Hire with Confidence
Trust True Nature
A lower price can be tempting. But before allowing someone to work on your property, make sure you know who you're hiring, whether they're properly licensed and insured, and what protections you may be giving up.
Why the Lowest Price Can Become the Most Expensive Choice
Unlicensed individuals may offer significantly lower prices because they may not carry the same licensing, insurance, workers’ compensation, permitting, and business costs required of legitimate contractors.
But a lower initial price does not necessarily mean a lower final cost.
Poor workmanship, unfinished projects, property damage, code violations, injuries, and the cost of hiring another contractor to correct improperly performed work can quickly turn a bargain into an expensive problem.
Price matters. But it should never be the only factor used to decide who works on your property.
Before You Hire Any Contractor
- Ask to see the contractor’s pocket license and photo identification. Verify that the person you're dealing with is connected to the license being presented.
- Verify the contractor license yourself. Don’t rely only on a license number printed on a truck, business card, BBB, or advertisement.
- Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage when applicable.
- Get the scope of work, materials, payment schedule, and project expectations in writing.
- Be cautious about large upfront payments. California law generally limits home-improvement down payments to $1,000 or 10% of the contract price, whichever is less, subject to limited exceptions.
- Never pay the entire project cost before the work is completed.
- Look at recent projects and customer reviews, but don’t rely on reviews alone.
- Pay attention to how the contractor communicates. A professional contractor should be willing to answer reasonable questions and explain the work being proposed.
Secure Your Outdoors
Hiring a contractor is about more than finding the lowest price. You’re allowing someone onto your property, trusting them with your home, and often investing thousands of dollars in the work they perform.
Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t know what questions to ask or how to verify the person they’re considering hiring.
Before hiring anyone to perform landscape construction or home improvement work, take a few minutes to verify their contractor license, insurance coverage, experience, written contract, and reputation.
A little research before the project begins can prevent expensive problems later.
We Encourage You to Verify Us Too
At True Nature Landscape, we believe homeowners should verify any contractor they are considering—including us.
We are happy to provide our California contractor license information and proof of insurance, answer questions about the work we propose, explain the materials and installation methods we recommend, and put our agreements in writing.
We don't expect you to hire us simply because we tell you we're qualified. We want you to make an informed decision and feel confident about who you're allowing to work on your property.