What Is Landscape Maintenance — and What Does an SLA Cover?

Landscape maintenance is the ongoing care of planting, turf, and irrigation systems after a project is installed and handed over — distinct from the one-time construction scope. A landscape maintenance service level agreement (SLA) is the part of that contract that spells out measurable commitments: how often the site is visited, how fast the contractor responds to a reported problem, and what backs up the plant material if it fails. Typical Mother Earth Gardens maintenance terms include a corrective response window on the order of 72 hours and a plant replacement warranty in the range of 6 months on installed material — the kind of commitments worth treating as baseline requirements when evaluating any maintenance contractor for a corporate, institutional, or developer property. The exact figures are agreed per contract.

A lawn and tree grid kept to spec under an active maintenance agreement, Batangas

What is landscape maintenance, exactly?

Landscape maintenance covers the recurring work needed to keep an installed landscape functioning as designed: pruning and shaping, fertilizing, pest and disease monitoring and treatment, turf mowing and edging, irrigation system checks and adjustments, mulch and soil top-ups, and replacement of plant material that dies or declines. On corporate and developer properties this work is usually scheduled — weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly visits depending on the site — rather than reactive-only.

Maintenance is not a substitute for construction warranty. Construction warranty covers defects in workmanship (drainage, waterproofing, hardscape); maintenance is the labor and materials to keep living plant material alive and presentable over time. A property can have flawless construction and still lose a landscape to poor maintenance, which is why the two need to be evaluated separately.

What does a landscape maintenance SLA typically cover?

A properly written SLA should specify, in writing, at minimum:

• Visit frequency — how often the crew is on site, and what tasks happen at each visit.
• Corrective response time — how fast the contractor responds once an issue is reported, not just how often they show up on schedule.
• Scope boundaries — what is included (routine care) versus excluded (storm damage, vandalism, client-caused damage, irrigation infrastructure beyond the landscape scope).
• Plant replacement terms — whether failed plant material is replaced under warranty, at what cost split, and for how long after installation.
• Reporting — what documentation the contractor provides (site visit logs, photos, issue registers) so the property owner or facilities team has a record, not just a verbal assurance.
• Escalation path — who to contact when a routine report doesn’t get resolved, and what happens next.

If a maintenance quote or contract doesn’t specify these in writing, treat that as a gap to close before signing — not a detail to assume in the contractor’s favor.

What is a corrective response SLA, and why does 72 hours matter?

A corrective response SLA is the maximum time a contractor commits to responding to a reported issue with an actual site visit and corrective action — as opposed to simply committing to routine visit frequency. MEG typically works to a window on the order of 72 hours, set per contract. That matters because the risk in a landscape is time-sensitive: a failed irrigation zone or an untreated pest outbreak that sits for two weeks waiting for the next scheduled visit can turn a manageable fix into a plant replacement. A defined, contractual response window gives a facilities manager or GC something to hold the contractor to — and something to point to if service lapses.

Lighting and planting kept to spec along an avenue, Batangas — routine maintenance visible after dark, not just by day

What plant warranty backs a maintenance program?

MEG typically backs installed plant material with a replacement warranty in the range of 6 months from installation, covering plant failure under normal conditions per the agreed terms. This is separate from — but usually runs alongside — the maintenance contract, since the maintenance crew is also the party best positioned to catch early signs of plant stress before a warranty claim becomes necessary. The full mechanics of how retention and warranty language should be written for living plant material — including what’s reasonable to ask a contractor for and where warranty responsibility typically ends — are covered in Living Plants, Retention & Warranty Terms.

What should a developer, GC, or facilities manager look for before signing a maintenance contract?

Four questions worth asking any prospective landscape maintenance contractor before award:

1. What is the corrective response time, in writing — not “as soon as possible”?
2. What is the plant replacement warranty period, and what’s excluded?
3. Does the same contractor that installed the landscape also maintain it, or is there a handoff to a separate maintenance vendor — and if so, what documentation transfers with it? (See Landscape Maintenance Contractor Handover for what should be captured at that handoff.)
4. What reporting does the contractor provide — visit logs, photos, an issue register — so performance is auditable rather than assumed?

How does MEG structure its maintenance SLA?

MEG maintains landscapes it installs — and, on request, landscapes installed by others — under contracts that specify visit frequency, a defined corrective response window (typically around 72 hours), and documented reporting, so facilities teams have a verifiable record of what was done and when, not just a recurring invoice. Terms — visit frequency, response window, and warranty period — are set per contract and confirmed before work begins, not assumed from a standard template.

Where to start

If you’re evaluating a maintenance contractor — for MEG-installed work or a landscape installed by someone else — the starting point is a site assessment against your actual conditions. Book a consultation to scope an SLA for your property, or see Landscape Maintenance Contractor Handover if you’re transitioning from an existing maintenance provider. Reach us directly at inquiry@meglandscaping.com / +63 928 551 0587.