Master HOA Landscaping Contracts

"The community association business is a huge potential market with countless opportunities for landscapers to grow their client base," says Frank Rathbun, vice president, communications and public relations for the Community Associations Institute (CAI). Association-governed communities have grown from just 10,000 in 1970 to some 274,000 in 2005, according to CAI.

"The opportunities are unlimited," Rathbun says, "from city-sized planned communities and condominium complexes to gated town house communities and the cul-de-sac of new homes wedged into an established neighborhood."

You Can Never Be Too Good
Dallas-based Associa devotes itself entirely to the management of condominiums and homeowners associations nationwide. Vice president of education, Margey Meyer, finds that HOA boards favor landscape firms that provide consistency and have a proven track record.

"Community associations want landscape companies that excel in their field, provide good service and are easy to work with at every level," Meyer says.

"You can never have too many excellent professionals in the landscaping industry," says Jill Van Zeebroeck, CEO of Management Solutions, an HOA management firm based in Camarillo, Calif. "But there's a dynamic to the HOA industry: You are dealing with boards and committees who serve and represent the residents. For an association, landscaping is the biggest expense, next to insurance."

Have the "Right Stuff"
While HOA business is lucrative, you need the staff size, the equipment, the right insurance, e.g., liability, indemnity, vehicle, and the licenses that cover pesticides, animal control and other needs. "HOAs want you to know plants and trees, irrigation and climate. They want a one-stop-shop vendor," Van Zeebroeck says.

Both Meyer and Van Zeebroeck say successful HOA landscapers have responsible foremen who are proactive, always keeping plants and flower beds fresh and pest-free or making suggestions on how the grounds can be improved. Some boards have landscapers report at their monthly meetings (typically the owner and lead foreman). Keeping the grounds well maintained at all times puts a landscaper in good stead during a monthly walkthrough. Emergency response time is another critical issue. If an irrigation line breaks, the landscape company should respond immediately.

"HOA accounts can also be a fickle business as boards change," Van Zeebroeck says. "You are always proving yourselves."

Bob Mooney, president of SLM Services Inc ., a landscaping services firm based in Simi Valley, Calif., has serviced HOA accounts for the past 18 years. In fact, about 98 percent of his business is HOA accounts, he says. Mooney cites communication and participation as keys to his HOA success. "Ground walkthroughs are a great way to have meaningful face time with associations," Mooney says. "You start seeing ideas for proactive enhancements. You hear what's important to that association. I also attend board meetings and landscape committee meetings." Mooney demonstrates his commitment and expertise through his company's HOA training program and continuing education landscape program. He also always has a bilingual foreman at each site, so clients can communicate with his largely Hispanic work crew.

From a design perspective, Mooney enjoys the opportunity to work on the larger canvas HOA accounts provide.

"My favorite e-mail is from an HOA customer who had just returned from a posh Beverly Hills hotel," Mooney says. "When he returned to his gated community, he found the hotel's grounds couldn't compete with his community grounds. He wrote, ‘I'll never park in my garage again and go straight into my house.' You can't beat that kind of compliment."