What's Included in an HOA Landscaping Contract in Chicagoland?

If you manage an HOA board, you know that hiring a landscaping company is about more than finding someone to mow the grass regularly.

To properly run an HOA community, the landscape team you partner with needs a clear understanding of what their duties and responsibilities are – not just a checklist to follow every two weeks when they visit.

What makes the difference? A well-written HOA landscaping contract that both parties agree to and adhere to.

This type of contract should make it crystal clear what services the community is receiving, how often those services will be performed, what is included in the price, and which services may cost extra.

Being that specific – and that clear – from the start matters.

If you’ve ever tried comparing landscaping proposals, you know that two (or even three) companies can appear to offer similar services – but somehow, they all actually provide very different levels of care.

One proposal may include seasonal color, bed maintenance, and detailed plant health care. The other may charge separately for some (or all) of those services.

Understanding what's typically included in an HOA landscape maintenance contract makes it easier to compare proposals fairly, and helps boards avoid costly surprises that could pop up later on.

For communities in Chicagoland, there's another important consideration to keep on the table: landscaping needs change dramatically throughout the year with the seasons.

A contract should account for the seasonal nature of local landscapes, from spring cleanup and summer maintenance to fall preparation and winter-related concerns.

If you’re wondering what HOA boards and property managers should look for in a landscaping contract, you’re in the right place.

What Exactly Is an HOA Landscaping Contract?

An HOA landscaping contract is a binding agreement between a homeowners association (HOA) and a landscaping company that clearly articulates the ongoing, consistent services the company will provide for the community – including an outline of their duties, communication requirements, and expected frequency.

The exact scope, of course, varies depending on the property and the needs of that community.

For example, a small townhome community may need basic turf and landscape bed maintenance regularly, while a larger Chicagoland HOA may have multiple entrances, common areas, trees, irrigation systems, detention areas, playgrounds, walking paths, and extensive turf.

A good contract should account for those differences and never have blanket statements or just be a general template.

At a minimum, the agreement should make it easy to answer questions like these:

• What areas of the property are included?
• Which services will be performed?
• How frequently will crews visit?
• What seasonal services are included?
• Are plant health care services included?
• Who handles irrigation?
• Are landscape enhancements included or billed separately?
• What happens when weather affects the maintenance schedule?
• How are additional services approved?
• Who should the HOA contact with questions or concerns?

The more clearly these details are defined, the less room there is for confusion and the more complete your contract is.

What's Typically Included in an HOA Landscaping Contract?

It’s important to acknowledge that because every property is different, every contract will be different, too. Still, most Chicagoland HOA landscaping services involve several core categories and cover some of the basics.

Turf and Lawn Maintenance

For many communities, turf maintenance represents a significant portion of the recurring landscaping scope and requires the most consistent care.

Depending on the contract, lawn services could include things like:

• Regular mowing
• String trimming around landscape features
• Edging along sidewalks and curbs
• Blowing grass clippings from hard surfaces
• Weed control
• Fertilization
• Turf treatments
• Seasonal lawn care
• Monitoring for turf problems

The most important thing about turf maintenance is to make sure you look beyond the word mowing and inquire about what this really means.

Two proposals may both say they include lawn maintenance, but one may include fertilization and weed control while the other doesn't. The contract should always spell out the actual scope and make sure nothing is left ambiguous.

Landscape Bed Maintenance

Landscape beds can quickly make what would have been an attractive HOA seem neglected if they're not maintained properly and consistently.

It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but typical bed maintenance may include:

• Weed removal
• Cultivation
• Edging
• Debris removal
• Pruning of appropriate plant material
• Mulch maintenance
• Monitoring for declining plants
• General bed cleanup

For HOA boards, it's also important to ask how often these services are performed.

A contract that just says "bed maintenance" doesn't tell you whether the beds are being serviced weekly, monthly, seasonally, or only when needed. Clear expectations of the type of care and frequency are important

Shrub and Tree Care

Trees and shrubs are long-term investments in a community's landscape – that means they require ongoing attention from your landscaping partner.

An HOA landscape maintenance contract may include routine shrub pruning and basic tree care, but the exact scope can vary considerably.

Boards should determine and solidify whether the contract addresses:

• Shrub pruning
• Ornamental tree pruning
• Tree inspections
• Removal of dead or hazardous branches
• Plant health monitoring
• Seasonal pruning
• Storm-related cleanup
• Tree removal
• Stump removal

As a note, major tree work is usually handled separately from routine maintenance, particularly when specialized equipment or certified arborist services are required. This isn’t always the case, but it’s definitely something to clearly identify in the contract so both parties know what’s expected.

Seasonal Cleanup

Seasonal work is of particular importance here in Chicagoland because (as you know) the landscape changes quite significantly throughout the year.

A strong HOA landscaping contract should identify what happens during each major season and provide you with a clear schedule for each.

• Spring: Spring cleanup may include removing winter debris, cutting back appropriate perennial material, cleaning beds, and preparing the landscape for the growing season.
• Summer: Maintenance shifts toward regular mowing, pruning, weed control, plant health, irrigation monitoring, and keeping common areas looking their best during peak use.
• Fall: Leaf removal, seasonal pruning, bed cleanup, and preparing plants and turf for winter may become priorities.
• Winter: Depending on the agreement, winter services may involve monitoring or addressing specific landscape concerns, while snow and ice management may be covered under a separate contract.

Because Chicagoland weather can be unpredictable (depending on the winter, that could be an understatement), boards should ask how weather-related delays or unusually heavy seasonal conditions are handled.

Plant Health Care

Plant health care is another area where HOA landscaping contracts can widely differ.

Basic landscape maintenance keeps plants looking neat while plant health care focuses on helping plants stay healthy – and identifying problems before they become larger issues.

Depending on your particular plant health scope, this may include monitoring for:

• Insect activity
• Plant diseases
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Environmental stress
• Declining shrubs or trees
• Turf diseases
• Other signs of plant health problems

Boards should ask whether plant health care is part of the regular contract or an additional service. If treatments are recommended by your landscape partner, the contract or service process should also explain how the HOA is notified and how additional work is approved.

Irrigation Services

This is a major point of contention in contracts. If an HOA has an irrigation system, irrigation should be addressed clearly in the landscaping agreement.

Possible services that migh be included could be things like:

• Seasonal system startup
• Irrigation inspections
• Adjusting sprinkler heads
• Programming controllers
• Monitoring irrigation performance
• Identifying leaks or damaged components
• Seasonal shutdown

That being said, irrigation maintenance does not necessarily mean irrigation repairs are included in your contract. Replacement heads, valves, controllers, wiring, and other parts may be billed separately.

This is a great example of why boards should look closely at the details of an HOA landscape maintenance contract and communicate clearly with their proposed partners to make sure they fully understand it.

Seasonal Plantings and Enhancements

Seasonal flowers and landscape enhancements can have a huge impact on curb appeal, particularly around HOA entrances and community gathering spaces (which matters from an aesthetic and functional standpoint).

It’s important to remember that these kinds of services are not automatically included in every maintenance contract.

If your contract includes seasonal planting language, make sure you ask whether the proposal includes:

• Annual flowers
• Seasonal color rotations
• Bulb planting
• Decorative containers
• Mulch installation
• New shrubs or perennials
• Plant replacements
• Bed renovations
• Landscape design
• Other enhancement projects

These items are often treated as additional landscape improvements rather than recurring maintenance. While that’s perfectly normal, it matters whether or not you know the difference before the contract is signed.

Communication and Property Management

One of the most overlooked parts of a landscaping contract has almost nothing to do with the specific services being provided. Communication is a huge gap for many clients and landscaping partners.

As an HOA board member or property manager, you know how crucial this component is.

Your chosen landscaping company should have a clear process for reporting concerns, making recommendations, handling service requests, and communicating about larger landscape issues.

A strong partnership should include communication elements like:

• A designated point of contact
• Routine property inspections
• Service updates
• Recommendations for landscape improvements
• Documentation of significant issues
• Clear approval processes for additional work
• Regular communication with the property manager or board

Having these things (or some of them, anyway) becomes particularly valuable when the landscape needs something beyond routine maintenance or when your board has questions about scope.

What Might Not Be Included in an HOA Landscaping Contract?

Just as many contracts have differing included services, they also all exclude different offers, too. Importantly, this is where HOA boards can run into trouble when comparing proposals.

Certain services are frequently handled separately from routine maintenance.

These could include service and add-ons like:

• Major tree removal
• Large-scale tree pruning
• Stump grinding
• Irrigation repairs or replacement
• New landscape installation
• Major bed renovations
• Significant drainage improvements
• Storm cleanup
• Replacement of extensive areas of turf
• Large-scale plant replacement
• Landscape design
• Seasonal enhancements
• Snow and ice management

These services aren't necessarily supposed to be included in the base contract, but the important question is whether or not the contract makes that clear because a proposal that appears less expensive may simply have a narrower scope.

A Guide on How to Compare HOA Landscaping Proposals

If your board is reviewing multiple landscaping companies, the best advice we can give you is to not just look at the bottom-line price alone. We all like to save a dollar where we can – especially when it comes to the scope of your HOA community – but having a better, more complete scope of service is more important.

If you have multiple contracts and proposals to consider and aren’t sure how to choose your commercial landscape partner, start by putting each proposal side by side and looking at these elements for comparison:

Service Frequency

How often will crews visit? Are certain services performed weekly, biweekly, monthly, or seasonally?

Area Coverage

Does the contract cover the entire property, or are certain entrances, common areas, drainage areas, or outlying sections excluded?

Seasonal Services

Does the contract include spring and fall cleanups? What happens during the growing season? How are seasonal conditions addressed?

Plant and Turf Care

Are fertilization, weed control, pruning, and plant health services included? What does “turf care” mean beyond mowing regularly?

Irrigation

Is irrigation inspection included? What happens when repairs are needed? Will the scope cover any repairs to existing irrigation systems or are you required to change your system to work with this provider?

Communication

Who does the HOA contact when there is an issue? Does the landscaping company conduct regular property inspections? Is there a specific point of contact you can rely on and build a relationship with?

Additional Charges and Extra Services

Which services are included in the base price, and which require separate approval? Are you entitled to a discount for additional services because of your existing contract?

HOA Landscaping Contract FAQs

What is included in an HOA landscaping contract?

It completely depends on your property, needs, goals, and the provider themselves. Most HOA landscaping contracts include recurring services such as lawn mowing, trimming, edging, landscape bed maintenance, pruning, weed control, and seasonal cleanup. The exact scope varies by property, so boards should review the contract carefully to understand what is included.

How much does HOA landscaping cost in Chicagoland?

The cost of HOA landscaping varies based on property size, acreage, number of homes or common areas, landscape complexity, service frequency, plant material, irrigation, and the services included in the contract. Remember, it’s not just about the price – it’s about the scope of service, quality of partnership, and commitment to communication.

Does an HOA landscaping contract include tree removal?

Again, it totally depends – but usually, not necessarily. Routine pruning or basic tree care may be included, but major tree removal, stump grinding, or specialized tree work is often priced separately. The contract should clearly identify what’s included.

Is snow removal included in an HOA landscaping contract?

Not always, but in Chicagoland, this should be a major consideration. Snow and ice management may be included in a broader property services agreement or handled through a separate contract. HOA boards should confirm exactly what winter services are included.

Can an HOA change its landscaping contract after signing?

Contract changes depend on the terms of the agreement. If additional services or landscape improvements are needed, the landscaping company and HOA can typically discuss the proposed work, pricing, and approval process. The original contract (one worth its salt, especially) should explain how changes and additional services are handled.

A Clear Contract Means a Better Landscaping Partnership – We Can Help With That

An HOA landscaping contract should establish price, scope, and, importantly, expectations.

For HOA boards or property managers, that means knowing exactly what association funds are paying for and having a clear understanding of what happens when the property needs something outside the routine maintenance scope.

We believe Chicagoland communities benefit from a proactive approach to landscape management. That means understanding a property's needs, communicating clearly about the work being performed, and helping boards and property managers identify the best opportunities to protect and improve their landscape investment.

Looking for a partner like that? Reach out to our team to schedule your free consultation and learn more about our HOA landscaping services.