Service contract template
Almost every argument in route work is about something nobody wrote down. This template is built around the two columns that prevent them: what the monthly rate covers, and what it plainly does not.
A service agreement is mostly an exclusions list. Edit both columns to match what you actually do, print two copies, sign both.
Included in the monthly rate
- —Test and balance free chlorine, pH and total alkalinity on every visit
- —Empty skimmer and pump baskets
- —Brush walls, steps and waterline; net the surface
- —Vacuum as required, up to 15 minutes per visit
- —Backwash or clean the filter when pressure rises 8–10 psi over clean
- —Record every reading and every chemical added, and leave the log with the client
Not included
- —Draining, acid washing or pressure washing the shell
- —Equipment repair or replacement (quoted separately)
- —Green-pool recovery after a lapse in service or a storm
- —Chemicals beyond routine balancing, billed at cost plus handling
- —Pool covers, heaters and automation faults
- —Any work requiring the water to be below the tile line
Your Pool Service will service Client name's pool on this schedule: Weekly, Tuesdays. The monthly rate is $165.00, billed in advance. Either party may end this agreement with 14 days' written notice. Water chemistry is maintained inside the operating bands published by the pool's local health authority; where none applies, the WHO recreational-water guidance bands are used.
Signed — Your Pool Service
Signed — Client name
The exclusions column earns its keep
Green-pool recovery after a client turned the pump off for a fortnight is not weekly service. Neither is an equipment repair, a drain, or a storm clean-up. Write those out once and you never have the conversation again — or if you do, you have it with a piece of paper in your hand.
Clauses worth keeping
| Clause | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| Access and gate code | A locked gate is a wasted stop; say who pays for it |
| Water level | Running a pump dry is an owner-caused equipment failure |
| Chemicals at cost plus handling | Protects you when supplier prices move mid-season |
| Notice period both ways | Fair, and it survives a route sale |
| Chemistry standard named | Removes “the water was fine last week” as an argument |
Not legal advice
This is a starting document. Consumer-contract rules, notice periods and licensing vary by state and county — have a local attorney read it once before you put a hundred clients on it.
Signing it
Print two, sign both, leave one. Then bill against it with the invoice template, and when you sell the route the agreements are the asset the buyer is actually paying for — as the route valuation makes obvious.