The Service Agreement

Perhaps the most important tool a contractor brings to the table us the service agreement.   It is what determines exactly what work will be done, how or in what way it will be done, and when or how long for it to be done.

As much as many people say they dislike reading through things like inclusions and exclusions, these are what protect both parties from accidents as well as predatory actions.  Because, yes, sometimes either of the parties will, if not intentionally, at least willfully,  take unfair advantage of the other.

So things need to be spelled out.  No one likes to be ripped off.  No one wants to be sued.  With a clear understanding of exactly who's responsible for doing what, at each stage of the process, it makes it easier to plan, prepare,  and execute.

Assumptions are the big project killer in interactions like these.  Someone assumes that the other one will deal with some particular.   Only to find that wasn't it.

Even as a professional handyman,  I implement a service agreement on most all of the projects I work on.  It gets all responsibilities of each party up front.  It is my most important tool in many ways.