Every spring, homeowners and property managers of Chicagoland receive calls from contractors offering cheap landscaping services. Some of them end up getting cheated. Unlicensed workers, disappearing deposits, hardscape works that crack before the second season. Besides costing you money, hiring the wrong landscaping contractors can also make your property worse than before.
If you need residential landscaping services for your backyard or commercial landscaping services for a multi-unit property, it is very important that you know how to properly vet a crew before signing the contract. Protecting yourself with a simple and straightforward process is given below.
Why You Absolutely Must Vet Landscaping Contractors in Illinois
The landscaping industry has really taken off in the Chicago metro area attracting both highly skilled professionals and unqualified operators. At the same time, Illinois has no single statewide license requirement that covers all landscaping work. That means even a completely uninsured and unknown contractor has the legal right to come to your door and offer to convert your yard.
Results? Breaking of utility lines, basement flooding due to improper grading, and installations that deteriorate within a year. Repairing the damage caused by shoddy work most of the time costs more than the original work.
You can be sure to protect yourself only if you start even before the first piece of ground is turned over.
Must-Have Information When Interviewing Contractor Landscaping Crew
This is the very first filter that can even remove an important portion of unqualified contractors from the list.
Ask for the following documents:
- General liability insurance — at least $1M for each incident, to cover any property damage
- Workers’ compensation — otherwise, you may end up being responsible if a worker on the site gets hurt
- Illinois business registration — only registered companies operate alongside the law
- Professional certifications — e.g., NALP Certified Landscape Technician (CLT) qualification is a clear sign of a high level of training
Never just ask — always request the certificates and cross-check their validity. If you’re dealing with a professional, they will willingly provide these documents.
- Ask for a portfolio of previous projects similar to your scope — paver patios, commercial grounds, planting installations, etc.
- Make sure access to three local references in the Chicago or Chicagoland area
- Besides star ratings, check if there are any major issues in the reviews on Google and the Better Business Bureau
- Have a physical address that can be verified — if the answers regarding the location are intentionally vague, it is a sign that the company is probably a red flag in the local market
You cannot enforce a verbal estimate. Any landscaping company that is reliable will give you a comprehensive written proposal that will include:
- Detailed scope of work (the proposal should not simply say “landscaping services”)
- Material details — type of plants, brands and colors of pavers, soil types, etc.
- Effective start and completion dates
- A real payment plan linked to work progress instead of asking for a large upfront deposit
If a contractor gets very impatient and insists that you should sign the contract before they give you a written breakdown, then leave immediately.
Simply rushing to the one with the lowest offer without consideration. Different prices result from quality of materials, experience of the crew, and cost of insurance, not just profit margins. It is recommended that you get at least three bids.
Not making a written contract. Even the simplest jobs require a written contract. Verbal promises are not binding when disagreements occur.
Paying very large amounts up-front. Normally a 10-25% deposit is expected. If you are told that 50% or more is required before work starts, it is a red flag.
Thinking that a referral means you do not need to do any further checks. Just take your neighbor’s referral as a starting point and verify that they have insurance and that their scope is in writing.
Green Day Pro Landscaping: A Chicagoland Company Built on These Standards
For more than 20 years, Green Day Pro Landscaping has been a family-operated business serving the Chicago and Chicagoland region. That means a family business with the proper insurance paperwork, regular scheduling, and work — from custom brick paver patios, hardscape design to full landscape installations — that will be there for years.
When you get residential landscaping services from Green Day Pro, the company does everything down to the last detail from initial design through seasonal maintenance. The same level of responsibility is there also for commercial landscaping services: documented scope, effective project management, and results that can meet even the toughest scrutiny by property managers.
Each project is based on a frank, written estimate. There are no pressure tactics and vague promises.
You can always use the contractor directories and certification standards kept by the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) at NALP.org for checking the credentials of any company.
You Want to Hire Landscaping Contractors You Can Trust?
Green Day Pro Landscaping meets all the standards that we have talked about in this guide. The company based in Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area is more than willing to prepare a clear estimate for any kind of residential or commercial project.
Contact us for your free quote or call us at 708-340-6333.
Summary
Hiring landscaping contractors in Chicago doesn’t always mean you’re at the mercy of fate. Confirm insurance, check references, get everything in writing, and align the crew’s level of experience with your type of project. Do this systematically and you will find landscaping crews worth trusting time and again.
Green Day Pro Landscaping has based their two decades of service in Chicagoland on exactly these principles. So when you decide to take the plunge, you can count on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
At a minimum, you should ensure general liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage — but go a step further and ask for certificates, not only for verbal confirmation. Additionally, NALP membership and certifications such as Certified Landscape Technician are excellent indicators that you are dealing with landscapers who are not only trained but also operate according to professional standards.
The majority of residential landscaping service projects will require three estimates. This will not only show you a fair price range but also allow you to make comparisons of scope, materials, and timelines — rather than focusing solely on the final cost. Large differences between bids usually indicate real differences in what is being offered.
Be on the lookout for contractors who push you to sign without having given you a written estimate, who ask for more than a 30% deposit before starting work, who cannot give you the proof of insurance certificates, or who do not have a verifiable local address. A pattern of complaints about uncompleted work in online reviews is also a very strong indicator of trouble.
Absolutely. Even less extensive residential projects require a written agreement that clearly specifies the scope, materials, timeline, and payment terms. Oral agreements are incredibly difficult to enforce and any reputable provider of commercial landscaping services will consider contracts as standard practice irrespective of the size of the project.
Look for their commercial project portfolio to see if they have done anything similar to your scale and type. Make sure that they are capable of handling regular maintenance schedules, coordinating with property managers, and documenting work completion. Commercial client references have more weight than residential ones when it comes to assessing their commercial landscaping services capability.
