Ready and waiting

The on-demand model continues to grow in the industry with new apps being developed every year. If you have ever thought about signing up with one of these companies as a service provider, this round-up is designed to give you the basics of what some of these organizations provide.

Block Lawncare

Description: Block is the on-demand lawn care service app that gives you the ability to select the lawn care services, get pricing, choose a date of the service and pay for it from your smartphone.

Established: 2018

Cost: Block splits the cost of services right down the middle (50/50) with its mowers, who are also employees, not independent contractors. In addition to their cut, Block covers a number of other expenses to make it easier to bring them on board as a Block Mower. The base price is $30 for mowing only. While weed eating, edging and blowing are á-la-carte, mowing is required to be a part of every job. The services are calculated based on the square footage of the customer’s yard. During the registration process in the app, users map their lot and their house and then the square footage is passed through an algorithm that calculates prices for each service.

Size: Eight employees and more than 1,500 registered users, approximately 500 of which have early access to the beta program.

Locations: Block is currently available in six neighborhoods in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with plans to expand to the rest of Baton Rouge and select cities in 2020.

Requirements: Each hire must apply, come in for an in-person interview, meet background check standards and attend an on-boarding event where Block’s culture and processes are communicated. Mowers must be 18 years old, own an Apple or Android smartphone, a mower, weed eater, blower and have a way to transport their equipment. Employees are given a branded shirt, hat and neck gaiter that they wear while performing service. Lastly, the mowers get together every other week for a meeting to touch base on relevant topics.

Services: Mowing, weed eating, edging and blowing. Leaf clean-ups will be available in the offseason.

Website: Blocklawncare.com

Greenpal

Description: Customers pick the contractor they want based on ratings, reviews and price. Services can be scheduled multiple days at a time, so the homeowner doesn’t have to keep scheduling. The vendor takes a picture of the completed job and sends it to the homeowner for approval. The homeowner can pay instantly from the app. The money is then wired directly to the vendor’s account.

Established: 2013

Cost: A 5 percent transaction fee is charged for all of the work conducted on the platform.

Size: More than 12,000 active lawn maintenance contractors using the app every day to run their business and more than 150,000 homeowners using the platform to get their yard maintenance services fulfilled.

Locations: GreenPal is now live in every major city in the United States, a total of 63 markets nationwide.

Requirements: For contractors to join the platform, they need to fill out the forms on the vendor application process and undergo validation for Social Security number and sound banking information to process payments on the platform.

Services: Mowing and basic yard maintenance.

Website: Yourgreenpal.com

LawnGuru

Description: Customers place requests for the services they need which are then picked up and serviced by best-fit providers near them.

Established: 2015

Cost: Service providers pay LawnGuru 0-20 percent of a transaction.

Size: Approximately 6,500 providers; Approximately 55,000 customers

Locations: LawnGuru is active in 7 markets across the United States, which together encompass hundreds of cities and 9 states.

Requirements: Not disclosed

Services: Mowing, yard cleanup, snow clearing, weeding, mulch, aeration, pressure washing.

Website: Lawnguru.co

Lawn Love

Description: Lawn Love uses satellite imagery, machine learning and human review to generate a personalized blueprint of a yard. Users can coordinate everything from their smartphone or web browser. Lawn Love will handle all the customer service, accounting and collections. The company’s job clustering and routing algorithms help build denser routes.

Established: 2014

Cost: There is no fee for contractors to sign up for Lawn Love, and the company typically takes a 5-10 percent cut from each job. The app itself is free to use for both providers and customers Services start at $29.

Size: 20,000 providers, and they have serviced over 500,000 lawns.

Location: Head office is in San Diego; serves 120 cities across 48 states.

Requirements: Must have one year of lawn care experience. Must have own truck and equipment (mower, blower, string trimmer). Must be aged 18 and over. Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Must have a working smartphone.

Services: Mowing, gardening, fertilization, aeration, weed control, yard clean up, leaf removal, gutter cleaning, snow removal

Website: Lawnlove.com

Lawnstarter

Description: LawnStarter for Providers is a web and mobile platform that allows lawn care providers to claim available jobs in their area, manage their schedules, coordinate with their crews and communicate with clients. This app works in conjunction with LawnStarter’s web platform, which allows lawn care companies to claim extra clients on their already existing routes.

Established: 2013

Cost: Free to sign up; LawnStarter takes between 15-20 percent of each sale.

Size: 10,000 contractors and customers

Locations: 100 metropolitan statistical areas across the United States

Requirements: Must have a mobile device/smartphone, truck/trailer, necessary lawn care equipment, insurance (LawnStarter can provide for a small fee if needed), and the minimum age requirement is 16 years old.

Services: Lawn mowing, lawn treatments, bush trimming

Website: Lawnstarter.com

TaskEasy

Description: TaskEasy software and smartphone app provide contractors with ready-to-service residential and commercial landscaping jobs, reliable payments, crew management, automated invoicing, customer support, optimized routing tools and optional per-job insurance.

Established: 2013

Cost: Free to join, but TaskEasy takes a percentage off the top of what the customer pays. This is a variable percentage that fluctuates based on a variety of factors.

Size: 10,000 contractors and 2 million tasks performed.

Location: Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, but services more than 12,000 cities across the U.S.

Requirements: Smartphone, access to necessary landscaping equipment, general liability and workers compensation (per-job insurance is available), must be 18 years or older, no convicted felonies in the past seven years, no registered sex offenses, no civil judgments or pending legal actions and have not declared bankruptcy in the last three years.

Services: Lawn mowing, fertilization, aeration, bush and shrub trimming, desertscaping, mulch installation, mulch refresh, tree trimming, weeding, dethatching, basic sprinkler maintenance, seeding, general cleanup, spring and fall cleanup, and snow removal.

Website: Taskeasy.com

Plowz and Mowz

Description: Plowz & Mowz is a smartphone (iOS & Android) app that offers on-demand, contract-free seasonal services to maintain homes and properties year-round. For homeowners, it is as simple as answering a few questions about their property to get a free quote. If the quote aligns with the homeowner’s budget, they schedule the service to be completed on the day of their choosing and a fleet of partners are able to pick up the job at will.

Established: 2014

Cost: Price is dependent on size of yard, driveway, market, or project (comparable to regular landscaping offers). The company takes between 10 and 30 percent. There is no cost to join.

Size: 7,000 landscaping partners.

Locations: Serving more than 40 cities in more than 20 states.

Requirements: Must be an active and legitimate outdoor service provider in the U.S, have a working trailer and commercial grade equipment, have a general liability policy, or be willing to operate under the Plowz & Mowz umbrella insurance policy.

Services: Lawn mowing, yard clean up, mulch delivery and installation, fertilization, aeration and overseeding, driveway sealing, haul away, power washing, snow removal, dog waste clean-up, custom jobs.

Website: Plowzandmowz.com