Terms of Service

Scope and change orders

Prices reflect the services and descriptions contained in the contract in their entirety. Any items that go beyond the scope described will be completed at an agreed price, through a change order approved by the owner, client, or general contractor. As a project progresses and both parties identify other areas needing attention, any work not listed in the contract will be an additional charge requiring approval by both parties.

The contractor performs in accordance with the written terms, written specifications, and drawings contained or referred to in the contract only. The contractor reserves the right to renegotiate the contract when price or scope of work is affected by changes to any local, state, or federal law, regulation, or ordinance that takes effect after the agreement is signed.

Underground utilities

If digging is required, our office will contact Miss Utility prior to our arrival. We cannot begin digging until all notified utility owner members have provided a positive response to the ticket. If lines are not marked, projects may be delayed.

King Cuts Landscaping (KCL) is not responsible for unmarked or privately owned lines damaged during digging. These may include, but are not limited to, invisible fencing, sprinkler systems, well and septic systems and their power or electric service, and water and sewer pipes running from the meter to your home. If you have private underground lines and want them located, you should contact a private locating company prior to our service.

Concrete and asphalt removal, dust, and site access

All concrete and asphalt removal includes the removal of these items up to 4 inches thick. If concrete or asphalt is greater than four inches, additional removal and disposal costs may apply.

Cutting concrete, pavers, stone, and other materials produces dust. KCL will take every measure possible to complete the job in a clean manner but will not be held liable for any cleaning charges that may arise from performing these tasks.

KCL will take every measure possible not to crack, break, or damage any asphalt or concrete, and will not be held responsible for asphalt or concrete damage caused by machines or trucks unless that damage is directly attributable to the negligence of the KCL team. If damage occurs in that manner, we will document it with photos and repair it as needed. If you do not want our teams to have access to your driveway, you are required to inform our office in advance.

Project photography

By signing the contract, the buyer gives the contractor permission to use any pictures taken of the completed project for advertising or any other purpose the contractor may deem appropriate.

Delays outside our control

KCL shall not be liable for damages by reason of any delay in commencement or completion of work due to causes beyond its control and without its fault or negligence, including but not limited to acts of God or of the public enemy, acts of government, fires, floods, epidemics, quarantine restrictions, strikes, freight embargoes, unusually severe weather, or delays of a subcontractor due to such causes.

How we work

• Workforce. The contractor designates a qualified representative or foreman with experience in the services being provided. The workforce is to be presentable at all times, and all employees shall be competent, uniformed, and qualified.
• Materials. All materials shall conform to bid specifications.
• Licenses and permits. The contractor maintains a Landscape Contractor's license where required by state or local law, and complies with all other license and permit requirements of city, state, and federal government, as well as all other requirements of law.
• Taxes. The contractor pays taxes applicable to its work under the contract, including sales tax on material supplied where applicable.
• Insurance. The contractor carries General Liability, Automotive Liability, and Worker's Compensation insurance, along with any other insurance required by law. Certificates are available on request.
• Liability. The contractor is not liable for damage of any kind that is not caused by the negligence of the contractor, its agents, or its employees. All areas and services covered under the agreement are completed with the utmost care and attention to detail; however, KCL will not be held liable for injury or death caused by site conditions to any persons who are not KCL personnel.
• Subcontractors. The contractor reserves the right to hire qualified subcontractors to perform specialized functions or work requiring specialized equipment. In most instances, the client will be notified when a subcontractor is required.
• Invoicing. The contractor submits an invoice upon completion. Any services rendered in addition to, or beyond, the scope of work required by the agreement are billed separately.

Client responsibilities

• Utilities. All utilities shall be provided by the owner or client. KCL is not responsible for unmarked or privately owned lines damaged during digging, as described under Underground utilities above.
• Jobsite access. The owner or client shall furnish access to all parts of the jobsite where the contractor is to perform work, during normal business hours and other reasonable periods of time, and in the case of after-hours emergencies.
• Payment. In addition to a signed agreement, projects totaling more than $800.00 may require a one-third deposit to schedule the work. In some instances, two-thirds of payment will be required once the project is 50% complete. The owner or client shall review final invoices submitted by the contractor, and payment is due upon receipt. After twenty (20) days of non-payment, a late fee of 1.5% may be added weekly to the invoice. The contractor may cancel the initial agreement by giving seven (7) days written notice for nonpayment after the payment is delinquent.
• Notice of defect. The client is responsible for inspecting the property within 24 hours after KCL has completed any services. If the client is dissatisfied with any work performed, contact KCL immediately within those 24 hours. If KCL is not made aware of the dissatisfaction or errors within 24 hours of completion, all work performed shall be considered satisfactory under the agreement. The owner or client is to allow the contractor at least fourteen (14) days to address a reported defect, depending on the urgency of the repair. The contractor will not accept any deduction or offset unless written notice is given.

Cancellation

Agreements may be terminated by either party, with or without cause, upon seven (7) days written notice to the other party. Either party is entitled to cure any deficiency of performance or payment within seven (7) days of being notified of it.

If the owner or client makes payment in full within seven (7) days of receipt of the written notice, the grounds for termination are deemed cured. If the contractor corrects the deficiency identified in the written notice within seven (7) days of receipt — or if the deficiency is of such a nature that it cannot reasonably be corrected within seven (7) days and the contractor commences a good faith effort to correct it within seven (7) days of receipt of notice — the grounds for termination are deemed cured.

If the contract is terminated early by either party, the contractor is entitled to recover unrecovered costs incurred through the date of termination, including a reasonable amount of overhead and profit, and any amount in excess of the monthly charges paid by the client through the date of termination. Substantial portions of the work for a project may already have been performed, including potentially significant mobilization costs at start-up, and the cost of that work is not fully recovered by the contractor until all payments under the contract have been received.

This is an agreement between KCL Services, Inc. dba King Cuts Landscaping (the contractor, we, or us) and you (the client or you). The contractor agrees to provide the mowing services as agreed, and the client agrees to pay the charges specified.

What routine service includes

All turf areas are mowed with blades set at a height of 3.5 to 4.5 inches throughout the mowing season, unless requested otherwise. All mower blades are kept sharp to ensure a smooth cut. If we feel your turf is not in need of service due to the condition of the turf, we will not perform the service.

With each mowing, we trim around all objects in the turf areas — trees, utility boxes, light posts, shrubbery beds, and the like. All sidewalks, asphalt paths, and concrete curbs are neatly edged to produce a clean, sharp line of turf, and grass clippings are blown off sidewalks, curbs, and parking areas with each mowing.

Our guarantee

Your satisfaction is very important to us, and weekly mowing service is guaranteed. If for any reason you are not satisfied, please let us know within 24 hours so we can correct it at your next service or come inspect. All King Cuts vehicles carry GPS tracking devices.

Every-other-week mowing

If you sign up for bi-weekly service, we cannot guarantee quality of cut, because bi-weekly service is not recommended for best results. Most yards won't look their best in season with less than weekly service, and it is not feasible logistically or financially to double or triple cut a lawn to maintain quality — our teams have been instructed not to do so.

We are no longer offering bi-weekly service to new customers, and will eventually phase out bi-weekly service completely. We recommend switching to weekly service; we will always skip without charge when a cut isn't needed. If you are particular about the look of your grass, schedule weekly mowing in season.

Rain

If it rains at any point during the week — especially for one full day — all properties scheduled for that day are pushed to the following dry day, unless multiple days of rain occur. We do not send teams out on Sundays.

Services completed the day after a storm come with certain challenges, especially in the spring when grass grows faster than we can cut it. Quality may be compromised after a rainstorm; we do the best we can, within reason, given the conditions.

Tall grass

When you sign up for service, it is assumed your lawn is not overgrown, and prices are based on that. It takes substantially longer to mow an overgrown lawn, so prices may vary based on the condition of the lawn at the time of first service.

Irrigation and sprinklers

Try not to water on the day of your scheduled service. The cut may not be satisfactory — grass blades lay over when wet, and blowing off debris is difficult. Redos are not offered when the grass is wet from irrigation or rain.

Damage

We are very careful when we service your lawn, but if a covered incident does happen, we will repair the damage. Contact us immediately, no later than 24 hours after the service where the damage occurred. A covered claim requires sufficient evidence: a receipt for the item and photos of the damage. The contractor may require a review of the item to evaluate the damage.

Covered damages that occur during the performance of our services are the sole responsibility of KCL Services, Inc. dba King Cuts Landscaping. All approved repairs will be made by the contractor; repairs made by others will not be our financial responsibility. If we are required to move objects to service your lawn or landscape, we cannot guarantee they will be put back in the correct place.

Items left on the lawn

We are not responsible for damage to hoses, toys, or other items left on the lawn. Our teams do their best to avoid running over hoses, toys, paper, dog bones, and similar items, but we work quickly and these are sometimes difficult to see. Please take a moment to collect objects from the lawn before the service team arrives, and remove pet waste from the lawn prior to mowing service.

Charges

Auto-Pay charges a valid credit card on file the week service is performed, typically the day after service. Keep in mind that the charge does not always post to your account on the exact day we enter it. We consider your credit card statement your receipt; a detailed invoice of your charges is available by email upon request.

Season and scheduling

• Duration of service. Regular mowing season is typically from the end of March through the middle of November, depending on growth and weather conditions. Weather affects the need for weekly or every-other-week service, and we may change your schedule accordingly.
• Season to season. We consider you our loyal customer from season to season until you cancel. For our customers' convenience, service automatically renews in March unless you request otherwise.
• Skipped mows. To skip a service, you must contact us by phone or email at least 24 hours before your scheduled service day.
• Holidays. Schedules may be moved forward or back due to a weekday holiday.

Inaccessible yards

Once the service team arrives, we begin our systematic approach to servicing your lawn. In order to provide timely, efficient, and dependable service, we do not call or knock on the door if a yard is inaccessible. Our team notes on the work order the reason an area was not serviced.

We do not offer credits or redos for missed areas due to inaccessible yards. If a trip is made and we were 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, and construction material or workmen in a yard.

Gates, locks, and pets

With a combination lock we can guarantee your peace of mind and ensure our ability to service your property. If you already have a combination lock, let us know and we'll keep the number on file.

Our service teams are careful about closing and locking gates. If security is a concern, please make a quick check of the gate and lock after our service, and contact us if you find it open — we will remind the service team to lock every time. However, we cannot guarantee a gate will latch and the lock will be in place. You accept our service with these terms.

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

Changes, complaints, and cancellations

Please make all communications, changes to service, and complaints through the office rather than the service team. A team leader may forget, be off the next day, or misunderstand the information. Contacting the office directly ensures your changes or needs are noted correctly in your customer file and placed on work orders, and it is the only approved way to change service or add services. Teams are 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.

You may cancel this agreement at any time with one week's notice — no weekend cancellations for the following Monday. Any service completed prior to cancellation will be due. Cancellations are accepted only by email, written notice, or by phone at 410.798.1622. It is your responsibility to inform us of a cancellation.

Reaching us during the season

We prefer email, because your message reaches us even when we're out of the office and we can respond sooner about schedule changes and special service instructions. Email is monitored during business hours in mowing season and checked regularly out of season. We're still happy to hear from you by phone — we'll do our best to return your call by the end of the day if you call before 3pm, Monday through Friday, and messages are checked regularly during and after the mowing season. Our office hours are listed on our contact page.

Billing

The client agrees to pay King Cuts Landscaping on a per service item basis, billed after each service. All invoices include itemized, detailed lists of service hours and materials used. Invoices are sent after the service is performed and are due fifteen days (Net 15) from the date of the invoice.

Standard of work and liability

All work is completed in a workmanlike manner per the standard practices of the Maryland Department of Transportation and county codes. All areas and services covered under this agreement are completed using the utmost care and attention to detail; however, King Cuts Landscaping will not be held liable for any injury or death caused by slippery conditions to any persons who are not King Cuts Landscaping personnel.

Asphalt may deteriorate, and we will not be held responsible for damage to parking lots, driveways, parking curbs, bump stops, speed bumps, manhole covers, and similar features. King Cuts Landscaping will take every measure possible not to crack, break, or damage any asphalt or concrete, and will not be held responsible for asphalt or concrete damage caused by machines, trucks, or ice melting products unless negligence of King Cuts Landscaping personnel is apparent.

Site preparation

Special attention is given to all roads, entranceways, and sidewalks. All curb corners can be marked or staked by a King Cuts Landscaping manager on request, for an additional cost. The crew leader or driver assigned to your property carries a map of the community and a detailed scope of work sheet.

Inspection and corrections

The client is responsible for inspecting the property within 24 hours after King Cuts Landscaping has completed any services. If the client is dissatisfied with any work performed, contact King Cuts Landscaping immediately within those 24 hours. King Cuts Landscaping then has 48 hours to repair or correct such work at no additional cost to the client, after review of the damages. If King Cuts Landscaping is not made aware of the dissatisfaction or errors within 24 hours of completion, all work performed shall be considered satisfactory under this agreement.

Subcontractors

King Cuts Landscaping reserves the right to subcontract parts of the work scoped in this contract.

Default

If the client defaults on any obligation under this agreement, the corporation is entitled to recover reasonable attorney's fees and court costs, in addition to any other damages allowed under the laws of Maryland.