Confirm the area included
Supply a plan and identify the trees the enquiry concerns. Explain whether the proposed work covers common areas, particular garden areas or selected trees. Where responsibility or access is unclear, resolve it with the authorised property contact before arranging the visit. This guide is about survey planning; it does not determine ownership or legal responsibility.
Bring the concerns into one brief
Appoint a contact who can collect the committee's questions and existing information. Separate observations about tree condition from requests about proposed pruning, root-related concerns or maintenance planning. Include the relevant location and tree reference for each question so several reports of the same tree do not become separate unidentified enquiries.
Make the record usable at a meeting
- Numbered trees that match the plan, photographs and schedule.
- Location descriptions that residents and managers recognise.
- A dated record of the agreed inspection and its scope.
- Observations distinguished from recommended actions.
- Any priorities or follow-up advice included in the commission.
- An issued version that can be circulated consistently.
An example request
Illustrative brief: “The committee needs advice on six trees in the marked common garden. Two have generated root-related concerns and we would also like to discuss maintenance planning. Please confirm inspection coverage, access needs and whether a numbered map, photographs and written recommendations are included. The strata manager will coordinate enquiries and receive the report.”
Keep decisions and work records separate
The inspection records what was observed and recommended at the agreed visit. Keep the committee's later decision, contractor instructions and completion evidence alongside it as separate records. Do not overwrite an original recommendation with a completion note. If circumstances or proposed work change, ask whether further advice is needed.
Choose the right consultancy scope
A mapped inventory may answer a recordkeeping need, while a specific tree concern may call for a different assessment. Discuss the scope before comparing quotes. Carrying out tree work is a separate commission from the consultancy services described here.
Explore tree surveys, root barrier enquiries and assessment quote comparisons.
Prepared by Sorbus Arbor Consulting.