Per-Storm vs. Seasonal Commercial Snow Contracts: What Each One Does to Your Slip-and-Fall Risk

Most property managers compare snow contracts on price. The bigger difference is what happens at 5 a.m. on a storm day, and who is on the hook if someone falls at 7. Here is how we explain the two options to the businesses we plow in Quincy and the South Shore.

Per-storm: you pay when it snows

You are billed each time the trigger is hit. In a light winter you save money. The risk is scheduling: per-storm accounts are serviced after seasonal accounts, so on a big storm your lot may still be unplowed when the first employee pulls in. If a tenant or customer falls on an uncleared walk, your contract and the service log are the first things the insurance company asks for.

Seasonal: a fixed price, a guaranteed place on the route

One price for the winter, whether it snows four times or twenty. Your property is on the route map before the season starts, with a set service order and a salting plan. The log shows every visit with a time stamp. For a business open to the public, that log is usually what keeps a slip-and-fall claim from going anywhere.

What to make sure the contract says

• The trigger. Ours is 2 inches. Make sure the contract names a number, not "as needed."
• Walks and entries, not just the lot. Most falls happen on the walk between the parking lot and the door, not in the lot.
• Salting. Whether it is included, what product, and whether it is applied before the storm as well as after.
• Where the snow goes. Piles that block sightlines or melt across the walk and refreeze are a liability of their own.
• Insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming your property. We provide one on every commercial account.

Our commercial options

Full Service with salt on a per-storm or seasonal basis, sized by lot. Routes cover Quincy, Braintree, Weymouth, and Dorchester. Commercial routes have limited room each season because we size the crew around the seasonal list, so the earlier you sign, the better the service order you get.