Tree Surgery Can Cost £250 or £4,500. The Guides Rarely Explain Why.

Those figures come from other companies' price guides, not from us. We have not put Aspen Rose prices on this page: a tree can only be priced by looking at it, and the same species can be an afternoon's work or a crane job depending on exactly where it stands. Anyone offering a firm price over the phone for anything beyond light pruning is guessing.

What do published guides say tree work costs in London?

Three 2026 guides give London job prices. Their size bands and what they count are not identical, so they are shown side by side and not averaged.

Outside London the guides give lower numbers. Housekeep has £150 to £300 for pruning and £700 to £1,500+ for a large removal, and Fantastic Services has £1,200 to £3,500+ for felling a tree of 12 metres or more. Fantastic Services says London removal prices run about 30% to 40% higher.

GraftinGardeners is a London tree surgery firm that sells these services; its guide is labelled indicative averages, updated June 2026. None of the three is a survey of what households paid, and a guide published by a firm selling the exact service it prices is worth reading as a floor to compare against, not a ceiling to expect.

Why do the figures disagree so much?

Mostly because "large" means different things. Housekeep does not define its size bands. Fantastic Services' large band starts at 12 metres, and GraftinGardeners' at 30 feet, about 9 metres, so a 10-metre tree is "large" in one guide and "medium" in another. Many of GraftinGardeners' figures are also "from" prices with no upper limit, and an unlimited "from" price for a job this variable barely functions as a price at all. The real figure only exists once someone has stood under your tree and looked up.

Rates by the hour or day vary just as much. Fantastic Services gives £60 to £100 an hour per climber and £600 to £900 a day for a team of three in London and the South East. Housekeep puts a small team at £80 to £150 an hour or £300 to £700 a day, and notes that two surgeons is typical for safety. GraftinGardeners gives £600 to £1,500 a day for a three-person crew with truck and chipper.

What moves the price of tree work?

• Size, species and condition. Fantastic Services says dense hardwoods such as oak take longer, and dead or storm-damaged trees may need dismantling from a platform.
• Access. Trees near buildings, fences or power lines need sectional dismantling.
• Type of work. Crown reduction and thinning cost less than felling in Fantastic Services' figures.
• Waste. Chipping on site is cheaper than hauling logs away, and keeping the logs for firewood lowers disposal costs.
• Extras. Fantastic Services lists stump grinding, large log removal, a mobile platform or crane, traffic management and replanting as usually charged separately.
• Timing. Housekeep says spring and summer are busiest, and that weekends and short-notice work cost more.

Access is the factor the guides underplay and homeowners underestimate most. A straightforward felling job turns into a dismantle-from-a-platform job the moment a tree leans over a fence, a greenhouse or a neighbour's garden, and that shift moves the price far more than the tree's height does.

Do you need permission before any work is done?

Possibly, and checking comes before the quote, not after. GOV.UK says consent from the local planning authority is needed to cut down, top, lop or uproot a tree covered by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), unless an exception applies. A tree in a conservation area without a TPO needs notice to the council at least six weeks before the work, and cutting it down or lopping it without that notice is an offence. Dead branches on a living tree can be removed without notice, and a dead tree needs five working days' written notice unless there is an immediate risk of serious harm.

Our guide to whether you need permission to cut down a tree goes through the rules. The cost point: get it in writing who will check for a TPO or conservation area, who applies, and whether that is charged. GraftinGardeners' own guide says council applications "may be an additional charge" in one place and "part of our service" in another. That kind of inconsistency inside a single company's own guide is exactly why you ask in writing rather than assume either way.

What should you ask a tree surgeon before you agree a price?

The Arboricultural Association and Lichfield District Council give a consistent list:

1. 1Insurance. Ask for proof of public liability cover, and employers' liability if they have staff. Both recommend at least £5 million for public liability.
2. 2Qualifications. Chainsaw and climbing work should be backed by certificates, usually NPTC or LANTRA, shown on a card or certificate. Lichfield calls chainsaw certification compulsory.
3. 3The standard they work to. Ask which one. The expected answer is British Standard 3998 for tree work.
4. 4A written quote that says what work is included, how the arisings (cut branches and wood) are disposed of, the stump height, who checks legal constraints such as a TPO, and whether a deposit is needed.
5. 5Membership. The Arboricultural Association's ARB Approved Contractor register is checkable online. It says if a firm is not on the register, it is not an approved contractor. Some competent firms are not members, as Lichfield points out.

The Association says companies that leaflet or knock on doors are usually best avoided, and that is a reasonable filter on its own: a legitimate tree surgeon gets work through reputation and referral, not a flyer through the door. Test Valley Borough Council also lists tree fellers and surgeons among trades that normally need waste carrier registration, so if wood leaves your property, check the carrier on the Environment Agency's public register.

How do you compare tree quotes fairly?

Compare scope, not totals. Check each quote for the same list: which branches or what percentage of the crown, whether wood and brash are removed or only chipped, stump height or grinding, replanting, and permits. A cheaper figure that leaves logs and a stump behind is not cheaper. Get two or three written quotes, with a visit before any price for more than light pruning.

Our tree surgery service starts the same way, with a free visit and a written quote. Whoever you hire, ask to see their qualifications and insurance certificates. You can ask for a free visit.

Sources

• Housekeep: How much does a tree surgeon cost?
• Fantastic Services: Tree surgery costs
• GraftinGardeners: Tree surgeon cost in London
• GOV.UK: Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas
• Arboricultural Association: Choosing your arborist
• Lichfield District Council: Choose a qualified tree surgeon
• Test Valley Borough Council: Household waste duty of care
• Environment Agency: Register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers

This article sets out Aspen Rose's own reading of the published guides above, useful background, not a quote, and not professional or legal advice on tree work or protection orders. Prices, and whether a tree needs consent, depend on the tree and the property, so get a written quote and check TPO status for your own garden before deciding. Request a free, no-obligation quote and we'll price your tree work properly.