What are people’s thoughts on offering a warranty on a house wash? Looking to separate myself from all the new guys and low ballers. I don’t believe I’m the highest but defiantly not the cheap guy. Considering offering a 12 month warranty on mildew/mold/algae returning.
Not a good idea. You’re setting yourself up to be taken advantage of and that attracts the wrong crowd. There are a lot of factors that go into how soon organic growth returns… if someone is running irrigation for instance they could have you running back to clean little areas for them 3-4 times a year… for free.
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Separate yourself with your professionalism. Hand the customer a nice flyer and business card when they meet you at their door for an estimate. Quickly review the property and explain to them what will be cleaned, but also what will remain after the cleaning (oxidation, spores from mulch, etc.) This lets them know you’ve done this before. Sell them on the advantages your company has to offer. I work in an area that has larger companies whereas it’s just me and one other guy, so I can tell them I’m going to be the one doing the work which goes further than you might think. Just a couple ideas to help you close better. Good luck.
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I do, but not in writing. I tell everyone that if anything comes back in a year or less I’ll come clean it again for free. This is going on my 5th year and I’ve yet to have anyone need me back. A good deep soft washing should last a couple years at least. I’ve done so many houses that the homeowner tells me they just had it done within the past year and say it came back worse than before. 100% of the time they tell me it was pressure washed. There are a ton on guys in my area out cleaning things with just their pressure washers and no chems. I don’t advertise, all my work is word of mouth and I think this is a big reason I stay so busy. I inform the home owner of why and how they way I clean is better and safer, and with the fuzzy feeling of a guarantee they are quick to post on Nextdoor and Facebook about the work I do it spreads. I don’t even have a Facebook account yet I’m on a couple neighborhood’s Facebook pages. I know I’m also on a monthly neighborhood HOA flier in a couple. Do good work at good prices, make your customers happy and you’ll separate yourself from the other guys.
I think the warranry COULD work, but it needs to be structured correctly. Only offer it to cuatomers that are sufficiently nearby, and have them pay extra for the warranty with the knowledge that it does notninclude an infinite number of return trips and does not mean you will wash the entire house again.
So, for example, $75 extra for a one year warranty that covers up to two spot cleans, which normally would cost your minimum charge each time.
Does not include a full house wash. Maximum of two return trips in-warranty. Does not jnclude gutter exteriors (the black specks under the gutters tend to come back faster, I believe.)
Drawbacks are that you COULD cost yourself greater profit from repeat business from customers that would’ve called you back year after year anyway. I usually get called back once every other year, and realistically no one will use the warranty except maybe 1 or 2 people, so if 20 people pay the extra cost of it, that’s money.
I do offer a guarantee. I guarantee this will be dirty again. May be a couple years or more, depending on the humidity or heat we have from one spring and summer to the next, but it will be dirty again. Guaranteed. I think one is setting them self up for head aches if guaranteeing house stays clean for a set period of time. My personal opinion only.
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Yeah i think it’s not the best to guarantee something which is 100% out of your control…
I do have a 1 year algae free warranty I started this year. This is for house washes only though. Algae does not come back very quickly by me here in Wisconsin so im not worried. Plus it seemed to push people to accept my bud as opposed to another company’s since the only one who does it. I may be the only one who does it for a good reason…we will find out next year 
Exactly, dirtiness you can’t guarantee, but algae you can. I do the same 1 year guarantee. This is going on my 5th year and never had to use it. The fastest I’ve had a house get algae again was just over 2 years, but it was very shaded and vinyl siding that had a really rough texture that just holds dirt and water.
Out algae grows back in a year, never fails.
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There’s one bigger company in my area that offers an 18 month guarantee. You can do that up here without a prob.
The problem with a warranty on a house wash is that the low baller can also give one cleaning it the same way as you, now he’s cheaper and warranties his work, if he has any people skills it’s safe to say you’ve lost the job. It can be good and bad, just depends where you sit in the market.
This is very area specific. In my area you can wash a house thoroughly and in a years time you’ve got mold, mildew, and spider webs all over the place again.
Same for us. You’re in NC too, right?
We’ve had a 12-month in place for a while (7-year on roof washes). This year I think it came up maybe 2-3 times, and only once was it legit…and that was a huge tree touching to north side of the house in the woods, so I could have denied it if I really felt like it. But it is a great selling point that helps close a lot of work. We’re in Central VA.
7 years on roof cleanings??? That’s some manufacturing warranties on the shingles. have you gone a full 7 year warrenty on a roof cleaning yet?
No, but 5 years in and I don’t think we’ve ever had a call on one either…
