apartment complex is going to put me in my grave

[Harrington Landscape]

Where to start We take care of a huge apartment complex. last october I resigned the 2009 mowing contract with them. so i go out and buy a newer dump and some new mowers to better my guys and make it easier to maintain. I get a phone call Monday the main manger tells me they are going to mow there own lawn now. what the heck they want me to come and work for them running the mowing part of there properties. the owner of the apartments has a bunch of other buildings and he want to do them all him self. the problem i am in is if i don't take the job they still have a couple of contracts on the east side that the would need to have a company do I donut know if i should be a dick and tell them tough crap you signed a contract and you are bound to me for the year or let them break the contract and help them out and hopefully I can still work on the east side accounts. I Cant just give up my company to go and work for another to many perks here freedom is my big thing i enjoy also what about my other accounts what just leave them high and dry. what good are contracts any more. the owner says if he can keep one of his guys working as to lay him off it would be worth it OK what about the lawn care company's who you get rid of.

[mattfromNY]

How is your contract written? Buy out? cancel w/ 30 days notice? Maybe you need to revise your contract.
-I lost one for the same reasons. Makes biz sense for them, sucks for us, keep good relations and maybe in the future they will want you back?
-I was able to salvage one plowing contract through spreading the cost out over 12 months, they paid me $1200/ month for 6, now they pay $600/ month for 12 months.

[Harrington Landscape]

it says you have 3 days as of when contract is signed to back out other that that they are locked in for the one year unless we are not holding up our services on our end

[nosparkplugs]

Where to start We take care of a huge apartment complex. last october I resigned the 2009 mowing contract with them. so i go out and buy a newer dump and some new mowers to better my guys and make it easier to maintain. I get a phone call Monday the main manger tells me they are going to mow there own lawn now. what the heck they want me to come and work for them running the mowing part of there properties. the owner of the apartments has a bunch of other buildings and he want to do them all him self. the problem i am in is if i don't take the job they still have a couple of contracts on the east side that the would need to have a company do I donut know if i should be a dick and tell them tough crap you signed a contract and you are bound to me for the year or let them break the contract and help them out and hopefully I can still work on the east side accounts. I Cant just give up my company to go and work for another to many perks here freedom is my big thing i enjoy also what about my other accounts what just leave them high and dry. what good are contracts any more. the owner says if he can keep one of his guys working as to lay him off it would be worth it OK what about the lawn care company's who you get rid of.


Usually you need 30 days written notice to cancel a commercial contract, unless negotiated otherwise. In these hard economic times folks are looking to survive, your not alone this is happening all over the economy. Be professional, focus on getting you money, stop work ASAP if you sure he is canceling. You sound like this is the only account you have?

[Harrington Landscape]

it a 100k account we have others i will be ok with the others accounts it is my workers I dont have enought work for them i am really going to down size and just go back to me and my wife working together that is when times were simple.

[Runner]

What did THEY get to mow with? What you may want to do, is find out what they are willing to pay per hour for labor. "Rent" your labor (employee(s)) out for 15 per hour, and pay your labor what ever you pay them regularly. This way, your guy(s) still have those hours they are working, and you can be doing other things making money at the same time. The rest of the time, you have your helpers to work the rest of your stuff.
Now, if this "manager" isn't wanting to pay for labor,...and tries feeding you some kind of crock that he wants to pay someone 8 or 9 dollars an hour to ride around on a mower,...ask him...What sense would THAT make to do for YOU?
If you have tens of thousands of dollars spent on equipment, all your direct costs, how could you even do it? Explain this to him...be prepared, though...you may have to say Sayonara.
this is coincidental, because I JUST posted on a thread somewhere about apt. complexes, and how you have to leave room for crap like this.

[mattfromNY]

the account I lost went to mowing their own, their calculations were based on a part time guy at $9/ hour to mow the lawn two hours/ week (After all, thats how long it took US to do it). Round about June of last year I stopped in to see how things were going, the back lawns were all of 6" high, and the front was scalped so bad.
Upon talking to the manager I found out the part time guy would mow the front lawns one day, then try to get the back the next day. This particular time frame, it had been raining about every other day, and the front had been mowed twice, but he couldn't get to the back b/c of rain. So, his answer to that was to scalp the front in hopes of getting the back done, he could skip the front one week if needed, before the next rain dashed his hopes of getting it done at all! His two hour/ week guy was taking at LEAST 10-12 man hours. (Then figure in the cost of equipment, gas, etc.)
Man, it sucks, b/c we always kept the place (section 8 housing, no less) striped up nice, always trimmed and garbage picked up...

[Runner]

That might be what THIS guy (manager) finds out, as well...In many cases, it isn't even worth it to do it in house. the problem is,...most people just don't know (realize) the real numbers. they think it costs them 8 dollars an hour to have all the grass cut. they don't see equipment investment (depreciation), maintenance, fuel, storage, etc..
Which brings us to another point....It may be worth it to just sell this guy on the contracting side of it...for cost feasibility. you have to have your numbers down to be able to present a good argument (sale), though...