Terms and Conditions for Tree Surgeons Sutton

These Terms and Conditions set out the basis on which tree surgery services are provided by Tree Surgeons Sutton and related arboricultural works. By requesting a quotation, making a booking, or confirming an appointment, the customer agrees to these terms. They are intended to be fair, clear, and consistent with UK consumer law and standard business practice. In these terms, references to “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to the service provider, and references to “you” and “your” refer to the customer receiving the work.

Tree surgery services may include tree pruning, crown reduction, crown lifting, deadwood removal, felling, stump grinding, hedge maintenance, site clearance, emergency tree work, and associated waste removal. The exact scope of work will depend on the quotation, the site conditions, access, tree species, and any applicable legal restrictions. Any estimate or quotation is based on the information available at the time and may need to be revised if conditions differ materially from those originally described.

These terms apply to all domestic and commercial customers unless otherwise agreed in writing. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions affects your statutory rights under UK law. If there is any conflict between these terms and a written contract signed by both parties, the written contract will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.

Booking Process

To arrange work, you may request an initial quotation or survey. Depending on the type of service, we may provide an indicative price from photos, a phone discussion, or a site visit. For more complex arboricultural work, a site inspection may be required before a firm quote can be issued. Quotes are usually valid for a limited period, which will be stated in the quotation or otherwise communicated at the time of issue.

The booking is only confirmed once you accept the quotation or proposal and we acknowledge the booking, either verbally or in writing. A booking may also be subject to receipt of a deposit, proof of access, or confirmation that any relevant permissions are in place. You must ensure that the information provided to us is accurate, including tree location, access arrangements, parking restrictions, underground utilities where known, and any known hazards or restrictions.

Where planning consent, a tree preservation order, landlord approval, or other permission is required, it is your responsibility to obtain it unless we have expressly agreed in writing to assist. We may suspend or refuse to start work if the necessary permissions are missing, if the site is unsafe, or if there is a material change to the agreed conditions. We are not responsible for delays caused by third parties, utility providers, local authority processes, weather, or events beyond our reasonable control.

Payments

Payment terms will be confirmed in the quotation or invoice. Unless stated otherwise, payment is due on completion of the work, immediately upon receipt of invoice, or within any agreed credit period. We may request a deposit to secure a booking, particularly for larger projects, specialist equipment, or work requiring advance scheduling. Deposits may be non-refundable where reasonable costs have already been incurred, subject always to applicable consumer law.

If additional work becomes necessary due to unforeseen conditions, such as hidden decay, storm damage, inaccessible sections, or unsafe rigging requirements, we will normally discuss this with you before proceeding where time and safety permit. Any extra work, plant hire, disposal, traffic management, or extended labour may result in an additional charge. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you promptly if costs are likely to change.

Invoices must be paid in full without deduction or set-off unless expressly agreed by us or required by law. We accept the payment methods notified at the time of booking or invoicing. Late payments may be subject to reasonable administration charges, interest, or recovery costs where permitted by law, especially in business-to-business transactions. If payment is not made, we reserve the right to suspend further services, recover goods if applicable, or take lawful steps to obtain outstanding sums.

Prices are normally quoted exclusive of VAT unless expressly stated otherwise. If VAT applies, it will be added at the appropriate rate. Any quotation for tree surgeons in Sutton or Sutton tree surgery services should be read as a service estimate based on current information and not as a fixed offer unless specifically identified as fixed.

Cancellations, Rescheduling, and Delays

You may cancel or rearrange a booking by giving reasonable notice. If you cancel with sufficient notice, we may not charge a cancellation fee, or we may reduce any charge at our discretion. If cancellation is made at short notice, particularly after staff, machinery, waste transport, or subcontractors have been arranged, you may be charged for costs already incurred. The amount charged will be reasonable and proportionate to the loss caused by the cancellation.

We may reschedule a job if weather conditions, safety issues, equipment failure, staff illness, or legal restrictions make it impractical or unsafe to continue. Tree work is often affected by wind, heavy rain, frozen ground, or visibility conditions, and we will always prioritise safety and responsible working methods. If we need to postpone, we will aim to offer an alternative date as soon as reasonably practicable.

If you are not present when required and we are unable to gain access, complete the agreed work, or safely carry out the service because of circumstances within your control, this may be treated as a cancellation or wasted appointment. We are not liable for any losses caused by delayed completion where the delay is attributable to your failure to provide access, accurate instructions, or essential permissions.

Liability and Insurance

We will perform services with reasonable skill and care, using qualified personnel and appropriate equipment. However, tree surgery carries inherent risks, and outcomes can be influenced by weather, hidden defects, root conditions, structural instability, underground services, and prior damage. We do not guarantee that a tree will remain safe, healthy, or structurally sound after pruning, reduction, or other work, as natural variation and pre-existing conditions may affect future performance.

Our liability is limited to the extent permitted by law. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot legally be excluded. Subject to that, we shall not be liable for indirect, consequential, or purely economic losses, including loss of profit, loss of opportunity, or loss of amenity arising from the provision of the services.

If damage is caused by our proven negligence, our liability will be limited to the reasonable cost of repair or replacement, taking into account fair wear and tear, depreciation, and the circumstances of the incident. You must notify us of any alleged damage or defect as soon as reasonably possible and provide us with a reasonable opportunity to inspect the issue before repairs are carried out by others, unless urgent action is required to prevent further loss.

We are not responsible for pre-existing defects, latent decay, root movement, subsidence, storm-related failures, or failures caused by third-party interference after completion. Where we advise against retaining a tree, overhanging limb, stump, or structurally compromised section, any decision to ignore that advice is taken at your own risk. Our recommendations are based on visible and accessible conditions only, unless a specialist diagnostic service has been expressly arranged.

Health, Safety, and Site Conditions

Access to the site must be safe and sufficient for the agreed work. You must inform us in advance of any known hazards, including concealed drains, unstable ground, asbestos, protected wildlife, bees or wasps, overhead lines, buried services, security systems, or aggressive animals. We may stop work if conditions are unsafe or if continuing would present a risk to personnel, property, the public, or equipment.

We may cordon off work areas and temporarily restrict access while work is in progress. You are responsible for ensuring that children, pets, residents, customers, and visitors do not enter prohibited areas. If you request that work proceeds in a restricted space, near buildings, fences, vehicles, glass, or other vulnerable structures, you accept that additional precautions may be necessary and that some level of residual risk may remain despite careful practice.

Waste Regulations and Disposal

All green waste, timber, brash, logs, woodchips, and other organic material removed during the service will be handled in accordance with applicable UK waste legislation and environmental requirements. Unless agreed otherwise, waste produced by our work remains our responsibility once removed from the site, subject to the terms of the quotation. We will transport, store, transfer, recycle, or dispose of waste using lawful and environmentally responsible methods.

Waste may be chipped, mulched, repurposed, composted, or taken to licensed waste facilities where appropriate. We will not knowingly dispose of waste unlawfully, burn waste without permission and legal basis, or leave material on site unless this has been agreed in advance. If you request that logs, timber, or woodchip be left for your use, ownership will pass only once we have expressly agreed to do so and only where it is safe and practical to leave it.

Any waste classification, transfer notes, or duty of care documentation required by law will be managed in accordance with the relevant regulations. Where hazardous waste, contaminated material, or non-organic debris is discovered, we may charge additional fees for handling or disposal if such material is not included in the original quotation. If a site contains items not normally associated with tree surgery waste, these remain your responsibility unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Ownership, Risk, and Completion

Risk in any materials left on site passes to you once the work has been completed and we have notified you that the job is finished, unless otherwise agreed. Title to materials or waste retained by us remains with us until disposed of or transferred in accordance with the agreement. Completion will generally mean that the agreed scope of work has been carried out substantially in line with the quotation, subject to minor variations that do not materially affect the service provided.

If the work is carried out in phases, each phase may be treated as a separate completion point for billing purposes. You should inspect the completed work promptly and notify us of any obvious concerns within a reasonable time. Failure to do so may make it more difficult to establish whether any issue arose during or after the service.

Customer Responsibilities

You must ensure that the trees, land, and access routes are under your control or that you have authority from the relevant owner or occupier to arrange the work. You are responsible for informing us of any boundary disputes, shared ownership issues, rights of way, or neighbouring considerations that may affect the job. If another person instructs us on your behalf, you remain responsible for payment unless we agree otherwise.

You must not ask us to undertake work that would be unlawful, unsafe, or inconsistent with professional standards. Where we believe that the requested service would breach a legal obligation, threaten tree health unnecessarily, or endanger people or property, we may refuse or amend the scope. Our refusal to carry out such work will not constitute a breach of contract.

Variation, Termination, and Force Majeure

We may vary these terms from time to time where necessary to reflect changes in law, regulatory requirements, or our service processes. The version in force at the time of booking will apply to that booking unless another version is expressly agreed. If any term is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining terms will continue in full force and effect.

We may terminate or suspend services immediately if you materially breach these terms, fail to pay, provide unsafe access, or misrepresent the nature of the work required. We shall not be liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including severe weather, accidents, fire, flood, industrial action, transport disruption, or emergency restrictions.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them, shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The parties agree that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction, except where applicable consumer law gives the customer the right to bring proceedings in another jurisdiction.

General Provisions

Any failure by us to enforce a right or remedy under these terms shall not amount to a waiver of that right or remedy. A person who is not a party to these terms shall not have any rights to enforce them under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 unless expressly agreed in writing. These terms form the full agreement between the parties in relation to the services described, subject to any written variation.

By proceeding with a booking for tree surgery services, tree surgeons work, or any related arboricultural service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and Conditions. If you are unsure about any part of the agreement, you should ask for clarification before confirming the booking or authorising the work.