Red Flags To Look For When Hiring A Landscaper

Hiring a landscaper is a big decision, as they can help transform your yard into a beautiful oasis on your property. However, it also requires a lot of trust between both parties involved, and choosing the right landscaper is harder than it may seem. Avoiding hiring a bad landscaper is much easier if you know which common red flags to look for. 

Red flags like verbal contracts and negative online reviews can tell you a landscaper isn’t worth your time and money. A lack of an online presence can also raise a red flag, especially if they have no photos of past landscaping jobs. Never hire a landscaper who asks you to pay the whole cost upfront before doing any work. 

Similarly, pushy landscapers who want to get as much money out of you as possible are also possibly sketchy. Always ask for a cost estimate and a written contract to know what you’re getting into. Follow along as we highlight eight big red flags to look for when hiring a landscaper. 

Eight Signs A Landscaper Is Shady

There are countless amazing landscapers out there, but there as just as many shady ones, too. You can avoid giving them a dime if you know which red flags to look for, such as:

1. They Ask For Full Payment Upfront

Paying a landscaper an upfront deposit is normal. However, a landscaper should never ask a customer to pay the full price of the job up front. Not only is that a bad business practice, but it’s almost unheard of in the landscaping industry. 

That’s especially true if they are pushy about it and won’t take no for an answer. You should hang up the phone and look into another landscaper right away. Otherwise, you can simply decline the upfront payment and see where the conversation goes from there. 

However, it’s better to be safe than sorry and get a quote from another landscaper. Your interactions won’t likely get any better if begins with unreasonable requests. 

2. No Cost Estimate

Never let a landscaper work on your yard if they don't first offer a cost estimate. Reputable landscapers give customers cost estimates based on experience. The cost estimate can give you an idea of how much you’ll spend, and it typically coincides with a timeline. 

A landscaper refusing to give a cost estimate can raise a big red flag. Keep in mind that the landscaper may want to visit your home and look at your yard or take measurements before giving a quote. That is normal, but refusing to give a cost estimate after that is unusual. 

Politely ask the landscaper for a cost estimate to help you decide whether you want to pursue other options or not. If they refuse, then it’s time to move on. 

3. Poor Reviews 

Online reviews can tell you a lot about a landscaper and the quality of their work. That’s why you must always search for landscapers and landscaping companies on Google. Reputable landscapers and companies typically have Google Business profiles, which include reviews. 

Pay attention not only to the ratings, but what past customers say about their experiences. You can find valuable information regarding work ethic, performance, communication skills, and how quickly the landscaper works. It’s also worth checking the Better Business Bureau to see if you can find any information about the landscaping company. 

Keep in mind that a single online review cannot paint a complete picture of what to expect from a landscaper. Read several reviews to see what the consensus is. Word of mouth reviews are just as important. 

4. No Online Presence

Today, you’ll be hard pressed to find a landscaping company and other businesses without any online presence. A lack of an online presence is a red flag in some cases. However, you must consider that some people and businesses simply don’t care about having a website or social media account. 

In that case, you shouldn’t consider a lack of online presence to be a deal breaker. Instead, keep that in mind when you communicate with the landscaper. If everything else raises a red flag, then the lack of an online presence may be the final nail in the coffin. 

5. No Official Contract

Verbal contracts and “handshake deals” may sound friendly, but are a recipe for disaster. That’s especially true when it comes to landscaping, as it’s expensive and can affect your home’s property value. Good, trustworthy landscapers offer contracts to their clients before they start work. 

An ironclad contract can at least tell you the landscaper takes their job seriously. A contract can also help establish trust between the landscaper and the client. Never trust landscapers who refuse to offer a written contract. 

Having a verbal agreement is like shooting yourself in the foot. Doing so won’t protect you if something goes wrong and they don’t uphold their end of the agreement. After all, you can’t prove that they didn’t uphold the agreement if there’s no tangible evidence. 

6. They Can’t Show You A Design

Are you looking to redesign your yard or garden? If so, then that’s a big undertaking that requires a lot of trust, as it can impact your home's value. Reputable landscapers can typically provide a design or concept art to show you what to expect. 

Failure to provide a design is a big red flag that should make you think twice about hiring them. Some landscapers don’t necessarily draw plans and show them to customers. However, they should at least walk you through the concept and even provide examples. If not, then you can’t necessarily trust the landscaper to do what you’re paying good money for. 

7. Pushy Communication

Nobody wants to deal with a landscaper who bullies them into spending more money. A reasonable landscaper knows that their customers are in charge of what they want, although they may offer add-ons and tell you what they’re capable of.

However, they shouldn’t pressure you into spending more money than you want to. If you say “no”, it should end there. Some people don’t understand that and continually pressure their customers to the point of making them uncomfortable. 

Not only is this behavior rude, but it’s also enough to make many people decide to choose another landscaper. It’s not worth working with anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable by pressuring you to spend money unnecessarily. You can probably find online reviews where others talk about having similar experiences. 

8. They Can’t Provide Examples

Landscapers often keep a portfolio of past jobs they’ve done for other customers. This helps them earn new customers who want to see what they’re capable of. It’s hard to trust a landscaper who can’t provide examples of past work. 

Of course, new landscapers most likely don’t have reference photos of past jobs, as they’re new to the trade. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re incapable of doing a great job. However, you’ll have to go out on a limb to trust them if you don’t know what kind of work they’ve done in the past. 

Summing It Up

Unreasonable requests, such as asking for a full upfront payment, can raise several red flags when hiring a landscaper. Poor online reviews and a lack of an online presence can also tell you something is wrong with the landscaper you’re talking to. That’s especially true if they’re pushy and cannot provide design samples and photos of past landscaping jobs. 

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