Lawn Mowing & Garden Service Warranty

1. Scope of This Schedule

1.1 This schedule sets out the warranty terms specific to lawn mowing and garden maintenance services booked through URGENT Pro. It is a service-specific schedule under the URGENT Pro Service Warranty (Master).

1.2 This schedule covers the following sub-categories of lawn and garden service:

1. Lawn Mowing — mowing of the lawn area, edging where booked, removal or bagging of clippings where booked;
2. Horticultural Garden Work — pruning, hedging, weeding, mulching, garden-bed maintenance, planting of supplied plants;
3. Garden Tidy-Up — small-scale combinations of lawn mowing and basic horticultural work performed as a single visit; and
4. Whipper Snipping and Brush-Cutting — overgrown grass and weed cutting using line trimmers and brush cutters.

1.3 The following are not within the scope of this schedule and are covered by other arrangements where booked through URGENT Pro:

1. tree lopping and tree felling — these require licensed arborist work in most jurisdictions and are outside the scope of an ordinary garden service;
2. landscaping construction — retaining walls, decking, paving, irrigation-system installation, garden-bed construction;
3. pesticide and herbicide application by licensed pest-control or weed-control operators (covered by separate service-specific terms);
4. garden waste removal in bulk (covered by the Rubbish Removal Service Warranty); and
5. commercial grounds maintenance on a scheduled-contract basis with bespoke service-level terms.

1.4 All defined terms in this schedule have the meanings given in the Service Warranty (Master) clause 2 unless this schedule provides a different definition (see clause 2 below).

2. Definitions Specific to Lawn and Garden Services

In addition to the defined terms in the Service Warranty (Master) clause 2:

"Agreed Height"

means the height to which the lawn is to be mowed, expressed in millimetres. Where the Customer does not specify, the Agreed Height is the height the Service Provider judges to be consistent with the visible growth pattern and the grass species, within the industry-standard range of 25–40 millimetres for typical Australian residential lawn species.

"Edging"

means the trimming of grass at the boundary of the lawn — typically along garden beds, paths, driveways, and fences — using a line trimmer or edging tool.

"Garden Bed"

means an area within the Property planted with ornamental, productive, or native plants, distinct from the lawn.

"Hidden Object"

means an object on the Property that was not reasonably visible to the Service Provider on a pre-mow Walk-Through, including stumps below ground level, rocks buried in the grass, pet toys left in the lawn, hose connectors, sprinkler heads not above ground, and below-ground irrigation lines whose location was not disclosed by the Customer.

"Horticultural Work"

means garden maintenance work that requires identifying individual plants and making decisions about which to cut, prune, hedge, or remove. Horticultural Work is contrasted with mowing, which operates indiscriminately across the lawn area.

"Irrigation Line"

means any pipe, tubing, dripper, sprinkler line, or other component of an irrigation system whether above- or below-ground.

"Lawn Area"

means the area of grass nominated in the Booking for mowing.

"Pre-Mow Walk-Through"

means the visual inspection by the Service Provider on arrival at the Property, before commencing mowing, to identify the Lawn Area, identify visible hazards, identify items belonging to the Customer in the Lawn Area, and confirm the Agreed Height.

"Pre-Work Sign-Off"

means the Customer's express agreement to the specific Horticultural Work to be performed, including identification of the specific plants, branches, or areas to be cut, pruned, hedged, or removed. Pre-Work Sign-Off may be recorded by photographs annotated by the Customer, by a checklist agreed and signed before work commences, or by URGENT Pro platform confirmation.

"Visible Hazard"

means a hazard on the Property that was reasonably visible to the Service Provider on the Pre-Mow Walk-Through, including above-ground irrigation infrastructure, garden beds adjacent to the Lawn Area, fences, ornamental features, exposed roots, exposed stumps, and items left in the Lawn Area by the Customer.

3. Warranty Periods for Lawn and Garden Services

3.1 The applicable Warranty Period and Warranty Start Time for each sub-category is set out in the table below. Each Warranty Period reflects the rate at which natural change (grass regrowth, weather, post-service use, irrigation) makes attribution of any defect to the Service Provider's performance more difficult.

3.2 The 24-hour Warranty Period for Lawn Mowing reflects three physical realities:

1. Grass grows at 2–6 mm per day in active growing conditions — a "missed area" or "uneven cut" claim becomes increasingly difficult to attribute to the Service Provider as natural growth fills in any gap;
2. Rain, sun, wind, and irrigation redistribute clippings and re-flatten the lawn within hours of the mow; and
3. Post-mow use by people, pets, or vehicles further alters the immediate visual outcome.

3.3 The 48-hour Warranty Period for Horticultural Garden Work reflects the higher cost of defective performance (a wrongly cut plant cannot be uncut) and the need for the Customer to inspect carefully against the Pre-Work Sign-Off.

3.4 Warranty Periods do not displace Your rights under the ACL. Where a claim is made after the applicable Warranty Period has expired, Your rights under the ACL — including the Consumer Guarantees in ACL sections 60, 61 and 62 — remain available to You.

4. Lawn Mowing — Standard of Service

4.1 Lawn mowing is performed to the standard a reasonably competent professional mowing contractor would deliver, including:

1. mowing the Lawn Area to the Agreed Height;
2. cutting evenly across the Lawn Area, allowing for underlying terrain;
3. avoiding striking Visible Hazards;
4. edging the boundaries of the Lawn Area where edging is booked;
5. collecting or bagging clippings where collection or bagging is booked; and
6. leaving the Lawn Area in a reasonably tidy condition.

4.2 The Agreed Height. Where the Customer specifies a height, the Service Provider mows to that height. Where the Customer does not specify, the Service Provider selects a height consistent with the visible growth pattern and the grass species, within the industry-standard range of 25–40 millimetres for typical Australian residential lawn species (couch, kikuyu, buffalo blends). The URGENT Pro booking flow will prompt You to specify a height where You have a preference.

4.3 Underlying terrain. Where the lawn surface is uneven, sloped, or has subtle dips and rises that are not visible from above, the mower will follow the contour and will produce a cut that follows the contour. Variations in the visual appearance of the lawn that are explained by underlying terrain are not warranty defects.

5. Lawn Mowing — Default Inclusions

5.1 A Lawn Mowing service includes:

1. Mowing of the agreed Lawn Area to the Agreed Height;
2. Edging of the boundaries of the Lawn Area, where edging is booked as part of the service;
3. Removal or bagging of clippings, where removal or bagging is booked as part of the service;
4. A Pre-Mow Walk-Through to identify Visible Hazards and items belonging to the Customer in the Lawn Area;
5. Free remedy of missed areas within 24 hours — where an area of the Lawn Area within the agreed scope was not mowed or was cut unevenly in a way not explained by underlying terrain, the Service Provider will return at no additional cost within 24 hours to remedy the missed area;
6. Reasonable tidying of the area after mowing, including removing larger clippings from adjacent hard surfaces; and
7. Public Liability Insurance for damage caused to the Property by Service Provider negligence.

6. Lawn Mowing — Default Exclusions

6.1 Lawn Mowing does not cover:

1. Grass regrowth after the mow — grass continues to grow at 2–6 mm per day; regrowth visible 24 hours or more after the mow is natural change, not a defect;
2. Lawn disease, fungal infection, or pest infestation appearing after the mow — where a lawn shows symptoms of disease or infestation after mowing, the cause is the underlying condition of the lawn, not the act of mowing. Post hoc ergo propter hoc is not causation: the mow may be the most recent event but it is not necessarily the cause;
3. Damage to Hidden Objects as defined in clause 2 — Service Providers are not liable for striking objects that were not visible to the Service Provider on the Pre-Mow Walk-Through. See clause 11 (the "Visible Before Starting" Rule);
4. Irrigation Line damage where the Customer did not disclose the location of buried lines — buried Irrigation Lines are a Hidden Object unless the Customer disclosed their location at booking or marked them on the Property before mowing commenced;
5. Root damage from undisclosed overgrown areas — where the lawn has been allowed to grow significantly higher than usual or has overrun into garden beds, mowing it back may expose damaged root systems that were not visible before mowing began;
6. Cosmetic preference variations not specified at booking — where the Customer's preferred visual outcome differs from the standard described in clause 4, that preference must be specified at booking;
7. Weather damage after the service — rain that re-flattens the lawn, wind that redistributes clippings, sun that fades the appearance of freshly cut grass, or irrigation damage to the cut surface;
8. Damage to plants, pets, or property struck by clippings or debris thrown by the mower, where reasonable safety practice was followed;
9. Damage to fences, walls, or structures adjacent to the Lawn Area caused by the Customer's failure to provide adequate clearance or by structural deficiency in the adjacent structure;
10. Items in the Lawn Area that were not visible to the Service Provider on the Pre-Mow Walk-Through and were struck or damaged during mowing (pet toys, hose connectors, ornaments left in the lawn);
11. Lawn restoration — restoring a lawn that was already in poor condition (patchy, bare, diseased) to a healthy condition is not within the scope of a mowing service; and
12. Universal exclusions in the Service Warranty (Master) clause 8 also apply.

7. Lawn Mowing — Conditional Inclusions

7.1 The following may be added to a Lawn Mowing service at the time of booking, as paid add-ons:

1. Edging of the Lawn Area boundaries — included as a default where booked;
2. Removal or bagging of clippings — included as a default where booked;
3. Weed removal from garden beds adjacent to the Lawn Area — small-scale and as identified before commencement;
4. Whipper Snipping of areas not accessible to the mower; and
5. Hedge or shrub trimming of identified plants — subject to the Horticultural Garden Work framework in clauses 8–10 below.

8. Horticultural Garden Work — Standard of Service

8.1 Horticultural Garden Work is performed to the standard a reasonably competent professional gardener would deliver, including:

1. Identifying the specific plants, branches, or areas to be cut, pruned, hedged, or removed in accordance with the Pre-Work Sign-Off;
2. Working to the agreed shape, height, or extent as documented in the Pre-Work Sign-Off;
3. Using appropriate tools and techniques for the plant species and the time of year;
4. Avoiding damage to adjacent plants that are not within the Pre-Work Sign-Off; and
5. Removing or stacking cuttings as agreed at booking.

8.2 Horticultural Work involves making decisions about which plants to cut. This is categorically different from mowing, which operates indiscriminately across the Lawn Area. The risk of cutting the wrong plant — a destruction-of-property risk — requires explicit pre-work scope agreement.

9. Horticultural Garden Work — The Pre-Work Sign-Off Requirement

9.1 Why Pre-Work Sign-Off

9.1.1 Cutting the wrong plant is a destruction of the Customer's property by the Service Provider's choice. Unlike a missed area in mowing — which can be remedied by mowing the missed area — a wrongly cut plant cannot be uncut. Pre-Work Sign-Off is therefore the critical warranty mechanism for Horticultural Work.

9.1.2 Without Pre-Work Sign-Off, neither party has contemporaneous evidence of what the Customer intended the Service Provider to do. The Service Provider may then cut a plant the Customer wanted preserved, and the dispute becomes evidentially unresolvable.

9.2 What Pre-Work Sign-Off Looks Like

9.2.1 Pre-Work Sign-Off may be recorded in any of the following ways, in descending order of evidentiary strength:

1. Annotated photographs — the Customer marks the specific plants, branches, or areas on photographs taken at the Pre-Work Walk-Through;
2. A checklist agreed and signed — a written list of specific plants and the work to be done on each, signed by the Customer before commencement;
3. URGENT Pro platform confirmation — confirmation through the URGENT Pro app of the specific scope, including any annotated images uploaded; or
4. In-person verbal agreement on a walk-around with photographs taken by the Service Provider — the lowest-strength form, used only where higher-strength methods are not practical.

9.3 Consequences of Skipping Pre-Work Sign-Off

9.3.1 Where Horticultural Work proceeds without Pre-Work Sign-Off:

1. the Service Provider should not proceed and may decline to perform the work;
2. if the work nonetheless proceeds and a dispute arises about scope, the Customer's claim is materially weakened by the absence of contemporaneous evidence;
3. URGENT Pro will weigh the available evidence on the balance of probabilities; and
4. Your rights under the ACL are not extinguished by the absence of Pre-Work Sign-Off, but proof of the agreed scope under ACL section 61 is harder to establish.

10. Horticultural Garden Work — Inclusions and Exclusions

10.1 Default Inclusions

10.1.1 Horticultural Garden Work includes:

1. the work specified in the Pre-Work Sign-Off, performed to the standard in clause 8.1;
2. appropriate use of tools and techniques for the plant species worked on;
3. collection or stacking of cuttings as agreed;
4. Public Liability Insurance for damage to the Property; and
5. Free remedy within 48 hours for work that does not match the Pre-Work Sign-Off — where the remedy is practical (for example, finishing an incomplete hedge cut). Where remedy is not practical (because the plant has been cut and cannot be uncut), the remedy structure in clause 14 applies.

10.2 Default Exclusions

10.2.1 Horticultural Garden Work does not cover:

1. Plant survival or future growth — the Service Provider is not a warranty against plant death, disease, or failure to thrive. Pruning and hedging are stress events for plants, and even competent work can result in plant decline particularly outside the appropriate seasonal window;
2. Cutting the wrong plant without Pre-Work Sign-Off — see clause 9.3.1(b); the claim is dealt with under remedy clause 14 but the absence of Sign-Off materially affects the evidence;
3. Cosmetic outcome variations where the Customer's preferred result differs from the Pre-Work Sign-Off documentation;
4. Damage to adjacent plants from incidental contact where reasonable care was taken;
5. Seasonal effects on the plant — plants pruned outside their appropriate seasonal window may respond by die-back, leaf drop, or reduced flowering, and this is not within the Service Provider's control;
6. Identification of plants by the Service Provider where the Customer relies on the Service Provider's identification — if the Customer asks the Service Provider to identify which plants to prune and the Service Provider's identification is wrong, the Service Provider is responsible for the cutting decision; but if the Customer identifies the plants and the Service Provider acts on the Customer's identification, the Customer bears the identification risk;
7. Damage to irrigation, fencing, or other infrastructure caused by the Customer's failure to disclose its presence at the Pre-Work Walk-Through;
8. Removal of dead plant matter unless removal was specifically booked; and
9. Universal exclusions in the Service Warranty (Master) clause 8 also apply.

10.3 Conditional Inclusions

10.3.1 The following may be added to Horticultural Garden Work at the time of booking, as paid add-ons:

1. Planting of customer-supplied plants — with no warranty against plant survival;
2. Mulching of garden beds with customer-supplied or contractor-supplied mulch;
3. Weed removal by hand, including identification of weeds vs. desirable plants in accordance with the Pre-Work Sign-Off; and
4. Removal of cuttings off-site — disposal of green waste at a Licensed Facility (covered under the Rubbish Removal Service Warranty if booked separately).

11. The "Visible Before Starting" Rule

11.1 The Service Provider's obligation to avoid damage extends only to hazards reasonably visible during the Pre-Mow Walk-Through or Pre-Work Walk-Through.

11.2 Where Hidden Objects are present at the Property:

1. the Service Provider is not liable for striking them with the mower or any garden tool;
2. the Service Provider is required to stop work immediately on contact with a Hidden Object;
3. the Service Provider must notify You immediately of the contact, including (where possible) the nature of the object and its location;
4. where damage to the mower or garden tool occurs, the Customer is not liable for repair costs unless the Customer failed to disclose a hazard the Customer knew about; and
5. where damage occurs to the Hidden Object (for example, an Irrigation Line struck by the mower), the Customer is responsible for repair unless the location of the object was disclosed before mowing began.

11.3 The most common Hidden Objects in residential lawns are:

1. buried Irrigation Lines — where above-ground markers are not present and the Customer did not disclose the location;
2. stumps below ground level — particularly tree stumps cut at or below grass height after tree removal;
3. rocks buried in the grass — where the rock is no longer visible from above;
4. pet toys, hose connectors, and small ornaments left in the Lawn Area;
5. timber stakes used to support plants and forgotten; and
6. electrical cabling for garden lighting that has been buried without conduit.

11.4 Disclosure protects both parties. Where You disclose Hidden Objects to the Service Provider at booking or at the Pre-Mow Walk-Through, the Service Provider can mow around them. Where You do not disclose, neither party benefits when the mower strikes the object.

12. Customer Obligations for Lawn and Garden Services

12.1 In addition to the Customer Obligations in the Service Warranty (Master) clause 10, You agree:

1. to specify the Agreed Height at booking, where You have a preference; otherwise to accept the Service Provider's selection within the industry-standard range;
2. to disclose all Hidden Objects known to You at the Property, including buried Irrigation Lines, stumps, rocks, electrical cabling, and items the Service Provider should mow or work around;
3. to remove personal items (pet toys, ornaments, hose connectors, garden tools) from the Lawn Area before the Service Provider arrives;
4. to participate in the Pre-Mow Walk-Through on the Service Provider's arrival, to confirm the Lawn Area and identify Visible Hazards;
5. for Horticultural Work, to participate in the Pre-Work Walk-Through and provide Pre-Work Sign-Off in one of the forms in clause 9.2.1;
6. to provide reasonable access to the Property and to the Lawn Area, including gate access, parking, and clearance of obstructions;
7. to remove pets and children from the Lawn Area during mowing and immediately after, while debris settles;
8. to inspect the work within the Warranty Period and to notify URGENT Pro of any concern within that period; and
9. not to engage a Substitute Provider for the disputed work before the original Service Provider has had a reasonable opportunity to return and remedy.

12.2 Failure to comply with clause 12.1(b), (c), (e), (h), or (i) may reduce or extinguish Your entitlement under the URGENT Pro Service Warranty in respect of the affected work. Failure to comply with clause 12.1 does not extinguish Your rights under the ACL.

13. Evidence Requirements for Lawn and Garden Claims

13.1 To support a warranty claim under this schedule, the following evidence will be considered by URGENT Pro:

1. Dated photographs of the defect taken as close as practicable to the time of discovery, preferably with EXIF metadata intact;
2. The original Scope of Work — the quote, the Booking Confirmation, the Pre-Mow Walk-Through notes;
3. For Horticultural Work, the Pre-Work Sign-Off — annotated photographs, agreed checklist, or URGENT Pro platform record;
4. Before-and-after photographs taken by the Service Provider at completion, which the Service Provider is required to provide to URGENT Pro;
5. Disclosure record of any Hidden Objects disclosed at booking or at the Pre-Mow Walk-Through;
6. Service Provider documentation of any Hidden Object struck or any Visible Hazard observed and reported during the Services; and
7. Your written description of the defect.

13.2 Minimum photo requirements applied by URGENT Pro:

13.3 The standard of proof URGENT Pro applies is the civil standard — the balance of probabilities.

14. Remedies and Re-Performance Timeframes

14.1 The standard remedy under this schedule depends on the type of defect:

14.2 The graduated remedy structure under the Service Warranty (Master) clause 9 applies. Where Re-Performance is impractical, has been refused, or has failed, URGENT Pro will release held funds to engage a Substitute Provider or to arrange a refund.

14.3 For Major Failures under ACL section 268, You — not the Service Provider — choose the remedy, in accordance with the Service Warranty (Master) clause 9.3.

14.4 Examples of Major Failure in lawn and garden services include:

1. failure to perform the service at all (Service Provider does not arrive and no alternative arranged);
2. Horticultural Work that resulted in the removal of a substantial mature tree, hedge, or specimen plant of significant value, contrary to the Customer's intentions and without Pre-Work Sign-Off;
3. substantial damage to Property of a kind that a reasonable Customer fully acquainted with the nature and extent of the failure would not have proceeded with the booking; and
4. work performed in a manner that creates an unsafe situation (for example, leaving a tree branch partially cut, leaving cuttings blocking a driveway in a way that creates a fall hazard).