Tree Surgeons Charlton Service Terms and Conditions
These Terms and Conditions set out the basis on which tree surgery services are provided by Tree Surgeons Charlton and apply to all domestic and commercial work unless otherwise agreed in writing. By making a booking, accepting a quotation, or instructing us to begin work, you agree to be bound by these terms. If you are instructing us on behalf of a landlord, managing agent, business, or other organisation, you confirm that you have authority to do so and that these terms apply to the relevant property and site. We aim to provide a clear, fair, and professional service, and these conditions are intended to explain how that service is arranged, delivered, charged for, and concluded.
Throughout these terms, references to tree surgery services include, without limitation, tree pruning, crown reduction, crown thinning, deadwood removal, sectional dismantling, stump grinding, hedge cutting, site clearance, and associated waste removal where agreed. These terms also apply to any advice, inspection, or ancillary work carried out by our team in connection with tree work. Where a written quotation or schedule of work sets out additional conditions, those details will form part of the contract and will take priority in the event of inconsistency, provided they do not conflict with applicable law.
We may update these terms from time to time to reflect changes in law, industry practice, or our operating procedures. The version in force at the time of your booking or acceptance of a quotation will normally apply to your job. If a particular provision is found to be unlawful or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms will continue in full force so far as permitted by law.
Booking process begins when you make an enquiry and provide the information reasonably required to prepare an accurate quotation or estimate. This may include the location of the trees, access arrangements, photographs, whether the work is urgent, and any known constraints such as Tree Preservation Orders, conservation area restrictions, shared boundaries, overhead services, or proximity to buildings and roads. A quotation may be based on a site visit, on photographs supplied by you, or on a combination of both. Any quotation is offered on the basis of the information available at the time.
If you accept a quotation, you are entering into a booking for the agreed work subject to these terms and any specific conditions listed in the quotation. We will aim to agree a convenient date or period for carrying out the work, but any times or dates are estimates unless expressly stated as fixed. Weather, traffic, access issues, equipment availability, unforeseen hazards, or legal restrictions may require us to rearrange the booking. We will use reasonable efforts to keep you informed if the schedule changes.
Tree surgeons in Charlton and across the UK often work in environments that can change after the quotation has been prepared. For that reason, if the scope of work changes materially before or during the visit, we may need to revise the price, the timing, or both. Examples include discovering hidden decay, storm damage, subsurface obstructions, unstable ground, pest infestation, or the need for extra labour or equipment. We will normally explain such changes before proceeding, unless immediate action is needed to protect safety or prevent damage.
Where permits, permissions, or third-party consents are required, it is your responsibility to obtain them unless we have expressly agreed in writing to do so on your behalf. This includes, where relevant, planning restrictions, landlord approvals, freeholder consent, local authority permissions, or neighbour agreement for access. If work cannot proceed because the necessary permissions have not been obtained, any costs already incurred may still be payable.
Payments are due in accordance with the quotation, invoice, or payment schedule agreed with you. Unless stated otherwise, invoices are payable upon completion of the work or within the stated payment period. For larger projects, deposits or staged payments may be requested before work begins or at milestones during the job. We reserve the right to require payment in advance for materials, specialist equipment, waste handling, or urgent works.
All prices are quoted in pounds sterling and, where applicable, are stated inclusive or exclusive of VAT as clearly indicated. Any estimate given before a full survey is completed should be treated as indicative only. Additional charges may arise where the work is expanded at your request, where conditions differ from those reasonably anticipated, or where extra time is required due to access difficulties, hidden hazards, or unforeseen technical requirements. If additional charges become necessary, we will normally explain the reason before continuing, unless safety or emergency considerations make this impractical.
Cancellations and postponements should be notified as soon as reasonably possible. If you cancel after accepting a quotation but before work has started, we may charge for reasonable costs already incurred, including administration, site visits, special-order materials, equipment reservation, or lost time where notice is insufficient to reallocate the job. If you cancel on the day of the appointment or refuse access when our team arrives, a call-out or cancellation charge may apply. Any such charge will be reasonable and proportionate to the circumstances.
If you wish to rearrange the date, we will try to accommodate this, but the new date will depend on availability. We may also need to postpone or cancel work due to severe weather, unsafe conditions, emergency call-outs, staff illness, vehicle failure, equipment breakdown, or events beyond our reasonable control. In such cases, we will make efforts to reschedule promptly. We are not responsible for any indirect loss caused by a delay or postponement that is outside our control, provided we act reasonably and communicate changes in good time.
By appointing us, you agree to allow reasonable access to the site and to ensure that paths, driveways, gates, and work areas are clear enough for safe entry and exit. You must also make us aware of any hazards that may affect the work, including concealed services, fragile structures, animals, antisocial behaviour, or other risks. If access is materially restricted or unsafe, we may suspend the work until the issue is resolved and may charge additional waiting time or return visit costs where appropriate.
Liability is limited as set out in this section and subject always to your statutory rights. We will carry out the work with reasonable care and skill, using appropriately qualified personnel and suitable equipment. However, tree surgery involves inherent risk, particularly where trees are diseased, unstable, storm-damaged, or located near buildings, fences, glass, walls, power lines, or underground services. Some outcomes cannot be fully predicted, even when reasonable precautions are taken.
We are not liable for pre-existing defects, hidden decay, structural weakness, subsidence, root movement, weather-related failures, or damage resulting from inaccurate information provided by you or from conditions that could not reasonably have been discovered before the work began. We are also not responsible for damage caused by items left in the work area, including ornaments, garden furniture, vehicles, or fragile fixtures, unless we have expressly agreed to move or protect them. You should remove or secure valuables before work starts.
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded under UK law. Subject to that, our total liability for any claim arising out of or in connection with the services, whether in contract, tort, negligence, or otherwise, shall be limited to the amount paid or payable for the particular work giving rise to the claim, unless a higher limit is expressly agreed in writing.
Waste regulations apply to all green waste, timber, brushwood, stump grindings, and related debris generated by our work. Unless otherwise agreed, waste produced during the job remains our responsibility for removal and lawful disposal in accordance with applicable environmental rules and duty-of-care requirements. We may chip, mulch, recycle, compost, re-use, or dispose of green waste through approved facilities, depending on the nature of the material and the arrangement stated in the quotation.
If you ask to keep timber, logs, woodchip, or other arisings on site, that request must be agreed in advance and may affect the price, access requirements, or timing of the work. Once material has been left at your request, responsibility for its storage and onward use passes to you, except where we have expressly agreed otherwise in writing. We are not obliged to remove waste that has been contaminated by chemicals, soil, asbestos, construction debris, fly-tipped material, or other substances outside the ordinary scope of arboricultural waste, unless separately quoted for.
You must not instruct us to dispose of waste in any unlawful manner. We will not engage in fly-tipping, unauthorised burning, or disposal at unapproved sites. If any part of the job involves transporting waste on your behalf, we will do so in compliance with relevant carrier and environmental obligations. You agree to co-operate with reasonable requests that help us meet those obligations, such as confirming whether waste is to be removed, retained, or segregated.
Site conditions and safety are central to the performance of tree surgery. You agree to notify us before work begins of any known services, including electricity, gas, water, drainage, fibre, or other underground or overhead infrastructure. You also confirm that the site is safe for our team to enter and work on, and that any domestic animals are secured away from the work area. We may refuse to start, pause, or stop the work if conditions create an unacceptable safety risk.
Where traffic management, road closure measures, barriers, or special safety controls are required, these may affect cost and timing and may require prior arrangement. We may need to use temporary protective measures, such as mats, fencing, signage, or exclusion zones, in order to manage risk. If the presence of third parties, including neighbours, members of the public, or contractors, interferes with safe performance, we may delay or adjust the operation.
Any advice given by our team is provided in good faith based on the information available at the time. Tree health, stability, and future growth can change due to weather, disease, pests, soil conditions, and other factors outside our control. No verbal advice should be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance unless confirmed in writing. Where we provide recommendations, these are intended to support informed decision-making and do not create a warranty unless explicitly stated.
Ownership of materials depends on the arrangement agreed between us. Unless otherwise stated, any timber, branches, or arisings removed from site become our property once collected, and any retained materials left on site at your request become your responsibility. Any tools, machinery, or plant brought onto the site remain our property or that of our subcontractors at all times. You must not use or interfere with them without permission.
We may engage suitably qualified subcontractors to help provide the service. Where we do so, we remain responsible for coordinating the work, but subcontractors may have their own terms relating to specialist tasks. Any subcontracting will not reduce your rights under these terms, though it may affect scheduling and the personnel attending site. We reserve the right to substitute personnel or methods where reasonably necessary, provided the overall standard of service is maintained.
Force majeure refers to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including extreme weather, fire, flood, civil unrest, government restrictions, transport disruption, industrial action, or shortages of essential materials or equipment. If such events prevent or delay performance, we will not be in breach of contract for failing to meet the affected obligations, provided we take reasonable steps to mitigate the impact and resume work when practicable.
Complaints and issues should be raised promptly so that we have a fair opportunity to investigate and, where appropriate, correct any problem. Please provide sufficient detail about the issue and the work concerned. We will review the matter in a reasonable time and may ask for photographs, access to the site, or other information necessary to assess the claim. Nothing in this section limits your legal rights, but early notification helps us deal with concerns efficiently.
Governing law for these Terms and Conditions is the law of England and Wales. Any dispute or claim arising from or in connection with the services, these terms, or any quotation shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, unless mandatory consumer law provides otherwise. If you are contracting as a business, you agree that the contract is made on that basis and that the courts of England and Wales are the appropriate forum for any proceedings.
These terms, together with the quotation and any written schedule of work, form the entire agreement between the parties regarding the services described. No person has authority to vary them unless the variation is confirmed in writing by an authorised representative. If you have accepted a quotation for Tree Surgeons Charlton services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these conditions and that any instructions given to proceed may be relied upon as acceptance of the contract.