Not every iguana operator can handle a 300-unit waterfront association. Here's what to look for — and what to walk away from — when the property is big.
A guy with a truck and a net can handle a backyard. A large waterfront community — hundreds of units, thousands of feet of seawall and lake bank, amenity decks, a clubhouse — is a different order of job, and a lot of operators who do fine on a single-family lot fall apart at that scale. If your board is choosing a vendor for a big property, here's what actually separates the ones who can carry it from the ones who can't.
None of this is exotic. It's the same handful of things every time, and asking about them up front saves a board from switching vendors a year in.
Can they run a program, not just a visit?
The first filter: does the vendor think in terms of a scheduled program, or a one-time job? A large community's pressure refills from adjacent water continuously, so control has to be continuous. A vendor who quotes 'we'll come clear it out' without a cadence, a scope, and a plan for spring nesting is quoting the wrong thing. Ask how they'd structure the ongoing program, and listen for whether they've done it at your scale.
The non-negotiables
A few requirements should be pass/fail for a large property. If a vendor can't clear these, the size of the job will expose them.
- A certificate of insurance naming the association — before any work.
- Documented reporting after each visit, in a form the manager can file.
- One accountable contact who learns the property, not a rotating crew.
- A scope that maps the actual common areas — seawalls, lakes, decks, beds.
- Green iguanas handled within Florida's rules, humanely.
Watch the terms and the price
Two things to scrutinize. First, the contract: some vendors lean on multi-year lock-in to keep a community even when the service slips. We run programs without lock-in and on custom pricing, because a board should be able to leave if we stop earning it — and it's fair to ask any bidder why they need a long term. Second, a price far below everyone else usually means something's missing — often the insurance, the burrow work, or the cadence. Cheap-and-thin costs more when you're back out to bid with a slumping seawall a year later.
Ask for the assessment first
A vendor who quotes a large community sight-unseen is guessing. The right first step is a walk of the common areas that maps where the pressure actually is, and the number should come from that. Our assessments are free, which means a board can get a real, property-specific scope and price at no cost — and compare it honestly against the others. Start at /commercial or /commercial/hoa, or request a written proposal at /commercial/request-a-proposal.
Questions we hear
What's the single biggest thing to check?
Whether the vendor runs a scheduled program or just a one-time visit. A large community refills from adjacent water continuously, so control has to be continuous. A vendor who quotes 'we'll clear it out' with no cadence or nesting-season plan is quoting the wrong job for a big property.
Is a long contract a good sign of commitment?
Not necessarily — sometimes it's how a vendor keeps a community when the service slips. We run programs without lock-in on custom pricing, so a board can leave if we stop earning it. It's fair to ask any bidder why they need a multi-year term.
Should we trust a bid that's much cheaper than the rest?
Be careful. A price far below the others usually means something's missing — the insurance, the burrow collapse, or the ongoing cadence. Cheap-and-thin tends to cost more when the population refills and you're back out to bid with new seawall damage a year later.
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