I put in a bid on snowshoveling at an apartment building

[openbook]

I will need insurance if I get the contract, but there is a big snowstorm coming tomorrow and I am allowed to clean the sidewalks and driveway's 1 time and they will see how good a job I do and determine if they want to hire me.
I was asking my gf's father about help on bidding because he worked in the business for a long time, and he knew the property and the owner. So I think that will help me.

[Uranus]

So go get some insurance. Go first thing in the morning and tell them you need it to go into effect right away. Make sure you bring your check book so you can pay the first payment. If you do plow then your covered. If you plow and they say no thank to your services then go back to the insurance company and cancel. At least you will be covered for the one time you do plow.

FYI. Some renters get sue happy. Its not their fault they walked across the icy sidewalk where the downspout drains and fell. I has to be the plow guys. Several people I know have been sued at apt complexes for slip and falls. Watch your back.

[Jerry Lee]

I will need insurance if I get the contract, but there is a big snowstorm coming tomorrow and I am allowed to clean the sidewalks and driveway's 1 time and they will see how good a job I do and determine if they want to hire me.
I was asking my gf's father about help on bidding because he worked in the business for a long time, and he knew the property and the owner. So I think that will help me.

sounds rough to me! but if ur determined than go for it.. oh for the ice problem and the people wanting to sue you, just use lots of ice melt, and bill them for it (safety).

[openbook]

What do you guys charge for snowblowing and shoveling labor? I was told by my gf's father to shoot for 75per hour.
The property management seem to think 25-30 per hour is all they can pay.
With me having to pick up liability insurance and being 1099'd Theres no way I can go that low.
I will contemplate 60 per hour and tighten up the hours to the minimum it would take me, but I'm not sure if that would be worth it.

They also want to put a cap on the max ammount it would be monthly in case it snowed daily and got too expensive.

It is supposed to be a very snowy winter, and they want someone there within a couple hours after it has stopped snowing.

[shovelracer]

Find out your average number of storms over the last 5 years. Be very realistic on the time it will take and figure your hours. Multiply total hours for season by $75. Then add in $10 per thousand square feet of blacktop for rock salt and 3 times that for ice melt for cement. Multiply that number by the total amount of storms. Submit both numbers and walk away cause this sounds like trouble. They can have a tenant work off their back rent for $25/HR.

[Tyler7692]

Shoveling sidewalks is not worth 75 an hour. That's ludicrous. Charge your base man hour rate - (a guy and a shovel, $40/hr max probably)

[openbook]

Find out your average number of storms over the last 5 years. Be very realistic on the time it will take and figure your hours. Multiply total hours for season by $75. Then add in $10 per thousand square feet of blacktop for rock salt and 3 times that for ice melt for cement. Multiply that number by the total amount of storms. Submit both numbers and walk away cause this sounds like trouble. They can have a tenant work off their back rent for $25/HR.

The past 5 years has been very minimal snowfall probably around 3-4 per month, this year it is a classic minnesota winter probably 7-8 per month.

[DUSTYCEDAR]

Run away from this

[openbook]

Shoveling sidewalks is not worth 75 an hour. That's ludicrous. Charge your base man hour rate - (a guy and a shovel, $40/hr max probably)

The dude who told me that price used to earn 22k per month by himself doing plowing I think he knows a thing or two.

Not only that but I was facing a temp of -5 with 30 below windchill and a steady wind, with a frost bite danger at 10 minutes of exposure that morning when I did the first cleanup at that apartment.

I am now thinking forget it, it's not worth the hassel as the snow is coming down, it's in a bad neighborhood people get mugged constantly in that area.

[openbook]

Run away from this

Probably good advice.

[openbook]

They can have a tenant work off their back rent for $25/HR.

Oh yeah no more tennants want to do it. Plus they didn't do that good of a job, I was chipping away Ice an inch thick on spots where they didn't shovel good.

[IA_James]

They also want to put a cap on the max ammount it would be monthly in case it snowed daily and got too expensive.


No way would I agree to that. If they're not paying you, the snow doesn't get moved. Simple as that. You're not doing this because the hospital isn't taking candy stripers, you're doing this to get paid.

[openbook]

Anyone wanna know how this one turned out?

I lowered my price as much as I was willing to go, she told me she still needed me to go down about half. I told her that was the price I can't go any lower. It was snowing at the time and she said she needed somebody to shovel she said she would pay my price through this weekend then well talk. I said ok but I'm going to need a check in my hand for the work I had already done and was about to do, she told me she doesn't have anyone that can get a check to me but promised me I would get paid. Just send an email with the bill and they will send a check. At that point I said okay but I need an email from you saying that you agree to pay my rates and what those rates are. Then she said I'm just going to find somebody else.

Good riddence! I am doing fine in the residential sector, I don't need to deal with them. I've got a couple more people interested in me doing cleanups and we are expecting another 3-6 inches of through tomorrow!