Terms and Conditions for Tree Surgeons Shoreditch

These Terms and Conditions set out the basis on which Tree Surgeons Shoreditch provides arboricultural services, tree care, and related site works to domestic and commercial clients. By making a booking, accepting a quotation, or allowing work to begin, the client agrees to be bound by these terms. The purpose of this document is to create clear expectations around the service process, payment, cancellation, safety, waste handling, and legal responsibilities connected with tree surgeon services.

For the avoidance of doubt, these terms apply to all services arranged through Shoreditch tree surgeons or any associated trading name used for the delivery of tree works. They should be read together with any written quotation, scope of work, or additional written agreement. If there is any inconsistency between these terms and a specific written quotation, the written quotation will take priority to the extent of the inconsistency.

These terms are intended for general legal use and do not form a guide, advice article, or promotional statement. They are designed to explain how tree surgery services are contracted, performed, and invoiced. No statement in this document affects your statutory rights as a consumer where applicable.

1. Booking Process

A booking may be requested by telephone, email, written message, or any other agreed method. A booking is not confirmed until the client has accepted a quotation or estimate and the company has issued written confirmation, or the company has otherwise agreed to schedule the works. The company may request photographs, site details, access information, tree location data, and any relevant documents before confirming the appointment.

Quotations are usually based on the information provided by the client and, where applicable, a visual inspection of the site. If the actual conditions differ from the information supplied, including access restrictions, structural defects, concealed hazards, utility conflicts, nesting birds, protected species, or substantially different tree size or condition, the company may revise the quotation or suspend the works until agreement is reached.

The client must ensure that the site is accessible at the agreed time and that the company can reasonably carry out the work without unnecessary delay. Where permissions are required, including landlord consent, neighbour consent, tree preservation approval, conservation consent, or any other permission, the client is responsible for obtaining them unless otherwise agreed in writing. Tree surgeons in Shoreditch may refuse to commence work if required permissions are missing or if the site conditions present an unacceptable risk.

2. Scope of Services and Client Responsibilities

The company will perform the services described in the quotation or work order with reasonable skill and care. The scope may include pruning, crown reductions, crown lifting, deadwood removal, felling, stump grinding, hedge cutting, sectional dismantling, emergency callouts, waste removal, and related arboricultural tasks. Any item not specifically listed should be treated as excluded unless it is expressly agreed in writing.

The client must provide accurate information about the trees, the site, underground services, overhead cables, nearby buildings, shared boundaries, hidden structures, and any known hazards. The client must also notify the company of any special circumstances that may affect the work, such as weak structures, disputed boundaries, protected wildlife, contamination, buried services, or prior remedial work. Failure to disclose relevant information may affect the timetable, the price, or the ability to complete the work safely.

The client is responsible for moving vehicles, securing pets, protecting fragile items, and ensuring that children, residents, staff, visitors, and third parties remain clear of the work area. The company may stop work if conditions become unsafe. If additional visits are required because the site was not made ready, the company may charge a reasonable return visit fee.

3. Payments

Unless otherwise stated in writing, invoices are payable within the period stated on the invoice or, if no period is stated, immediately upon completion of the work. The company may require a deposit, part payment in advance, or staged payments for larger, complex, emergency, or commercial projects. A booking may be treated as provisional until any required deposit is received.

All prices are quoted in pounds sterling and may be subject to VAT where applicable. The company may amend the price if the client requests additional work, if the scope changes, or if unforeseen conditions materially increase the labour, equipment, disposal, or access costs. Extra work will only be carried out where reasonably safe to do so and where the client agrees to the revised charge.

Late payment may result in interest, compensation, debt recovery costs, and any reasonable legal or administrative expenses incurred in recovering the debt, to the extent permitted by law. The company may withhold reports, certificates, photographs, or waste transfer records until payment is received in full. Ownership of any goods supplied, where applicable, remains with the company until payment is made in full.

Payment methods may include bank transfer, card payment, cash, or other agreed methods. The company may decline a payment method if there is a reasonable commercial or fraud-related concern. Where a payment is reversed, charged back, or dishonoured, the client will remain liable for the full amount, together with any associated fees and recovery costs.

4. Cancellations, Rescheduling, and Waiting Time

Because tree work often involves allocated staff, vehicles, specialist equipment, and route planning, the client should give as much notice as possible if a booking must be cancelled or changed. Unless otherwise agreed, the company may charge a cancellation fee where a booking is cancelled at short notice or where resources have already been committed to the job.

If the client cancels after the company has arrived on site, or if the company cannot proceed because the site is not prepared, access is denied, permissions are unavailable, or the client is absent, the company may charge for attendance, labour time, and any unrecoverable costs. The company may also charge a rescheduling fee where a new appointment is required and the original booking slot cannot reasonably be reassigned.

If the company needs to reschedule due to weather, safety conditions, staff availability, equipment failure, access issues, or circumstances beyond its reasonable control, it will use reasonable efforts to offer an alternative date. The company is not liable for losses resulting from a necessary postponement caused by unsafe conditions, adverse weather, or events outside its control, provided that reasonable steps are taken to notify the client promptly.

5. Liability and Risk

The company will exercise reasonable skill and care in performing the services. However, tree surgery and arboricultural operations are inherently risky and can involve falling timber, dust, vibration, noise, hidden decay, structural instability, and unpredictable reactions from living trees. The client acknowledges that some risk remains even when work is carried out properly.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot legally be excluded. Subject to that, the company will not be responsible for indirect or consequential losses, loss of profit, loss of business, loss of amenity, or any loss arising from information supplied by the client that is inaccurate or incomplete. The company is also not responsible for pre-existing defects, subsurface issues, or defects that were not reasonably discoverable before work began.

Where the company advises that a tree, stump, branch, or surrounding structure is unstable, diseased, or otherwise hazardous, the client must take reasonable precautions and follow any safety instructions given. If the client insists on proceeding against advice, the company may refuse the work or proceed only on revised terms. Any work undertaken at the client’s request despite known risk may increase the chance of damage or failure, and the client accepts that risk to the extent permitted by law.

Insurance and Property Protection

The company will maintain insurance cover that it considers appropriate for the nature of its services. This does not create any guarantee that all damage is covered in every circumstance. The client should remove or protect items that may be damaged by dust, vibration, falling material, saw use, stump grinding, vehicle movement, or access equipment. The company is not liable for damage to items that were left in an exposed or unsuitable position where reasonable precautions could have been taken by the client.

6. Waste Regulations and Site Clearance

All green waste, timber, arisings, and related debris generated by the works remain subject to the agreed scope of service. Unless the quotation states otherwise, the company will remove and dispose of waste arising from the work in a lawful manner. The company may process, chip, recycle, reuse, compost, or otherwise handle the waste in accordance with applicable environmental and waste management requirements.

The company will use reasonable efforts to comply with waste carrier obligations, duty of care requirements, and any other applicable regulations relating to the transport and disposal of arboricultural waste. If the client requests that waste be left on site, stacked in a particular area, or handled in a specific manner, that request must be agreed in advance and may affect the price. The client is responsible for any further movement, storage, or disposal of waste left on site after completion, unless the company has expressly agreed otherwise.

If the works reveal contaminated material, fly-tipped waste, asbestos, treated timber, or any other material requiring specialist handling, the company may suspend the works and issue revised terms. The client must disclose any known contamination before work begins. The company is not responsible for the unlawful disposal of waste where the client has instructed the company to act outside lawful requirements or has failed to disclose relevant information affecting classification or handling.

7. Access, Safety, and Unforeseen Conditions

The client must provide safe access to the work area, including any gates, driveways, parking permissions, communal access arrangements, or other means necessary for the company to perform the services. If parking charges, permits, or congestion-related costs arise during the works, the client may be asked to reimburse them where they were reasonably necessary and not already included in the price.

The company may halt or alter the work if it discovers issues that were not visible at the time of quotation, including rotten wood, severe pest activity, unstable soil, hidden utilities, unexploded hazards, or dangerous structures nearby. In such cases, the company will explain the issue and may provide a revised quotation or recommendation. The client agrees that reasonable delays caused by these discoveries do not amount to breach of contract.

The company may use ladders, ropes, lowering systems, stump grinders, chainsaws, aerial platforms, and other specialist equipment appropriate to the task. The client must not interfere with equipment or instruct workers to take unsafe actions. If third parties interfere with the site, the company may stop work until safe conditions are restored. Where the work area is shared or public-facing, the client must cooperate with any temporary restrictions needed for safety.

8. Complaints and Remedies

If the client believes there is a problem with the services, they should notify the company as soon as reasonably possible and allow an opportunity to inspect and, where appropriate, remedy the issue. The company may, at its discretion and where legally appropriate, return to site to correct any clearly identified defect caused by its own failure to perform the agreed work with reasonable skill and care. This does not apply where the complaint arises from altered site conditions, third-party interference, natural tree movement, weather, or damage unrelated to the original work.

The client must not arrange third-party remedial work before giving the company a reasonable opportunity to review the issue, unless urgent safety circumstances make immediate action necessary. Any such urgent action should be limited to what is reasonably required to reduce risk. The company is not liable for costs incurred unnecessarily or without prior notice where notice could reasonably have been given.

9. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions, and any dispute or claim arising from them, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The parties agree that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory consumer rights or other legal rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

These terms may be updated from time to time. The version in force at the time of booking will apply to that booking unless a later written agreement states otherwise. If any provision is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. The headings are provided for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

The client’s acceptance of a quotation, payment of a deposit, or permission for the work to proceed shall be taken as acceptance of these terms. Shoreditch tree surgery services are provided on this basis, with the intention of keeping the process clear, lawful, and commercially fair for both parties.