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DonnaZ1 (Maryland)
Posts: 1
Posted:
I am very curious as to what other HOA's pay for snow removal. I know that cost will vary significantly but I'm just not convinced that our landscaping company doesn't just make stuff up. Our HOA is in Maryland, 70 townhomes

Thanks for feedback
CjC
Posts: 210
Posted:
It really depends on the amount of road you have, how deep the snow is, how far the neighborhood is from their central point. So many factors.
ND (PA)
Posts: 792
Posted:
Donna,

Are you on your HOA Board? How familiar are you with the contract and with what services are being performed? Your perspective and knowledge of things will help us better understand where you are coming from.

What exactly are you seeing and experiencing that is leading you to think that your landscaping company is making things up?

Any feedback you get on pricing and services won't be directly comparable to your situation as there are many factors that influence cost. There are many different services provided by snow removal contractors and may different ways to contract for services.

I'd also caution you to tread lightly. Winter has only begun. You don't want to find yourself in the position of ticking off your existing contracted company (due to potential nit picking) and then being without service during a major winter event.

SheliaH (Indiana)
Posts: 6,964
Posted:
Well, landscaping companies can charge whatever the market will bear and you do live in Maryland. The East coast tends to get hit big time this time of year and has been for the last few years, so there might not be much you can do. If you think someone else has a better offer, the board (assuming you're on it) should put together a request for proposal (RFP) and send it to several companies that provide this service (at least 3) and then you can compare. You should also look for references from communities similar to yours and talk to their boards to see if they're happy with the service.

I don't know if this will help, but I also live in a townhouse community (156 homes). A city street runs through most of it, so there's nothing we can do about that because the city rarely does side streets They'll do it it if there's six or more inches, but I've only seen that once in the 30+ years I've lived here.

We own two streets and have several parking lots so that's what gets plowed, along with the cul-de-sacs for the units with garages. The company also shovels our sidewalks. Nothing gets done until the snow stops and we have to have 3 or more inches, and sometimes that may be delayed if the county declares a snow emergency (if you aren't law enforcement, EMS, etc., you'll get a ticket) he company removes snow, not ice, so homeowners are encouraged to keep a few bags of ice melt around to spread around their homes (preferably it's concrete and lawn safe).

Those are just some things you might need to consider when comparing contractors.

If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. Marcus Aurelius
FredS7 (Arizona)
Posts: 927
Posted:
0. Don't ask us. Some of us live where it doesn't snow enough to matter. Some live in Montana.

1. Ask neighboring associations.

2. Put it out for bid. Expect that your landscaper will want to renegotiate if you want (if you can?) change the contract.
TimM11
Posts: 354
Posted:
As has been mentioned, it's going to vary from one association to the other even in the same geographic area. There will be different amounts of streets/driveways to clear, possibly different service expectations, optional services (salt/sand), etc. Your best course of action is to get some bids and compare them.
CathyA3 (Ohio)
Posts: 6,299
Posted:
Our snow contract breaks out the charges by man hours, the amount of road salt/sand used, and the size of any vehicles used to push snow. As others noted, this could vary widely by the region of the country, the structure of the community, the types of precipitation, and the cost of any materials (we currently have a road salt shortage hereabouts). Obviously there is room for padding the charges, so board members need to keep an eye on the actual performance of the contractor and compare it with the invoices we receive afterwards to see if anything looks questionable.

If you work with a community management company, then they will probably have a roster of contractors who have done good work at other communities, so the manager should be able to provide you with a list (our manager actually solicits bids during the budget prep season). If you don't have a manager, you can check out what's happening in other communities around your area and see who is doing the work. As with any other contract, the board should do their jobs by vetting the companies that give them proposals and calling their references, then reviewing actual performance to see if there is need for improvement. I've even checked out online reviews, although I take these with a grain of salt since they tend to skew negative.

Once we'd hired our current provider and he'd proven to do an excellent job, we gave him latitude to call the shots once a storm is in progress. Typically he'll coordinate with the community manager and board to come up with a plan based on forecasts, but storms can be unpredictable and require adjustments as things play out. Many managers don't live in the community or even close to it, so you don't want the manager deciding things long distance. Snow removal crews can work through the night, and the board members probably don't want to stay awake to give their OK if something changes. So it makes sense to allow the professionals decide how things should be handled, and this works well for us. (Homeowners actually email our manager with compliments after a storm, which is pretty much unheard of.)

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276
Posted:
We pay nothing.

/sorry
RoyalP
Posts: 1,104
Posted:


ditto

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265
Posted:
Same here...nada....
GeorgeS21 (Florida)
Posts: 3,808
Posted:
Snow?
TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,062
Posted:
Donna,

To know if you are having a fair price, you need to bid out the snow contract.
Many landscape companies will not do snow removal without a landscape contract.
This makes the options limited.

Things to watch out for are excessive runs. We had one contractor who would pull into our area, stop and make phone calls then claim the time as plowing. Same contractor lowered their plow blade and plowed streets that didn't need plowed (I actually saw sparks flying from the blade). We fought with that company a lot on their hours. Finally went to a new contractor who has been pretty darn good.

Most companies have a minimum plowing time (4 hours for us).
This minimum time could be per snow fall or per snow event.
You want the minimum to be per snow event (storm).

Example:
Per plowing/snow fall:

Snows on Monday - plowed Monday night - 4 hour minimum
Snows again Tuesday afternoon - plowed - 4 hour minimum.

Per storm/snow event:

Snows on Monday - plowed Monday night - 4 hour minimum
Snows again Tuesday afternoon - plowed - hours count toward minimum/total hours of storm.

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