Terms and Conditions for Tree Surgeons Lewisham
These Terms and Conditions apply to all services supplied by Tree Surgeons Lewisham, including tree pruning, crown reduction, hedge cutting, stump grinding, sectional dismantling, emergency tree work, site clearance, and related arboricultural services. By requesting a quotation, confirming a booking, or allowing work to begin, the customer agrees to these terms in full. These terms are designed to set out clear expectations for the booking process, payment arrangements, cancellations, liability, waste handling, and legal compliance so that both parties understand their responsibilities before any work starts.
In these Terms and Conditions, references to “we”, “us”, and “our” mean the tree surgery service provider, while “you” and “your” mean the customer, property owner, occupier, landlord, managing agent, or other person authorising the works. Where a third party instructs us, that person must ensure they have authority to do so and must provide accurate information about access, ownership, and any relevant restrictions. If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.
We operate as a professional tree surgery service and use reasonable skill and care in the performance of our work. However, tree and landscape conditions can be affected by hidden defects, subsurface obstructions, weather, decay, disease, and other factors that may not be visible during an initial assessment. For this reason, quotations and recommendations are based on the information available at the time of inspection and are subject to change if circumstances differ from those described or if additional risks are identified once work begins.
Booking process begins when you contact us with details of the required work. We may ask for photographs, tree species, approximate dimensions, access information, and any known issues such as preservation orders, conservation area controls, shared boundaries, or utility proximity. Where appropriate, we may arrange a site visit before providing a quotation. Any estimate issued before inspection is provisional only and may be revised after a full assessment. A quotation becomes binding only when we confirm acceptance in writing and agree a date or timeframe for the work.
When you accept a quotation, you confirm that you have the legal right to authorise the work at the property and that any necessary permissions have been obtained or will be obtained in advance of the start date. This includes, where relevant, landlord consent, freeholder approval, managing agent authorisation, neighbour consent where access is required, and any permission required under planning controls or tree protection regulations. We may refuse to commence work if the required approvals are not in place, if the site is unsafe, or if the requested work would expose us to legal or practical risk.
The booking is secured only once we have acknowledged acceptance and, where applicable, received any deposit or advance payment agreed at the time of quotation. Dates are scheduled in good faith and may be affected by weather, equipment failure, staff availability, traffic conditions, access issues, or unforeseen emergencies. We will use reasonable efforts to attend on the agreed date, but any times provided are estimates only and should not be treated as guaranteed appointment times unless expressly confirmed in writing. If a delay occurs, we will aim to keep you informed and rearrange attendance as soon as practicable.
On the day of work, you or an authorised representative should ensure access is available and that the work area is clear of vehicles, furniture, ornaments, fragile items, pets, and other obstructions. You are responsible for identifying hidden hazards such as underground services, unstable structures, concealed glass, water features, or septic systems. Where we believe a task cannot be completed safely due to site conditions or inaccurate information, we may suspend or postpone the work. In such cases, any additional costs arising from repeat attendance, waiting time, or changed requirements may be chargeable.
Payments must be made in accordance with the quotation or invoice issued. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, prices are quoted in pounds sterling and may be stated inclusive or exclusive of VAT depending on our tax status and the nature of the service. For larger projects, we may request a deposit before confirming the booking, with the balance due on completion or within the stated invoice period. Payment methods accepted will be confirmed at the time of booking or invoicing. If a payment plan, staged invoice arrangement, or split payment structure is agreed, each instalment must be paid by its due date.
Late or overdue payments may result in the suspension of further work, cancellation of the booking, or referral to a debt recovery process. We reserve the right to charge statutory interest and reasonable recovery costs on overdue commercial invoices where permitted by law. For consumer transactions, any late payment charges will be applied only where allowed under applicable consumer legislation and where clearly disclosed in advance. Title to any supplied goods, materials, or waste containers does not pass until full payment has been received, where such retention of title is permitted by law.
If you wish to cancel or rearrange a booking, you must notify us as soon as possible. Cancellations made with reasonable notice may not incur a charge, but where we have incurred direct costs, reserved specialist equipment, engaged subcontractors, or lost a scheduled work slot, we may apply a fair cancellation fee. If you cancel at short notice after we have already dispatched a team or mobilised machinery, the charge may reflect the cost of attendance and preparation. Any cancellation fee will be proportionate and assessed in the circumstances of the booking.
Where a date is postponed at your request, we will try to rebook within a suitable timeframe, subject to availability. Repeated changes, failure to provide access, or failure to secure necessary permissions may lead us to treat the booking as cancelled by you. If we must cancel due to extreme weather, unsafe conditions, equipment failure, illness, or other events beyond our control, we will seek to rearrange the work. We are not liable for indirect losses arising from a cancellation or postponement where the cause is outside our reasonable control.
Liability is limited to losses directly caused by our negligence, breach of contract, or failure to exercise reasonable care and skill. We do not exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot legally be excluded. Subject to those limits, we are not responsible for pre-existing defects, hidden decay, unstable structures, underground services, subsurface obstructions, adverse weather effects, or damage arising from inaccurate instructions, incomplete information, or unsafe site conditions that were not reasonably discoverable before the work began.
Tree surgery involves the use of machinery, cutting tools, climbing systems, wood chippers, stump grinders, ladders, and vehicles. Although every reasonable precaution is taken, some level of disturbance, debris, vibration, and minor surface impact may be unavoidable. We will take reasonable care to protect lawns, paths, borders, and nearby structures, but we cannot guarantee the complete absence of scuffing, indentation, or disruption where access is restricted or where heavy equipment is required. You agree that normal and proportionate operational impacts do not constitute defective workmanship.
If any trees, stumps, branches, or roots are identified as hazardous, diseased, or structurally unsound, we may advise urgent action. Any recommendation we provide is based on our professional judgment at the time of inspection, but trees can change condition rapidly due to wind, moisture, fungi, or decay. We do not accept responsibility for failures occurring after completion where the tree or tree part was left in a condition that was reasonable and appropriate for the agreed works. If you request retention of a tree or branch contrary to our advice, you accept the resulting risk so far as the law allows.
The customer is responsible for informing us of any concealed risks, including asbestos, fuel tanks, cellars, irrigation lines, cable routes, private drainage, or other buried services. We may require safe access routes and may need to use temporary barriers, signage, or protective coverings. Where we recommend postponement because of unsafe conditions, you should treat that recommendation seriously. We may decline to work where there is a substantial risk to people, property, or plant, or where doing so would place us in breach of health and safety obligations.
Waste regulations are an important part of our service. Green waste, woodchip, timber, branches, leaves, and stump arisings produced during the works will be handled in accordance with applicable environmental and waste management law. Unless otherwise agreed, we will remove the agreed waste material from site and transport it to a licensed facility or otherwise process it through approved channels. Waste documentation, transfer notes, or duty of care records may be retained where required by law or good practice. Waste remains our responsibility only once it has been loaded into our vehicles or placed into a container under our control.
Any materials not included in the agreed quotation, such as contaminated waste, soil, rubble, fencing, or non-arboricultural debris, may be excluded from disposal unless specifically itemised. If the site contains invasive plant material, diseased timber, or potentially contaminated arisings, you must tell us before work starts. Additional charges may apply where waste must be separated, stored, transported, or disposed of under special conditions. We may also leave timber on site if this has been agreed in advance and if doing so is lawful, practical, and safe.
Where you ask us to leave logs, chips, or branches for your own use, you accept responsibility for storage, handling, and subsequent use after handover. Once waste or material has been left at your request and the work has been completed, we are not responsible for any later movement, decay, pest attraction, slip hazard, or nuisance arising from that material, provided we have complied with the agreed instructions. You should only request retention if you have sufficient space and a suitable means of managing the material safely.
All services are provided in accordance with current UK law and industry standards applicable to arboricultural contractors. This includes, where relevant, obligations relating to work at height, equipment safety, personal protective equipment, environmental protection, hazardous waste handling, and property access. If a tree is protected by law, or if the proposed work might require advance permission from a competent authority, you must ensure approval is obtained before the scheduled start. We may ask for evidence of permission before attending, and we may suspend work if we discover legal restrictions that have not been disclosed.
Any advice given by us about pruning cycles, tree health, safety management, or replacement planting is provided in good faith and based on information reasonably available at the time. It does not amount to a guarantee that a tree will remain healthy, stable, or free from future disease or structural change. Nature is variable, and even correctly completed work may not prevent future growth issues, fungal development, wind throw, or seasonal stress. Accordingly, we do not accept liability for natural events or deterioration that occurs after completion unless caused by our proven negligence.
Nothing in these terms limits your statutory rights as a consumer where the law applies. If you are contracting as a business, you confirm that you have authority to bind that business and that any business-to-business agreement will be interpreted in line with ordinary commercial principles. Where a discrepancy exists between a written quotation and these Terms and Conditions, the quotation will take precedence only to the extent of that specific inconsistency. Otherwise, these terms remain fully effective and govern the contract as a whole.
These Terms and Conditions may be updated from time to time. Any revised version will apply to bookings made after the date of issue, while bookings already accepted will remain subject to the version in force when the booking was confirmed, unless a later change is required by law. No variation to these terms will be effective unless agreed in writing by an authorised representative of Tree Surgeons Lewisham. If we choose not to enforce any right or remedy on one occasion, that does not mean we waive that right on future occasions.
Governing law and jurisdiction: these Terms and Conditions, and any dispute or claim arising from them or in connection with them, are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute, claim, or disagreement arising out of or relating to the services, subject to any mandatory consumer rights or alternative dispute resolution rights that may apply under UK law. By proceeding with a booking, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these terms.