Our condominium association hired Better View Landscapes (BVL) about a year ago to provide year-round property maintenance including snow and ice removal in the winter and lawn mowing, fertilizing, and weed control in the summer. Previously we had contracted with several different companies over the years for these services, none of which proved satisfactory. But so far we are very pleased with both the workmanship and value provided by BVL.
BVL offers an extensive, cafeteria-style menu of services. You can choose exactly which ones you want without having to pay for any you don't need. Their preferred method of payment is to be given your credit card number, which they will hold on to and charge upon completion of each service or each instance of a recurring service like mowing your lawn. As an alternative, we asked to be billed weekly for services performed the previous week, which we then paid for by mailing a check every week. Obviously this arrangement involves more paperwork, but it gives us as the customer more leverage should any problem or dispute arise. But so far it's been smooth sailing and we commend BVL for agreeing to this payment method. I believe they also offer an annual "fixed-price" contract where you pay a one-time fee up front for everything regardless of how many mowings you lawn needs that summer or how many snowstorms occur that winter. This can be a bargain if it's an unusually snowy winter and a good option if you're risk averse or have a strict (but generous) budget.
We also believe the prices BVL charges for routine services like mowing the lawn or plowing the driveway are very reasonable. They're less than or about the same as other companies we've employed and the quality of the work is better.
Another thing we like about BVL is the excellent communication from the head office (via email) advising customers of upcoming work to be performed, changes in service schedules due to weather conditions, etc. This is especially welcome in the winter so you know, for example, when your driveway will be cleared following a snowstorm. BVL also proactively solicits customer feedback from time to time asking you to tell them what they're doing right or what needs improvement -- and in our experience they act quickly to address any concerns.
Finally, we've found the crew members that work on our property to be polite and eager to please. If you've got a patch of lawn that needs a little extra attention or some windblown debris that needs to be picked up, they're happy to do it (assuming, of course, it's not completely out of scope of what they've been contracted to do).
We highly recommend Better View Landscapes.