Better View Landscapes shall carry out and complete landscape work described in the contract document in a good and professional manner and shall have no obligation to execute any further work unless otherwise agreed in writing between the parties. If there shall be any discrepancy between any specification or drawing, the description contained in the specification shall prevail over the drawing.

The contract documents shall contain the estimate and any specification plans or any other document referred to in the estimate. No qualification in any acceptance issued by the Client shall form part of the contract unless specifically agreed to in writing by Better View Landscapes.

The Client is responsible for obtaining any necessary planning permission for the work and fulfilling statutory requirements.

All recurring services (further defined below) auto-renew annually unless ended by either the Client or Better View Landscapes in writing.

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Due to availability and quality, substitutions may be made in the field and is left to Better View Landscapes’ discretion. When plantings are substituted they will be replaced with the same plant but the cultivar may change.

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Due to availability and quality, substitutions may be made in the field and is left to Better View Landscapes’ discretion. When plantings are substituted they will be replaced with the same plant but the cultivar may change.

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Approval of the estimate involves acceptance of these terms and conditions, and those specific to the contract documents. This represents a binding contract between the parties. It should be noted by the Client that any attempt to cancel by the Client may involve the Client being liable to a cancellation fee and any loss or expenses incurred as a result at the discretion of Better View Landscapes.

Change Orders

Better View Landscapes also reserves the right to increase the value of the contract due to changes in scope, design, or materials by the Client after the execution of the contract and may result in change order fees.

If a change in pricing is necessary, a change order form will be submitted by Better View Landscapes to the Client for approval, before any work relating to the alteration takes place. The approved amount will be added to the final billing and be subject to the payment policy.

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We require a valid credit card on file to schedule all recurring and maintenance services, and all payments are due upon receipt unless another arrangement has been made in writing.

Our billing cycle is Monday thru Sunday.

The Monday following completed service, the Client will receive an invoice via email. The Client agrees to review the invoice upon receipt and contact our office with any questions.

Wednesday, we conveniently charge the credit card on file, and the Client will receive a transaction receipt via email from Clearant, confirming the charge.

Services will be paused for accounts without a valid credit card on file, or for accounts with outstanding balances over 7 days.

The Client agrees to pay a 10% service charge for all balances over 30 days.

Construction, Irrigation, and Landscape Installation Projects

Construction, Irrigation, and Landscape Installation projects over $1000.00 may be paid by check according to the payment schedule detailed in the specific project contract.

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Better View Landscapes will contact Dig Safe to ensure utility lines are marked on the site, where applicable. The Client warrants the site is free of any other underground problems including pipes, cables, invisible fences, stumps, sewage drains, and waste materials. Where problems are found underground the Contractor shall be entitled to charge for additional work necessary and properly executed by the contractor to complete the work.

The contractor shall be free from any liabilities (including structural or accidental) when using machinery, except for accidents caused by its improper use.

Any material, refuse or debris required to be removed from the site to execute the contract, not in the estimate, may be billed for hauling and dumping.

Better View Landscapes shall have the right to access the site for the purposes of taking photos in relation to the work, both prior to and after completion of the work, and shall have and retain all copyright in said photographs which may be used by Better View Landscapes at its sole discretion in reference and promotional materials, portfolios, and/or publications.

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Materials delivered to the site become the responsibility of the Client. The contractor accepts no responsibility for loss, damage, or expense after the delivery of materials to the site for any reason.

Any material brought to, or removed from the site, excess to the contractor’s requirements remains the property of and removable by the contractor who shall have the right to enter the site for that purpose.

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Better View Landscapes undertakes to use all reasonable endeavors to complete the work within a reasonable time or by a specific date if agreed. Under no circumstances shall Better View Landscapes incur any liability to the Client for any untimely performance.

Better View Landscapes shall not be held responsible for any delays caused by weather that make contract execution impossible.

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The contractor has no responsibility, or liability for structural considerations, the appearance of finish features, or overall management of works where an outside party has provided advice, drawings, or supervision unless agreed in writing prior to the start of the contract. It is the responsibility of the agent to bring these terms of business to the attention of the Client.

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The Contractor accepts no liability for any negligent act, omission, or any default under this contract unless specifically agreed in writing. We guarantee our work and will return to make it right. Our guarantee does not cover neglect on the Client’s part, Acts of God (including weather), or other events outside of the contractor’s control.

Warranties take effect from the date Better View Landscapes submits the invoice for final payment, provided the Client has paid in full for all work performed under this agreement.

Plant Material

Trees, shrubs, perennials, and vines are covered for 365 days unless otherwise specified. Where plants die, a 1-time replacement will be made with plants of the original size and quality as it was first installed at no cost to the owner. Transplanted plants from the site carry no guarantee, though every precaution will be made to assure their survival.

Annuals will be guaranteed for a period of 24 hours from installation to be healthy and vigorous. Better View Landscapes will water annual plantings one time at initial planting but is not responsible for maintaining and watering beyond the first 24 hour period. Any bed improvements or soil amendments will be charged in addition to the cost of plant material and installation.

The guarantee does not apply where plants die due to chemicals, animal damage, vandalism, fire, inadequate watering, overwatering, storms, hail, drought, insects, exceptional or untimely freeze, or other Acts of God, or by any other contingency beyond our control. Delinquent payment voids this guarantee.

Seeding/Hydroseeding

This will be done so that complete soil coverage is achieved. Dry seed and hydroseed success depend heavily upon irrigation and Better View Landscapes can not be held responsible for conditions that wash away or prevent seed germination after the coverage is applied. Reapplication will be charged additionally. Post-care instructions are provided to the Client.

Hardscape Installation

The warranty period begins from the date of completed construction for a period of 2 years. All material is guaranteed to be as specified in the contract. The warranty covers broken or cracked pavers that are damaged during installation. The warranty covers loose pavers, loose edge restraints, and settlement of pavers in excess of 3/8” compared to adjacent pavers, walls, or stair treads.
The guarantee covers the entire interlocking paver system, except projects that experience any of the following during the TWO year warranty period:
(A) Warranty does not cover naturally occurring efflorescence of pavers, stains, or any damage due to uncontrollable circumstances.
(B) Warranty is void if changes or alterations are made to the paver system. Warranty is void if new excavation, digging, or soil removal occurs within one foot of the finished paver system.
(C) Warranty is void if high-pressure water is used to clean the surface or joint lines of the pavers.
(D) Tree roots from existing trees can damage the interlocking paver system. We do not offer a warranty to protect the paver system from damage caused by existing tree roots.
(E) Late Payment: all final payments are due UPON completion of work. Late payments for projects will result in the termination of the warranty.
(F) Warranty does not cover damage caused by chemicals, animal damage, vandalism, fire, storms, hail, insects, or other acts of God, or by any other contingency beyond our control.

If a warranty claim is made, it must be submitted within the TWO year warranty period.

Requested repairs are made by Better View Landscapes, or one of our approved sub-contractors and the costs for the repairs are covered by us. If you wish to have another company complete the repairs, we do not compensate you or others for the repair, and the warranty is void.
The material color will be matched as close as possible if a repair is made. Some variation in color may occur.
Our warranty is transferable. In the event you sell your home or business within the warranty period, our warranty is transferable. Better View Landscapes only requires that to maintain the warranty, you must have any repairs completed by our trained technicians. A copy of the original contract is required.

Repairs & Damages

We are very careful when we service your property, but if a covered incident does occur, we will repair the damage.

Contact us immediately, no later than 24 hours after the service when damage occurred. If you have a covered claim, the submission of sufficient evidence is required: receipt for the item and photos of the damage. We may require a review of the item to evaluate the damage.

Any damage to turf areas due to machinery or equipment used by the Contractor to complete the work, will be repaired through seeding or hydroseeding. Turf repairs by sod will be an additional cost to the Client. Plants damaged will be pruned accordingly or replaced with a reasonable and available size matching removed plant.​

Items Left on Lawn

We are not responsible for damage to items left on the lawn. The teams do their best to avoid running over hoses, toys, newspapers, dog bones, etc. However, these items are sometimes difficult to see, so, please, take a moment and collect all objects on the lawn before the service team arrives.

We will not move items such as trampolines, swings, lawn furniture, kiddie pools, etc. We will not trim or mow directly around these items to avoid damaging them.

Covered Damages

Covered damages that occur during the performance of our services: shall be the sole responsibility of Better View Landscapes. All approved repairs will be made by the Contractor or our approved subcontractors; repairs made by others will not be our financial responsibility.

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Office Hours

Our office is open from 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday.

Please make all communications, changes to service, or complaints through the office and not the service team in the field. There is a possibility that your team leader may forget, be off the next day, or misunderstand the information. Contacting the office directly allows us to ensure that your changes or needs are noted correctly in your client file and are placed on job notes, and it is the only approved way for a change to service or to add additional services. The team is authorized to perform only the work listed on their work order for the day, additional work requires authorization and approval from the office before proceeding.

E-Mail: yourfriends@betterviewlandscaping.com

Electronic notification is monitored during office hours. We prefer to use e-mail, because your message gets to us even when we are out of the office, and we can respond sooner regarding schedule changes and special service instructions. However, we’re still happy to hear from you by phone too!

Telephone: 413-256-3260

Calls are answered live and our voicemail boxes are monitored frequently during office hours. We will do our best to return your call by the end of the day if you call before 3pm Monday through Friday.

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Holidays

Schedules may be moved forward or back due to a weekday holiday.

Accessibility

Once the service team arrives we begin our systematic approach to servicing your property. To provide timely, efficient, and dependable service we do not call or knock on the door if a yard is inaccessible. Our team will note the reason why an area was not serviced. We do not offer credits or redo’s for missed areas due to inaccessible yards. If a trip is made and we are unable to service any areas the regular service fee will be charged. If you request a return trip the regular service fee applies and service is rescheduled when we are in the area.

Inaccessible Yards include but are not limited to locked gates; broken gates; ongoing projects; moving vans; too many parked cars; pets outside; outdoor parties; irrigation running; construction material or workman in a yard.

Locked Gates

Our service teams are careful about locking and closing gates, if security is a concern, please make a quick check of the gate and lock for closure after our service to ensure the gate is secured and please contact us if you find the gate/lock open, we will remind the service team to lock every time! However, we cannot guarantee a gate will latch and the lock is in place. You accept our service with these terms. If you have a combination lock let us know and we’ll keep the number on file.

Pets

Our service teams love pets; not all pets love us! We are careful about locking and closing gates, but we cannot guarantee a pet will not escape. We recommend keeping your pets inside on service day and check the gate for closure after service to ensure it is latched before releasing your valuable pets into the yard. You accept our service with these terms.

​Pet Waste

Please remove pet waste from the lawn prior to service.

Guarantee

Your satisfaction is very important to us. Maintenance services are guaranteed. If for any reason you are not satisfied with the service please, let us know within 24 hours so we can get it corrected for your next service or inspect the issue at hand. To note, we have GPS tracking devices on all Better View vehicles.

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The following terms and conditions apply to and are incorporated into the estimates unless expressly modified or excluded in writing by the Contractor, Better View Landscapes.

Service Includes

All turf areas will be mowed with blades set at a height of 2.75 – 3.5 inches throughout the mowing season, with the exception of the final fall mowing, when the lawn is cut to a height of 2.0 – 2.25 inches. This final adjustment helps reduce the risk of snow mold and other winter-related turf issues in the spring. All mower blades are kept sharp to ensure clean, healthy cuts.

Trimming will be performed around all fixed objects adjacent to turf (e.g., trees, utility boxes, light posts, landscape beds, fences). Sidewalks, asphalt paths, and concrete curbs will be neatly edged to maintain a clean, defined lawn edge. Grass clippings will be blown off all walkways, patios, curbs, and driveways.

We do not mow or trim within landscape beds or flower areas unless specified in a signed agreement. Trimming only applies to lawn-adjacent objects; weeds in gravel, driveways, or non-contiguous spaces are excluded unless otherwise noted.

Electric Lawn Mowing Policy
Electric lawn mowing is a weekly-only, auto-renewing service designed for clients who prefer a quieter, lower-emission alternative to traditional gas-powered mowing. This service is ideal for noise-sensitive properties or environmentally conscious households and follows all the same service rules and expectations outlined in our standard lawn mowing terms, including skip policies, trimming boundaries, and restorative mowing fees.

Service Parameters:

• Mowing is performed on a weekly basis only; bi-weekly or one-time service is not available for electric mowing.
• Trimming, edging, and blowing are completed using battery-powered tools wherever applicable.

Equipment Downtime & Backup Plan:
While we strive to exclusively use battery-powered equipment for this service, equipment malfunctions or breakdowns may occur. In such rare cases, Better View Landscapes reserves the right to perform your scheduled mowing using traditional fossil fuel–powered equipment to ensure your lawn is not skipped or allowed to become overgrown.

⚠️ Although this is not our preferred method, we consider it the most responsible solution to maintain turf health, uphold schedule consistency, and avoid triggering restorative mowing fees.

Clients requesting electric mowing accept that temporary substitutions may be necessary to preserve service quality and avoid disruptions.

Skipped Mows (Client-Requested)
If you need to skip a mowing, you must contact us by phone or email at least 48 hours in advance. Clients may request up to two (2) mowing skips per season at no charge. Skip requests made with less than 48 hours’ notice will be charged the full mowing rate, as crews have already been scheduled and routed based on your service.

After the second skip, any additional client-requested skips will incur a skipped mowing fee equal to ¾ of the standard mowing rate.

If the lawn exceeds 5 inches in height upon our return after a skipped week, it will be treated as a restorative mowing, and the visit will be billed per the restorative mowing guidelines to return the lawn to proper height and cut quality.

Reminder: Skip requests made after 4:00 PM on Friday for Monday mowings will not be processed. If we do not receive timely notice, mowing will occur as scheduled and be billed at the regular rate.

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Rain

If it rains at any point during the week — especially for one full day — all properties scheduled for that day are rescheduled to the following dry day (unless multiple, consecutive days of rain occur). We do NOT send teams out on Sundays. Services completed the following day after a storm come with certain challenges, especially in the spring when the grass is growing faster than we can cut it. Quality may be compromised after a rainstorm, however, we do the best we can, within reason, given the conditions.
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Restorative Lawn Mowing

When a lawn has been skipped—either at the client’s request or due to overgrowth resulting from a break in service—and the turf exceeds 5 inches in height, it requires additional time and effort to restore to a healthy, uniform mowing height. In these cases, the service will be classified as a restorative mowing and will be billed at 2–3x the standard weekly rate, depending on the time and number of passes required.

⚠️ Client-requested skips that result in excessive lawn height upon our return will automatically trigger a restorative mowing charge to bring the lawn back to its proper appearance and health.

✅ Better View Landscapes–initiated skips (i.e., when our technician determines mowing is not needed due to limited turf growth) do not incur any charges, and if the lawn is overgrown on our next visit, no restorative fees will be applied—as this was a decision made in the best interest of the lawn’s health.

This policy ensures consistent turf quality and covers the additional labor and equipment wear required to manage overgrown conditions.

Irrigation Systems

Try not to water the day of your scheduled service, as the cut may not be satisfactory. Grass blades lay over when wet and the blowoff of debris is difficult. Redo’s are not offered when the grass is wet from irrigation and/or rain.

Duration of Service

Regular mowing season is typically from the end of April through the end of October depending on growth and weather conditions. Please note that weather does affect the need for weekly or every other week service and we may change your schedule accordingly.

Cancellations

You may cancel this service at any time with 3 week’s notice (no weekend cancellations for the following Monday). Any service completed prior to cancellation will be due. Accepted ONLY through email or written notice. It is your responsibility to inform us of a cancellation.

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Service Includes

Spring Cleanup

Removing road sand from the lawn along the street, parking area, and sidewalks (up to 2ft from the edge). Blowing out leaves from garden spaces. Cleaning up any debris on lawn and garden spaces. De-thatching, blowing, and/or raking lawn surfaces. Removing leaves and debris (up to 0.25 cubic yards).*
*Driveways with excessive amounts of road sand or driveway gravel piled in lawn areas may incur an additional cleanup fee. Quote includes removal of .25 cubic yards sticks and woody material.

Fall Cleanup

Blowing and/or raking leaves from landscape beds and lawn. Cleaning leaves/debris from window wells & corners of building(s). Where applicable, clearing up to 18″ back into the natural property edge (woodland/non-maintained area). Removing leaves from the property (unless space has been provided to dump them). Finishing with standard mowing & bagging (not applicable for small/inaccessible areas). Picking up small sticks and other naturally accumulated debris (up to 1/4 of a cubic yard).

Scheduling

Spring Cleanups are scheduled during the month of March through May, depending on the weather and when the threat of significant snowfall is behind us for the season.

Fall Cleanups are scheduled during the month of November and continue into early December or until snow makes it impossible to continue.

The crews are routed for efficiency, at Better View’s discretion. Once your service is confirmed, you are “on the list”. We move through the list as quickly as possible to meet our goal of serving all clients before snow begins to stick. No service appointments for a specific time or date can be made.

The weather has a significant impact on our ability to do our work. The client agrees to this service with the understanding that wind, rain, and snow may impede our ability to successfully complete the service on a given day and that Better View Landscapes will reschedule services as needed to mitigate complications weather poses.

If you request to have your service occur at a later date in the season, your property will be moved to the end of the list. We cannot guarantee service completion after the snow begins to fly. Requests for service changes must occur in advance of the scheduled service date. Requests to reschedule or cancel once staff is onsite will incur an additional fee.

Accessibility

If your property will not be accessible on a particular date, please notify our office via email ASAP. Clients who turn away the Cleanup crew on the date of service will incur a service fee of $95.00.

Safety

To ensure the safety of our crew and others, please make sure your lawn is free of decorations, rocks, toys, and hoses, etc. Better View Landscapes is not responsible for any damage to items left in the cleanup areas or damage to other property caused by hitting said items.

Additional Services and Special Requests

Lawns must not be in excess of 4” in height. Not only is this generally unhealthy for your lawn; but also, long grass hinders our efficient cleanup operations. Lawns in excess of 4” will be charged for additional mowing.

Excessive brush (over 1/4 of a cubic yard) or piled brush will be billed separately for removal.

If any additional services (i.e. pruning of shrubs, clearing larger areas than usual lawn spaces, weed whacking, brush cutting, moving or chipping of larger fallen branches) are requested by the Client, the regular hourly work rate for that service will apply above and beyond the quoted price. This will show as a separate service line item on your invoice.

Crew members must have approval from the office to do any extra services when requested on site. Any additional services may require a separate visit or a rescheduling of your Cleanup.

Additional charges will apply for return visits after the initial Cleanup is completed.

Cancellations

Clients can cancel at any time up to 1 business day in advance of scheduled service. Once service is contracted, cancellation of service must be submitted in writing, by either email or letter. Services canceled with less than 1 business day notice will be billed a service fee of $95.00.

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Billing & Payment

Fertilizer Programs will be invoiced for the full season the Monday after the 1st application. Clients who sign up for a Fertilizer Program mid-season will have their season rate prorated to the number of applications remaining in the season.

Keep It Green: Complete

This program is completed in 5 visits between April and September.
Service Includes
Specially formulated slow-release granular fertilizer optimized for maximum healthy growth. Pre-emergent crabgrass control. Pre/post broadleaf weed control. Surface insect control as needed. Lime application. Monitoring of turf throughout the season by our lawn techs.

Keep It Green: Basic

This program is completed in 5 visits between April and September.
Service Includes
Specially formulated slow-release granular fertilizer optimized for maximum healthy growth. Lime application. Monitoring of turf throughout the season by our lawn techs.

Our lawn techs will place a small, dated sign in your lawn alerting you that the service was completed each visit. Please note that the sign may say the application contains pesticides or herbicides. This is not the case for your Basic Program. The sign is simply to notify you that the lawn has been treated.

Keep It Green: Organic

This program is completed in 4 visits between April and September.
Service Includes
Organic-based fertilizer that builds your soil over time. Lime application. Monitoring of turf throughout the season by our lawn techs

Our lawn techs will place a small, dated sign in your lawn alerting you that the service was completed each visit. Please note that the sign may say the application contains pesticides or herbicides. This is not the case for your Organic Program. The sign is simply to notify you that the lawn has been treated.

Additional Services

Note: The following add-ons do not renew season to season. To add these services for a particular year, please contact our office.

Grub Control – Add-on for Basic or Organic Programs only

This treatment controls all turf feeding and subsurface feeding insects, including ticks and fleas.

Treatment occurs between mid-May-July. Temperatures dictate when an application will be applied.

Note: this application contains insecticides.

Lawn Weed Control – Add-on for Basic or Organic Programs only

Application of herbicide to control weeds in the lawn. Note: this application contains herbicides.

Landscape Bed Weed Control

Application of selective pre-emergent weed control to landscape beds helps manage and reduce and/or eliminate hand weed removal in treated areas. The treatment acts as a barrier over the soil’s surface to inhibit weeds from sprouting. It provides control of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in landscape beds. Note: this service will assist in reducing hand weeding, but should not be relied on as the sole means of weed control.

Application is completed 2 times per season.

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Service Includes

Hand removal of larger debris in gutters(large sticks, toys, etc). Blowing leaves from eaves and low-sloped roofs. Blowing out of gutters with handheld blowers. Blowing out each downspout with a handheld blower to clear any debris.

Gutter cleaning does not include: Wiping/washing the gutter. Using water to flush gutters. Repair or maintenance of gutter. Cleaning out of buried downspouts (can be done for an additional fee). Removal of leaves and debris from the property.

Note: Better View Landscapes can only guarantee that your gutters will be completely clear on the day that we clean them. Due to the constant changes in weather and large amounts of organic debris that are in our environment, debris can enter a gutter and clog downspouts on any given day. Before and after photos are taken at the time of service.

Duration of Service

Gutter Cleaning is offered 2 times a year: Spring and Fall. Our ability to perform this service is weather-dependent.

Scheduling

Our intention is to clear gutters just ahead of Spring or Fall Cleanups (for those clients that have both services).

We cannot wait until all leaves (even oak) fall to begin gutter cleanings due to the approaching freezing temperatures.

Upon request, we will return for a touch-up cleaning after the initial service is completed for ½ your quoted price, to clear any later falling leaves (as weather conditions allow).

The weather has a significant impact on our ability to do our work. The client agrees to this service with the understanding that wind, rain, and snow may impede our ability to successfully complete the service on a given day and that Better View Landscapes will reschedule services as needed to mitigate complications weather poses.

If you request to have your service occur at a later date in the season, your property will be moved to the end of the list. Requests for service changes must occur in advance of the scheduled service date.

If your property will not be accessible on a particular date, please notify our office via email ASAP. Clients who turn away the crew on the date of service will incur a service fee of $95.00.

Safety

Our staff will clear gutters that can be reached while they are on the ladder. We have ladders that can reach most 3rd floor gutters. Our staff has been instructed not to leave the ladder or step onto any roof. Due to liability, we cannot use the Client’s ladder.

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