When subsidence appears in a claim, the insurer’s loss adjuster will almost always ask what is growing near the building. The evidence they look for comes in three parts: a proper record of the trees and shrubs around the property, proof of whether roots are actually present near the foundations, and information about the ground the building stands on. An arboricultural report provides the first, a root investigation the second, and the structural engineer’s work covers the building itself. No single document does all three jobs, which is why the reports sit alongside each other in the claim file.
What loss adjusters ask about vegetation
The questions are usually practical. What species are the trees near the damage, how big are they, and how far from the affected wall do they stand? Who owns them? Have any been pruned or felled recently? Are any of them protected? Soil matters too: trees on shrinkable clay soils can be implicated in subsidence, so adjusters treat the combination of nearby trees and clay ground with particular care.
Ownership comes up more often than people expect. A tree belongs to the land its trunk stands on, which decides who can agree to works on it and who owes the duty of care that every landowner has for their trees. If the implicated tree stands on a neighbour’s land, that changes who the insurer needs to speak to, and it is worth establishing early.
What the arboricultural report adds alongside the structural engineer
The structural engineer deals with the building: the cracking, the movement and what the foundations are doing. The arboricultural report deals with the trees. Our surveyors record each relevant tree’s species, size, condition and distance from the damage, note who owns it and whether it is protected, and set out the realistic management options, from doing nothing through pruning to removal, with the consequences of each. The adjuster then has both halves of the picture.
Neither report replaces the other. What the claim file needs from the tree side is a written report from a qualified team, and ours is backed by £1m professional indemnity. If you have been asked to provide one, our tree survey for subsidence page explains what we cover.
One point on independence. Our survey is priced and delivered on its own, the findings are what the trees need, and you are free to take the report to any contractor. If you would rather one firm handled everything, we can also carry out the recommended works as an ARB Approved Contractor (AC2637), but that is your choice, not a condition of the survey.
Root investigations and tree radar
A walk-over survey records what stands above ground. Where the adjuster wants proof of what is happening below it, a root investigation goes further: the ground near the affected foundations is opened up, any roots found are recorded, and samples are taken so the tree or shrub they came from can be identified. That identification matters, because the nearest tree is not always the one responsible, and removing the wrong tree helps nobody.
Tree radar offers a less disruptive route. It traces roots without excavation, which is useful where digging would be impractical, and it can help target any trial pits that are still needed. Which method suits a claim depends on the site, and the scope is normally agreed with the adjuster before anyone starts.
Protected trees and timelines
Before any tree is pruned or felled as part of a claim, check whether it is protected. A tree with a Tree Preservation Order needs council consent before works, and works to trees in a conservation area need six weeks’ written notice to the council. Penalties for unauthorised works on protected trees can include unlimited fines, so nothing should be cut until the position is confirmed. Our free checker at /is-my-tree-protected/ reads the national planning dataset and gives an indicative answer; the council’s register is the definitive record, so check with your council before works go ahead.
On our side, the timescales are short. We quote within one working day, the price we quote is the price you pay, and survey visits happen within days, not weeks. The slower parts of a claim tend to sit elsewhere, such as waiting for consent on a protected tree, so getting the tree evidence in early stops those waits stacking up.
If a loss adjuster has asked you for an arboricultural report, or you suspect a tree is involved in damage to your property, send us the details through the free scope check form at our tree surveys page, or call the office on 07884 274693. We are based at Freshfield Farm, Freckleton, and serve Preston, Lancashire and the North West. This is general information, not legal advice.
