Property Managers: Ten Questions to Ask a Plow Contractor About Equipment Condition

Scenario: you manage a site and are choosing or renewing a plowing contractor. Direct answer: ask ten plain questions about equipment, and note how clearly each is answered. You are not auditing the trucks. You are checking that a process exists. The list is advice from a parts perspective and does not replace legal or insurance review.

The questions

Capacity and backup

• [ ] 1. What equipment will serve my site, and is it dedicated or shared?
• [ ] 2. What happens if that truck breaks down during a storm? How fast does a backup arrive?
• [ ] 3. Do you subcontract any of the work, and to whom?

Condition and maintenance

• [ ] 4. How do you inspect plows before the season and during it?
• [ ] 5. How do you decide when to replace cutting edges, and who does it?
• [ ] 6. Do you keep spare edges and hardware on hand, or order when needed?

Protecting my property

• [ ] 7. How do you protect curbs, pavers, drains and markings, and do you need hazards marked?
• [ ] 8. How do you record the condition of the site before the season?
• [ ] 9. How and when do you report damage, and what is your process to fix it?

Paperwork

• [ ] 10. Can you provide a current insurance certificate, and what does it cover?

How to read the answers

What to do with the answers

Answers that are not attached to the contract do not exist later.

• Attach the answers to the contract or file them with it.
• Walk the site with the contractor, photographing existing damage.
• Review at mid-season and after the first complaint.

What this list does not do

It does not check licensing, safety records or financial strength, and it does not evaluate price. Treat it as one part of your selection process.

Boundary: this is general guidance and not legal, insurance or safety advice. Contract and insurance terms vary; have them reviewed by qualified advisers.