How to win work from property developers
A small developer finishing a block of townhouses needs it cleaned, landscaped, photographed, styled and signed before buyers walk through. Some of that goes through the builder and some is bought direct. Here is how to tell which, and how to get in front of the right person.
Who they are
This page is about small to mid-sized residential developers: the businesses behind townhouse projects, small apartment buildings, duplexes and land estates. The team is often small, a director or two with a development manager or project manager who runs each project, plus a sales agent and a marketing person or agency brought in as the project nears completion.
The developer buys the land, gets the approvals, arranges the finance and hires a builder to build it. That split is what decides where your work comes from. While the building is going up, the site is usually the builder's to control, and most trades are booked by the builder under the building contract. Work the developer needs for selling and settling the project is more often bought direct, things like marketing photography, styling a display home, signage, and the extra cleaning and tidying that makes a finished home ready for buyers to inspect.
Some developers build for themselves, and then the developer and the builder are the same business. If that is the work you're after, the builders page covers how builders choose their trades.
What they’ll ask a new supplier for
- Your ABN and business details
- Public liability insurance, with a current certificate of currency
- Workers’ compensation cover where you have workers
- A white card for anyone working on an active construction site, and a site induction before you start
- Your trade licence where the work needs one, for example a QBCC licence for structural landscaping in Queensland over $3,300
- For drone photography, your CASA registration and operator accreditation
- A written quote per home or per stage, with what’s included and what isn’t
What they buy, and what they pass on
Builders cleans
The rough clean during and at the end of construction, clearing dust, debris and packaging. Usually booked by the builder, so this is the one to chase through them.
Final cleans before inspection and settlement
A detail clean of windows, tracks, floors, cupboards and fixtures so each home is ready for buyer inspections, photos and handover. Sometimes the builder’s job, sometimes the developer’s.
Landscaping
Gardens, turf, paths, fencing and the entry to an estate or complex. It may be in the building contract or let as a separate package by the developer.
Photography and video
Progress shots, finished photos and drone footage for the sales campaign. Often booked by the developer or their marketing agency.
Styling and display homes
Furniture and styling for a display unit or the homes being photographed, usually through the sales or marketing side.
Signage and site presentation
Site boards, fence banners and directional signs, plus pressure cleaning, window cleaning and touch-ups before an open day or settlement.
How they choose who to use
Fitting a date that moves
Completion dates slip. A supplier who can shift a week without fuss, and still turn up when it’s finally ready, is worth a lot.
One price for the whole project
A per-home or per-lot price is easy to budget across a project and easy to compare between suppliers.
Work that photographs well
The finished homes are the developer’s sales tool. Cleaning, gardens and styling are judged on how they look in the photos and on inspection day.
Working to site rules
Inductions, white cards, safety paperwork and staying out of the way of trades who are still finishing.
Being there for the next project
Developers who do well tend to do another project, and they would rather carry a supplier they trust than start again.
Getting on their list
Small developers rarely run a formal panel. The development manager keeps a list of people they've used before and carries them from project to project, and the builder keeps a separate list of their own. That means there are two doors into the same project, and it pays to know which one leads to your kind of work before you write.
If the site is still under construction, you are working on the builder's site under their safety rules. In NSW you need a white card if you are employed to carry out construction work or need to enter an operational construction zone without direct supervision, and the builder will usually run their own site induction as well. Licensing follows the work rather than the buyer. In Queensland, for example, structural landscaping such as retaining walls, decking, fencing and paving that isn't for vehicles needs a QBCC licence once the job is worth more than $3,300.
Photographers flying a drone over a site for a sales campaign need to meet CASA's rules for work flights. For a drone of 2 kg or less that means an aviation reference number, operator accreditation and a registered drone, flown within the standard operating conditions. Have these ready to show, because a developer's marketing agency may ask before the shoot. The guide to finding business clients has more on building a list of developers worth writing to.
How to approach them
Read the site boards
Development sites usually show the developer, the builder, the selling agent and sometimes the architect. One board can give you three businesses to write to.
Time your email to the stage
Write about cleaning and landscaping while the frame is up, not the week before settlement. Photographers and stylists should write before the marketing campaign is planned.
Ask who books your kind of work
If you’re not sure whether the builder or the developer looks after it, ask. It saves you chasing the wrong person for a month.
Price it the way they budget
Offer a price per home, per lot or per stage so the development manager can drop it straight into the project budget.
Think about the next project
Finish well, send a few photos of the result and ask to be considered for their next site. That is where the repeat work comes from.
A first email that works
Hi Ben, I saw your board on the townhouse site in Wynnum and thought I’d write before it gets close to finishing. I run a small cleaning business in Brisbane’s east and we do final cleans on new homes, so windows, tracks, floors and the last of the dust before inspections and settlement. We price per townhouse, which makes it easy to budget. If the builder has it covered, no problem. But if you want someone to bring them up for photos and handover, I’d be glad to quote. Is it worth me sending a price for the whole site? Thanks, Leah If you’d rather not hear from me, just reply and say so.
An example only. The business is made up.
Mistakes that cost the work
Chasing the developer for the builder’s work
Builders cleans and trades during construction are usually the builder’s to book. Ask the developer once, and if it sits with the builder, write to the builder instead.
Turning up without a white card or induction
On an active site you can be turned away at the gate, which costs you the day and the developer’s confidence.
Pricing a project like a one-off job
A developer compares the whole project cost. A per-home price with a clear scope beats an hourly rate they can’t plan around.
Businesses that work with property developers
Part of Sell to businesses. See every kind of business we write to on Who buys from you.
Questions people ask
Should I approach the developer or the builder?
It depends on the work. Trades and cleaning during construction usually go through the builder, while marketing, styling and some final presentation work are bought by the developer. When you’re not sure, ask who looks after it.
How do I find developers near me?
Development application listings on council websites, site boards on projects under way and the selling agent’s project pages are all good places to start.
Is developer work regular?
It comes in projects rather than every week, but a developer who finishes one project well usually starts another, and suppliers they trust go with them.
Do I need a white card to do a final clean?
If the site is still an operational construction site, in NSW you need one, and it’s worth checking the rule in your own state. Near completion other trades may still be working, so ask the builder before you book the crew.
What should I send after the job?
A few photos of the finished work and a short note asking to be considered for their next project. Developers often remember the supplier who made the handover easy.
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