Valet trash service agreements: what to include

This guide walks through the clauses of a valet trash service agreement in the order most agreements present them. It is written for both sides of the table: the property manager reading an operator’s paper, and the operator writing a first agreement. It describes what each clause does and what to look for. It is general information and not legal advice.

Parties and property

The agreement names the operator and the customer. The customer is the owner of the property, or the management company signing as the owner’s agent. It identifies the property by name and address and states the number of units, because the unit count drives the price.

What to look for:

• The legal name of each party, not a trade name alone.
• The unit count the price is based on, and whether it means total units or occupied units.
• What happens to the agreement if the property is sold or the management company changes.

Scope of service

This clause says what the operator will do. For doorstep collection that means which nights, during what window, from which doors, and where the trash ends up.

What to look for:

• The pickup nights per week, named by day.
• The set-out window for residents and the collection window for the operator.
• Whether recycling is collected, and whether it is kept separate.
• Where collected trash goes: the property’s compactor or dumpster.
• What the collector does with items that break the rules, such as loose trash or oversized boxes.
• Any work beyond doorstep collection, such as bulk item removal, breezeway cleaning or dumpster area cleanup, and whether it is included or billed separately.

Price and billing

Valet trash is priced per door, per month. The agreement states the rate, what it is multiplied by, and when it is billed.

What to look for:

• The per-door rate and the unit count it applies to.
• Whether vacant units are billed.
• Setup or onboarding charges, and container charges if the operator supplies cans.
• The billing date, payment terms and late fees.
• The price escalation: whether the rate can rise during the term, by how much, and with what notice.

The price in this agreement is what the property pays the operator. The fee a resident sees on a lease is set by the property and is a separate matter. See how valet trash is priced.

Holiday schedule

Operators do not collect on some holidays. The agreement lists which ones and says whether a make-up night is provided.

What to look for:

• The named holidays with no service.
• Whether a make-up pickup follows, and when.
• Who tells residents: the operator or the office.

Containers

Someone supplies the cans residents set out. The agreement says who, and who owns them.

What to look for:

• Who supplies the containers and who pays for them.
• Who owns them when the agreement ends.
• Who replaces a lost or damaged container, and at what cost.
• The container size and any requirement that it have a lid.

Staffing

This clause describes who does the work.

What to look for:

• Whether collectors are employees of the operator or contractors.
• Whether the operator background checks collectors before they work on the property.
• Uniforms and identification.
• Who the office calls when something goes wrong, and during what hours.

Insurance and liability

The agreement states what insurance the operator carries and how responsibility is divided if something is damaged or someone is hurt.

What to look for:

• The types of coverage the operator carries and the limits.
• Whether the property is named as an additional insured.
• Whether the operator provides a certificate of insurance, and how often it is renewed.
• The indemnification clause: who covers whom, and for what.
• Any cap on the operator’s liability.

Service verification and missed pickups

A missed door is the most common complaint. The agreement says how service is proven and what happens when it is not performed.

What to look for:

• How the operator records that a route was run: a log, photos or a manager portal.
• How a missed pickup is reported, and how fast the operator responds.
• Whether the property receives a credit for missed service.
• How resident rule violations are reported to the office.

Term and renewal

The term is how long the agreement runs. The renewal clause says what happens at the end.

What to look for:

• The length of the initial term.
• Whether the agreement renews automatically, and for how long.
• The window for giving notice that you do not want to renew, and the form that notice has to take.

Termination

This clause says how either side can end the agreement before the term is up.

What to look for:

• Termination for cause: what counts as a breach, and how long the other side has to fix it.
• Termination without cause: whether it is allowed, the notice period, and any fee.
• What happens to containers and prepaid amounts when the agreement ends.

Before you sign: a checklist

Operator profiles in this directory carry the same ten questions. Get the answers in writing.

1. What does the property pay per door per month, and what is the resident fee?
2. How many nights a week is pickup, and what is the collection window?
3. Do you carry general liability insurance and can you name the property on a certificate?
4. Are collectors background checked, uniformed and W-2 employees?
5. What happens when a pickup is missed, and how is it reported to the office?
6. Do you handle bulk items, move-out trash-outs or dumpster overflow, and at what cost?
7. Do you collect recycling separately, and what does the property need to provide?
8. What is the contract length, the notice period and the price escalation?
9. Do you provide nightly service verification, photos or a manager portal?
10. Do you supply resident bins, and how do you handle fire-code and breezeway rules?