Tips for choosing a trusted and well-established lawn care company:

• Ask your neighbors or family members to pass on the name of lawn care companies they received good service from.
• Contact several companies to become familiar with the way things work in your area.
• Get information about pricing, payment methods, and types of contracts. A reliable company will take the time to answer your questions. Such a company has actual offices and extensive experience and can provide recommendations if requested.
• Do not trust someone who approaches you with just a telephone number as contact information. In case of a problem, you could have trouble tracking down that person.

Verify whether the contractor has an itinerant merchant license

A contractor is considered an itinerant merchant if they solicit your business outside of their actual offices, for example, if they come to your home without your requesting it.

This type of merchant must have a license from the Office de la protection du consommateur and provide a written contract.

Getting information about a lawn care company

You can get further information about a contractor using the tool Get information about a merchant. By entering the name of a contractor into the tool, you will know:

• if they are licensed, in the case of an itinerant merchant;
• if the Office has previously intervened with them;
• if it has received formal notices from other consumers.

Concluding a detailed agreement with the lawn care contractor you hire is to your benefit. The more details your contract contains, the better informed you will be regarding what to expect.

Contract concluded in person

The Office de la protection du consommateur recommends that you always request a written contract from the contractor you hire. A written contract will make it more likely the results will conform to what you expected. It will also make it easier to assert your rights if the work is not properly done or not completed.

Useful information to be included in the contract

The contract does not have to adhere to a specific form, especially if you are doing business with an itinerary merchant. Make sure that everything that was promised by the contractor is included in the contract, along with all important details.

For example, the contract should include the following information:

• the merchant’s name, address, and phone number;
• the duration of the contract;
• a description of the services offered;
• the frequency to which the lawn should be mowed;
• all related tasks, such as watering plants and flowers;
• a description of the products used;
• the total charges and terms of payment;
• the terms of the warranty offered, if applicable.

Contract concluded with an itinerant merchant

Did you conclude a contract with an itinerant merchant? If so, it means that they solicited your business outside of their actual offices. They might, for example, have come to your home without your requesting it.

The law prescribes that such a contract must be concluded in writing and that it includes all mandatory information. For further information, refer to the page What a contract with an itinerant merchant contains.

A contract concluded with an itinerant merchant can be cancelled within 10 days. For further information about cancelling this type of contract, refer to the page Cancelling a contract concluded in person.

Contract concluded by phone or online

If you plan on choosing a contractor over the phone or online, know that the law provides that a distance contract must be provided in writing.

Information to obtain before signing a contract

Before concluding a contract, the merchant must provide certain mandatory information. For example:

• their name, address, phone number and, if available, their fax number and email address;
• a detailed description of the services offered;
• the total amount you will need to pay and, if it applies, the amount to be paid on periodic payments;
• the terms of payment;
• the start date of the lawn care services;
• the duration of the services;
• the cancellation terms, if they are provided for;
• any other condition or restriction that applies to the contract.

Transmission of the written contract

The contractor must provide a written contract within 15 days after you entered into an agreement. This will allow you to verify whether the contract's contents correspond to the offer that was made to you. The contract must be presented in a way that allows you to hold on to it.

Content of the written contract

The contract must include your name and your address, the contract signature date, and all the other mandatory information the merchant must provide before you enter into an agreement.

The Office recommends that you not sign any document before making a final decision to hire a lawn care contractor. Contrary to popular belief, you do not always have the right to cancel a signed contract if you change your mind within 10 days.

For further information about cancelling this type of contract, refer to the page Cancelling a contract.

Lawn care companies are required to advertise "all inclusive" rates. An advertised price must include all amounts you need to pay to obtain the services, except taxes. This total price cannot be raised unless products or services are added upon your request.

This rule applies everywhere, in all types of advertising: newspapers or flyers, on billboards, on television, on the radio, on the Internet, and so forth.

If there is a problem

If the price requested is higher than the one advertised, you are entitled to demand paying the advertised price.

If you discover a merchant does not abide by the pricing regulations, you should file a complaint with the Office de la protection du consommateur. The Contact us page provides the ways to reach us.