17 VITAL QUESTIONS To Ask When Hiring A Tree Surgeon
When you hire a tree surgeon, save this checklist to vet them with and avoid any costly surprises, whether or not you’re actively reviewing contractors.
The company you choose will be more than happy to answer all of the following questions. If they don’t answer them competently and willingly, look elsewhere!
CJ Tree Surgeons meets every single one of these criteria, so you can rest assured you’re working with a team that ticks every box for safety, insurance, work quality, and excellent service. To give our friendly commercial team a call today, simply click here.
✅ Safety & Qualifications
1) Are your team members NPTC or City & Guilds qualified?
These are industry standard certifications for professional arborists which provide proof that a tree surgeon has reached a minimum standard of proficiency. They prove that a tree surgeon knows how to work safely, legally, and competently when it comes to safe use of chainsaws, tree climbing and aerial rescue, felling, using chippers, stump grinders, and performing tree inspections.
2) Do you operate to the British Standard?
BS3998: 2010 ‘Tree Work – Recommendations’ is the British Standard for tree work operations that promotes sustainable arboriculture practices including regard to wildlife, habitats and veteran trees. Every tree surgeon should comply.
3) Do you carry out risk assessments before each job?
Carrying out a risk assessment is where the tree surgeon identifies potential hazards before starting any work and figures out how to reduce or eliminate the risks. It keeps the job safe for the workers, the client, the public, and the property. It covers your back if an incident occurs and all tree surgeons must do this by law under UK Health and Safety regulations.
4) Do you follow LOLER regulations for climbing and lifting equipment?
Following LOLER is a legal requirement under UK law. It means that lifting gear like ropes, harnesses, karabiners, rigging kit and climbing equipment must be safe, checked regularly, and used by trained arborists. This keeps climbers and ground crew safe during rigging, pruning, or dismantling trees.
5) What kind of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) do you use?
This should include helmets with ear defenders and in-built visors, gloves, chainsaw-protective trousers, steel-toe capped boots, high-visibility clothing, and full climbing harnesses.
✅ Insurance & Legal
6) Are you fully insured? Can I see your public liability insurance certificate?
The company you choose should have at least £10 million in coverage, ensuring that if something goes wrong, you’re not left liable. This includes property damage, injury to third parties (like a neighbour or passerby), and legal costs if something turns into a claim.
7) Are you members of any of these top 3 professional bodies?
ARB Approved: This is the most prestigious, gold-standard quality mark for arboricultural contracting throughout the UK, increasingly demanded by Local Authorities & commercial organisations who demand to use companies trained to the highest industry standard of tree care & safety. The Arb-approved badge is awarded annually, providing assurance that the company you hire has been audited recently by a Health & Safety professional.
Veriforce CHAS Accredited: Chas is the UK’s leading benchmark for compliance, raising supply chain risk management standards nationwide.
Trustmark Registered: TrustMark is a UK government-endorsed quality scheme that helps people find reliable, trustworthy tradespeople — including tree surgeons, builders, electricians, and more.
CJ Tree Surgeons are fully insured up to £10 million, and we are respected members of all top 3 professional bodies in our industry.
✅ Work Quality
8) How can I be confident about your reputation?
Professional tree surgery companies will have a Google Business profile where you can see their track record with customers who have reviewed their work. Make sure to vet them on Google before agreeing to work with them.
Click here to see CJ Tree Surgeons Google profile featuring a 5.0 rating and over 173+ google reviews from happy customers.
9) Do you use the latest technology & mechanisation?
Tree surgery companies that invest in the latest wood chippers, stump grinders, and mini loaders can tackle larger jobs like tree removals in a fraction of the time and with fewer people. High-tech machinery can also get into tight spots, stabilize dangerous trees, and perform surgical removals that would be impossible otherwise. All this increased efficiency means less disruption for you & more competitive pricing from the company you choose.
10) Do you have case studies of work you’ve completed for other businesses?
This should include before, during and after photos and client testimonials that the tree surgery company you hire is experienced in upholding the highest standard of tree care for businesses. Credible tree surgeons will be happy to share their completed projects, and it gives you real insight into their skills, professionalism, and reliability.
Click here to view CJ Tree Surgeons case studies.
11) How do you protect the surrounding property, fences, lawn, drive or outdoor features from damage?
A PRO tree surgeon will request a site walkaround with you to flag anything of importance that requires particular care, such as vulnerable structures like ponds, ornaments, sheds etc.The entire crew should be alerted of these features prior to start. Climbing ropes and cut branches should be directed away from sensitive zones. Fences and walls should also be protected by using branch rigging systems or MEWPS to lower large tree limbs slowly and carefully. A professional tree surgery team will rake and blow any green areas, removing all branches, logs, sawdust and woodchip leaving the site clean and undamaged.
12) What happens to the waste? Do you chip and remove everything?
The company you choose should remove all waste from your site as part of the service and ideally recycle 100% of it. At CJ Tree Surgeons, our woodchip is sold to power stations to be burned and converted to electricity that goes back into the grid. Our logs are split and sold as firewood to keep peoples homes warm, and the rakings are taken to a tub grinder to be converted into top soil for gardening and other uses.
✅ Customer Service
13) What is your lead time for job completion?
Ideally, you’re looking for an answer like this that lays out the timeline of works from the assessment to completion stage:
AS SOON AS SUITS YOU: Book an initial site visit by a senior arborist to assess the works required and undertake a preliminary risk assessment to meet rigorous H&S protocols.
1-2 DAYS LATER: A comprehensive quotation & key documentation is provided to you. Upon your review, you can book in a specific appointment time for work to commence that suits your calendar.
2-3 WEEKS LEAD TIME. Look for a tree surgeon who promises strong diary management. 2-3 weeks is a gold standard lead time allowing you to manage short deadlines for completion of your tree work while being flexible to your own busy schedule.
Commercial Director & Owner James on the phone to one of our regular clients.
14) Will you provide a written quote and contract?
You should receive a comprehensive quotation outlining the works required, along with key supporting documents, including their Health and Safety policy, Environmental policy, site-specific task and machine Risk Assessments, Method Statements, Insurance and Accreditation Certificates, and Competence Matrix to demonstrate the extensive qualifications of the team present on your premises.
CJ Tree Surgeons offer access to an online portal where you can view your quotes, pay invoices, and review your appointments, ensuring you’re kept in the loop at key points before, during, and after the work.
15) Will the job be 100% completed before you leave the site?
The worst thing that can happen is when a tree surgery team leaves a job unfinished. Even if your job runs over multiple days, there should be a clear start and finish date so you have full assurance that you won’t be chasing them to complete your tree work or leave the site fully clean and tidy.
16) Does your workforce work to a professional code of conduct?
Choose a crew that prides themselves on the presentation of their workforce while you on your premises. Each team member should be advised to uphold a professional etiquette when addressing you as the client, and the team should arrive to site in fully branded uniform & vans to provide instant recognition & peace of mind to you and your colleagues that you are using a trustworthy service.
17) Are you fast to respond?
Communication is the most important part of any business. A professional tree surgeon will be extremely reliable when it comes to responding to your evolving needs for the job via phone, text and email. You shouldn’t be left waiting or guessing, ever!
Our crew of professional trained arborists in the West Midlands area
In Summary:
Copy/paste this list of 17 questions to ask the tree surgery company you’re considering or currently using:
Are your team members NPTC or City & Guilds qualified?
Do you operate to the British Standard?
Do you carry out risk assessments before each job?
Do you follow LOLER regulations for climbing and lifting equipment?
What kind of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) do you use?
Are you fully insured? Can I see your public liability insurance certificate?
Are you members of any of these top 3 professional bodies?
How can I be confident about your reputation?
Do you use the latest technology & mechanisation?
Do you have case studies of work you’ve completed for other businesses?
How do you protect the surrounding property, fences, lawn, drive or outdoor features from damage?
What happens to the waste? Do you chip and remove everything?
What is your lead time for job completion?
Will you provide a written quote and contract?
Will the job be 100% completed before you leave the site?
Does your workforce work to a professional code of conduct?
Are you fast to respond?
The CJ Tree Surgeons commercial brochure outlines competent answers to all 17 questions, assuring you of the exceptional standard of our company, so YOU can use CJ TREE SURGEONS with confidence.
Ready to book a free site visit and quote? Click here.