How to Choose a Landscaper in Adelaide — 7-Point Checklist

Choosing a landscaper for a $20,000-plus project is a high-stakes decision. The wrong choice can mean a half-finished job, fights over scope, and a mess to fix. The right choice gives you a finished space you’ll enjoy for 20 years.

Here’s a 7-point checklist that separates good landscapers from cowboy operators.

1. South Australian licensing

Licensed builders are required for construction work over a defined threshold in South Australia. Specifically:

• Building Work Contractor licence — required for residential construction work over $12,000.
• Specialist licences — paving, fencing, and certain earthworks may require additional licensing depending on scope.
• Plumbing and electrical work — always requires licensed specialists; landscapers should subcontract or work with licensed partners.

Ask for the licence number. Verify it on the South Australian Consumer and Business Services (CBS) website. Walk away if the contractor is evasive.

2. Public liability insurance

Public liability insurance — minimum $20 million coverage — protects you if the contractor or their staff cause damage or injury on your site. A pergola post falling on a neighbour’s car is your problem if the builder is uninsured.

Ask for a Certificate of Currency. Verify the dates (it expires annually) and the coverage amount. The insurer should be a real Australian insurer, not an obscure broker.

3. WorkCover (workers’ compensation)

If the contractor employs anyone, they need WorkCover insurance. Without it, an injured worker on your site can claim against you as the property owner.

Ask for a current WorkCover certificate of registration. Sole-trader contractors with no employees are exempt — but make sure they actually are sole traders.

4. Three references from recent jobs

A serious landscaper has done three or more comparable jobs in the last 18 months and can give you addresses or photos for each. Drive past two of them. Look at how the work has aged.

Red flags:

• Only photos, no addresses.
• All references are from the contractor’s website, not provided on request.
• All references are within the last 3 months (no idea how their work ages).
• Vague answers about specific past jobs.

5. Itemised written quote

A quote should break down:

• Site preparation
• Materials (with brand or grade where relevant)
• Labour (sometimes hidden in material costs but should be visible)
• Subcontracted work (e.g., engineering certification, electrical)
• Disposal costs
• Contingencies and exclusions

A “lump-sum, take-it-or-leave-it” quote with no detail is a red flag. So is a quote on the back of a business card.

6. Written contract for jobs over $12,000

In SA, residential building work over $12,000 must have a written contract that includes:

• Scope of work
• Total price (or detailed itemised pricing)
• Start and finish dates
• Progress payment schedule
• Warranty terms
• Variation procedure

The contract should reference the relevant Australian Consumer Law and SA building legislation. Master Builders SA and HIA both have template contracts. Generic Word documents drafted by the contractor are a yellow flag.

7. Payment terms

Reasonable payment terms in Adelaide:

• Deposit: 5-10% on signing; sometimes higher for special-order materials. Deposits over 20% before work starts is a red flag (and may breach SA building legislation thresholds).
• Progress payments: Tied to milestones — site prep complete, structural work complete, planting complete, etc.
• Final payment: 5-10% withheld until practical completion and any defects rectified.

Red flags:

• Demands for cash only.
• Demand for full payment before start of work.
• “Discount for full payment up front.”
• Refusal to invoice via a registered ABN.

Red flags beyond the checklist

• Door-knocking. Legitimate Adelaide landscapers don’t door-knock looking for jobs.
• Pressure to decide today. “This price is only good if you sign now” is sales pressure, not a discount.
• Inability to explain trade-offs. A good landscaper can explain why they recommend one material or method over another. “Trust me” is not an explanation.
• No interest in your maintenance plan. A good designer-builder talks about how the garden looks at year 5, not just at install.
• Reluctance to provide an ABN. Operating without an ABN signals the contractor isn’t compliant with basic business obligations.

Three questions to ask every landscaper

1. “Walk me through how you’d build a wall on my site, step-by-step.” Tests their knowledge. A good answer mentions excavation, drainage, post embedment, fill, and finish. A weak answer skips the unsexy parts (drainage, compaction).

2. “What part of the spec are you cutting if you have to come down on price?” Tests honesty. A good answer is specific (e.g., “I’d switch to a cheaper paver, not skip the base preparation”). A weak answer is “we wouldn’t compromise on anything” — which means they don’t know.

3. “What’s the warranty, and what does it cover?” A good landscaper offers structural warranty (5+ years on retaining walls and pergolas) and workmanship warranty (1-2 years on plant and material defects).

Get vetted quotes

If checking licences, references, and insurance for three different contractors sounds like work — that’s because it is. We pre-vet every Adelaide landscaper in our network. Request a free quote and we’ll forward your brief to vetted local trades only.