On the day of a tree survey, our surveyors walk the site and inspect each tree in turn from ground level, recording species, size, structure, condition and any defects, along with whatever the purpose of the survey calls for. You do not usually need to be there, provided we can reach the trees. A visit covering one or two garden trees is often done well inside an hour, while larger sites take longer. If anything looks urgent, our surveyors say so before they leave, and the written report follows days after the visit, not weeks.
What our surveyors do, tree by tree
Each tree is assessed from the ground. Our surveyors identify the species, take the key measurements, then work over the tree from the base upwards: the root area, the stem, the main unions and the crown. They are looking for the things that matter, such as decay, cavities, fungal growth, deadwood, cracks and weak unions, and they record condition notes and photographs as they go. Every tree is given a number, so each entry in the report matches a tree on the ground, usually against a simple plan.
Exactly what gets recorded depends on why the survey is needed. A mortgage tree report concentrates on the trees closest to the building, a risk assessment looks hardest at trees near people and property, and a planning survey records anything that could constrain a design. The different types are set out on our tree surveys page, and we agree the scope before the visit is booked, so nothing is missed and nothing unnecessary is charged for.
Access, and whether you need to be there
We need to be able to reach every tree in scope. For most homes that means nothing more than an unlocked side gate and any dogs kept in. For locked or managed sites, a key safe code or a site contact on the day works well. Where a tree overhangs from a neighbouring garden, we assess it from your side unless access has been arranged in advance.
You do not need to be home. Many of our surveys are carried out while the owner is at work, and we confirm the arrangements when we book. That said, if you would like to walk the site with our surveyors you are very welcome. Questions on the day are normal, and we would rather answer them standing at the tree than by email afterwards.
How long the visit takes
It depends on the number of trees and the ground to cover. One or two garden trees are usually assessed in well under an hour. A larger garden with mixed planting might take an hour or two. Schools, estates and development sites can take half a day or more, and we tell you what to expect when we book. Survey visits are booked within days of instruction, and the fee is agreed before we come: the price we quote is the price you pay.
A survey visit is also a quiet one. There is no machinery and no climbing as standard, just ground-level assessment with measuring kit, a camera and notes. In most cases the neighbours will not notice we were there.
If we find something serious on the day
Safety findings are said out loud, not saved for the paperwork. If our surveyors see something that should not wait, perhaps a large dead limb hanging over a path or significant decay at the base of a tree beside a drive, they tell you before they leave: in person if you are there, by phone the same day if you are not. The written report still follows and records it properly, but you are never left waiting on a document to learn something urgent.
The same applies to protection. If a tree looks likely to sit within a conservation area or under a Tree Preservation Order, we flag it on the day so that no work is planned before the position is confirmed. The council’s register is the definitive record, and our guide to whether your tree is protected explains how to check it.
What arrives afterwards, and when
The report follows days after the visit, not weeks. It contains the schedule of trees with condition notes and photographs, clear recommendations with priorities and timescales, and a plan where one is useful. It is written in plain English, so you can hand it to a lender, a planning officer or a council and expect it to be understood without translation.
The report also stands entirely on its own. It is independent, it never depends on us carrying out any work, and where a tree needs nothing, it says so. We do carry out tree work as a separate service, but you are free to take the report to any contractor you choose, or to no one at all. Our survey work is covered by one million pounds of professional indemnity insurance.
If you are not sure what the council or your lender actually needs, use the free scope check form at our survey enquiry page or call 01772 369694. We will tell you what you need, and just as readily what you do not.
