway and walks
• Blowing clippings off the drive, walks and steps

If a company only mows, the edges grow shaggy fast. Trimming and edging is what makes a cut lawn look finished. Ask if it's part of every visit or an add on.

Ask what they don't do, too. Our partner crews don't spray weeds or pests, and we don't give spray advice. If you want that, you'll need a separate licensed company.

What happens if you miss a visit or it rains?

Every company misses a day now and then. What matters is what happens next. Ask:

• How will I find out if you're running late?
• What happens to my visit if it rains?
• If you just don't show up, do I still pay?

With Golden Oak, rain moves your visit to the next dry day, and we text you. If your crew misses your scheduled window for any other reason, that cut is free. That's our On-Time Guarantee.

How will I know the job was done right?

If you're at work all day, how do you know the crew came? Ask if they send proof.

A photo after each visit is simple. It shows the job was done and what it looked like when the crew left. If something looks off, you have a record to point to.

Then ask the follow up: "If I'm not happy, what will you do?" Some companies just say sorry. Ask for a real answer. With our Love-It Guarantee, you text us a photo within 24 hours. Your crew re-cuts it free within 48 hours.

How do payment, pausing and cancelling work?

Ask these before you sign anything:

• Do I pay per visit, per month or for the season?
• Can I pause for a vacation? How?
• Can I cancel? What happens to money I've already paid?
• Is there a contract, and how long does it run?

Get the answers in writing, even if it's just a text or email. "We'll sort it out later" doesn't help when you move in July.

Here's how we do it. The season is paid up front. You pause for vacations by text. If you cancel, we refund half of your unused visits. Book the Worry-Free Lawn Season and your first cut is free.

What are the red flags when hiring lawn care?

Walk away, or at least slow down, if you see these:

• No proof of insurance, or "it's coming"
• No answer about workers' comp standing
• A price given before they know your lawn size
• Nothing in writing about what each visit includes
• No plan for missed visits or poor cuts
• A different crew every time, with no one to contact

Can someone else do the checking for you?

Yes. Golden Oak Lawn Care matches you with a vetted, insured local partner crew. They do the work. We stand behind it with the Golden Oak Guarantee. Each crew shows proof of insurance and is background-checked before it joins. See how it works, step by step.

Your crew can handle lawn mowing, trimming and edging, hedge trimming and spring and fall cleanup.

Want it handled? Get your price in 60 minutes, or call 1-866-904-LAWN.

Hiring Lawn Care Questions

Rules change, so check with your province's board before you hire. Sources: WorkSafeBC: homeowners, WCB-Alberta: clearance letters, WSIB: questions and answers on clearances.