Service Contract Renewal Checklist

Pull the executed contract, the scope of work, and any change orders or amendments from the vendor file in AppFolio, Buildium, or Yardi. Confirm the auto-renewal clause and the notice-of-non-renewal window — many service contracts auto-renew at 30 or 60 days out, and missing the window locks you in for another term.

Walk through the SOW line by line. Common gaps: pool chemistry frequency in summer, after-hours emergency response carve-outs, snow removal trigger depth, landscaping bed-mulch refreshes, HVAC filter sizes that changed when units were renovated.

Pull two or three comparable quotes from peer vendors for the same scope. NARPM regional groups and BiggerPockets local threads are useful sanity checks. A 3-7% annual escalator is normal; a double-digit increase needs a documented justification before you accept it.

Check the GL line for this service against the approved owner budget. If the renewal pushes the line over budget, the asset manager or owner needs to approve the variance before you sign — not after.

Survey the maintenance supervisor, leasing staff, and any residents who logged work orders against this vendor. Resident-facing services (pool, landscaping, pest control) carry reputational risk that doesn't show up in the SLA numbers.

Request a fresh certificate of insurance with the property listed as additional insured, plus current general liability and workers comp. Confirm the W-9 on file matches the legal entity on the invoice — mismatched names are the most common reason year-end 1099 filings get kicked back. Bonded status matters for any vendor with key access or cash handling.

Most vendors will propose scope changes alongside a price change — added preventive maintenance visits, reduced-frequency service swaps, parts-and-labor carve-outs. Map each proposed change against the actual building need before agreeing.

Use the prior contract as the base; red-line the scope updates, the new pricing, the SLA changes, and any indemnification or insurance-minimums language the owner's counsel has flagged in the past.

Anchor the negotiation on the comparable bids and the prior 12 months of performance data. Push back on auto-escalators above CPI, late-fee asymmetries, and any clause that limits your right to terminate for cause without a cure period.

Per the management agreement, vendor contracts above the spending-authority threshold need owner or asset-manager sign-off before execution. Send the red-lined contract, the comp bids, and the performance summary in one packet.

Send via DocuSign, Adobe Sign, or the e-sign module in your PM software. Both signers (vendor principal and the property's signatory of record) must sign before the effective date — backdated signatures are an audit finding waiting to happen.

The renewal COI must list the ownership entity (not the management company alone) as additional insured on general liability, with limits at or above the contract minimums. A COI that names only the management company leaves the owner exposed for any vendor incident on premises.

Map the last service date under the old contract against the first service date under the new one. Pool, landscaping, and snow removal cutovers are particularly sensitive — a missed week between vendors creates a resident-visible gap and a compliance exposure for any state-mandated inspection.

Confirm gate codes, key fobs, and after-hours dispatch numbers. If you've changed work-order systems (Latchel, AppFolio Work Orders, Lessen), walk the vendor through ticket assignment and required photo-uploads at job completion.