How to Choose a Landscaper 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

Most domestic building work in South Australia must be carried out by a licensed building work contractor. Specifically:

• Building work contractor’s licence — domestic building work, including prescribed work such as paving and fencing, generally needs an appropriately licensed contractor.
• Plumbing and electrical work — always requires licensed specialists.

Check with Consumer and Business Services (CBS) if you’re unsure whether your job needs a licensed contractor.

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 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. Workers’ compensation (ReturnToWorkSA)

If the contractor employs workers, they need to be registered with ReturnToWorkSA (the scheme formerly known as WorkCover SA). An uninsured employer leaves everyone on site exposed if someone is hurt.

Ask for evidence of current registration. Sole traders with no employees generally don’t need to register — 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 of $20,000 or more

In SA, domestic building work contracts of $20,000 or more must be in writing (the threshold rose from $12,000 on 10 November 2025). A good contract 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: for domestic building work, SA law caps the deposit — $1,000 for work up to $20,000, and 5% of the contract price for work over $20,000 (some extra preliminary costs, such as insurance premiums, can be charged). A demand for more than that is a red flag.
• Progress payments: Tied to milestones — site prep complete, structural work complete, planting complete, etc.
• Final payment: held back until practical completion and any defects are 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. Be wary of anyone who door-knocks offering a cheap job with materials “left over” from another site.
• 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 can tell you, in writing, what workmanship warranty applies to structures and planting, and how defects are handled — on top of your rights under Australian Consumer Law and SA building legislation.

Get a clear, itemised quote

Checking a contractor’s licences, references, and insurance takes work — that’s the reality. Use the checklist above on anyone you talk to, including us. Request a free quote and tell us about your project and we’ll get back to you within 24–48 hours.

More Adelaide landscaping guides

• How Long Does Landscaping Take Adelaide — Real Timelines
• When to Landscape Adelaide — Best Season for Each Job
• Coastal Landscaping Adelaide — Henley, Glenelg, Brighton