How Much Does a Tree Surgeon Cost in London? (2026 Price Guide)
An individual tree surgeon in London typically costs around £45-£90 per hour, or roughly £250-£400 per day working alone. The most common setup, however, is a team of three with a truck and wood chipper, which typically costs £600-£1,500 per day in London (most full-day jobs sit in this range), or £75-£110 per hour for the crew. In practice, very few reputable companies price work by the hour; most jobs require several qualified arborists and specialised equipment, so they’re quoted as a fixed price per job, based on the accessibility, size, and complexity of the tree surgery project.
Because of London’s logistical challenges and higher green waste-disposal fees, tree surgery prices in the capital tend to sit at the higher end of the national average. Below you’ll find a full breakdown of tree surgeon prices in London for 2026, average costs by job type, what changes your quote, and how to get a figure you can rely on.
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Tree Surgeon Costs in London at a Glance
| Setup / Service | Typical London Price (from) |
|---|---|
| Individual tree surgeon (rarely priced this way) | £45-£90 per hour / £250-£400 per day |
| Team of three + truck + chipper (most common) | £600-£1,500 per day / £75-£110 per hour |
| Tree pruning / crown reduction | £200-£1,200+ |
| Tree removal / felling | from £250 (small) - £3,500+ (large) |
| Pollarding | from £380 |
| Stump grinding (per stump) | £150-£400+ |
| Hedge trimming | £150-£1,000+ |
| Ivy removal | from £340 |
| Emergency call-out | from £250+ |
| Tree survey / report (BS5837) | from £460 |
Indicative London averages for 2026. Your exact price is confirmed in a free written quote, with VAT shown.
Average Tree Surgeon Costs in London by Job Type
- Tree pruning/crown reduction: £200-£1,200+ Costs vary with the tree’s size and the percentage of crown being removed.
- Tree removal/felling: from £250 for a small ornamental tree to £1,200-£3,500+ for large, mature trees near buildings that need sectional dismantling.
- Stump grinding: £150-£400+ per stump, priced by size at ground level.
- Hedge trimming: £150-£1,000+ Prices increase with height and the need for access platforms.
- Pollarding: from £380, depending on how long it's been since the tree was last pollarded.
- Ivy removal: from £340, labour-intensive hand-stripping to protect brickwork or the host tree.
- Emergency call-out: from £250+ plus out-of-hours crew rates for urgent, fallen or dangerous trees.
- Tree survey/report: from £260 for a basic safety inspection; BS5837 planning surveys from £460+, depending on the number of trees, the site size and complexity.
Why Tree Surgeons Are Rarely Priced by the Hour
When you’re quoted an hourly or day rate, it almost always covers the whole crew, not one tree surgeon. More importantly, hourly and day rates rarely work in the customer’s favour: if a job runs longer than expected, the cost can spiral, and you carry that risk. That’s why GraftinGardeners, like most established London tree companies, price each project as a fixed price based on the work involved. You know exactly what you’ll pay before any cutting begins, with no open-ended meter running. The only way to get an accurate figure is a free, no-obligation site visit or a quote from clear photos.
Factors That Will Change The Cost of Your Quote
- Tree size, species and condition: larger, structurally complex, dead or storm-damaged trees take longer to dismantle safely and cost more.
- Accessibility: difficult access through terraced properties or narrow side returns often means more manual labour, or smaller specialist machinery, both of which add time and cost.
- Waste removal: some tree surgeons include branch chipping and debris removal; others charge separately or leave the timber. Always confirm what’s included before accepting a quote.
- Tree protection status: if your tree has a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) or sits in a Conservation Area, there may be an additional charge to prepare and submit the council application on your behalf.
- Risk and proximity: trees near buildings, walls, power lines or public highways need careful rigging and carry higher liability.
- Parking: you may need to provide visitor permits or pay for a borough parking-space suspension for the truck and chipper. Costs are set by the council and can be checked on your local borough website.
- ULEZ compliance: running a fully ULEZ/LEZ-compliant fleet in London incurs real costs that are reflected in every quote.
Tree Surgeon Prices in London: Detailed Breakdown
Tree Removal & Felling from £250
Priced by size, risk and access. A straight fell is cheaper than a sectional dismantle, where every limb is roped down to protect property.
- Small tree (up to ~15ft): from £250-£550
- Medium tree (~15-30ft): from £600
- Large tree (30ft+): £1,200-£3,500+
Learn more about our Tree felling & removal service →
Tree Pruning & Crown Reduction from £200-£1,200+
A natural, BS3998-compliant reduction is skilled work, not “topping.” Price depends on size and the amount of crown removal.
- Small: from £200
- Medium: from £480
- Large: £900-£1,200+
Read more about our Tree pruning & reducing service →
Pollarding from £380
Depends heavily on when the tree was last pollarded.
Discover more about our Tree pollarding service →
Stump Grinding from £150-£400+
Priced by stump size at ground level. Discounts for multiple stumps in one visit.
Find out more about our Stump grinding service →
Hedge Trimming from £150-£1,000+
Depends on height (do we need platforms?) and length.
See more information about our Hedge trimming service →
Ivy Removal from £340
Labour-intensive hand-stripping to protect the brickwork or the host tree.
View more information about our Ivy removal service →
Emergency Tree Work from £250 call out + crew time
24-hour emergency tree surgeon services across London for fallen, storm-damaged or dangerous trees. Call 0208 123 7653.
Get more information about our Emergency tree work service→
Tree Surveys & Reports from £260
Basic safety inspections from £260 and BS5837 planning surveys from £460+, depending on tree numbers and site complexity.
Obtain more information about our Tree surveying services →
Why Is Tree Surgery More Expensive in London?
Three key things push London tree surgery prices above the national average:
- Restricted access: Many gardens are accessible only through the house or a narrow passage, which can increase project timelines or the number of workers required.
- Parking and ULEZ: Vehicles and chippers often need a paid suspension or permit, and the whole fleet must be ULEZ-compliant.
- Higher waste-disposal costs: Licensed tipping in Greater London is more expensive than in most of the country.
Professional tree work carries real costs behind the scenes, from skilled NPTC-qualified crews and heavy insurance to specialist equipment and licensed waste disposal. If you would like to understand what you are actually paying for, read our full guide on why tree surgeons are so expensive.
Do TPOs and Conservation Areas Affect the Price?
If your tree has been issued with a TPO (Tree Preservation Order) or sits in a Conservation Area, both of which are common across London boroughs, you must get council consent before any work starts. Unauthorised work on protected trees in the UK is a criminal offence and can carry significant fines. We check this for you and handle the council application as part of our service. You can also check via your local authority’s planning portal or GOV.UK.
How to Save Money on Tree Surgery (Without Cutting Corners)
- Choose a reputable, well-reviewed company. Cheap, uninsured work costs far more when it goes wrong.
- Avoid doorstep cold-callers offering on-the-spot quotes; this is a classic sign of uninsured or rogue traders.
- Get a few written quotes and compare like-for-like (is waste removal included?).
- Prune little and often rather than leaving a tree for a decade; regular maintenance is cheaper in the long run.
- Book in autumn or winter when demand is lower for better availability and pricing.
- Deal with unhealthy trees early, before a small problem becomes a large, expensive one.
How to Choose a Tree Surgeon in London: Checklist
Before hiring anyone to work on your trees, check that they have:
- At least £5 Million Public Liability, Employers' Liability and £1 Million Professional Indemnity insurance.
- NPTC or Lantra qualifications and First Aid at Work training.
- Plenty of genuine, independent reviews on platforms such as Google Business and Checkatrade.
- Recognised accreditations from bodies such as ConstructionLine, CHAS, SSIP and Trading Standards.
- A working knowledge of British Standard BS3998, with all work carried out to those guidelines.
- A clear, fixed written quote with the VAT shown.
Why Choose GraftinGardeners?
On every point in the checklist above, GraftinGardeners delivers; we’re a highly accredited family-run London tree company with over 15 years’ experience and multiple NPTC-qualified teams covering North, South, West and Central London. Every job is fixed-price and fully insured, all green waste is recycled, and we leave every site tidier than we found it, which is why we’ve earned over 1,000 genuine 5-star reviews.
London Tree Surgeon Cost FAQs
Here are some quick answers to the most common questions about London tree-surgeon costs.
How much does a tree surgeon cost in London?
Hiring a tree surgeon in London typically costs between £600 and £1,500 per day for a standard three-person team with equipment, or £75-£110 per hour. The cost of an individual London tree surgeon is roughly £45-£90 per hour, but most companies charge a fixed price per job based on the tree's size, condition, and accessibility.
How much do tree surgeons charge per hour in London?
The average price of an individual London-based tree surgeon is between £45 and £90 per hour, but most companies price by the crew, not the person. A three-person team typically charges £75-£110 per hour, or £600-£1,500 per day. Please note: Most reputable tree companies quote jobs as a fixed price rather than by the hour.
Do tree surgeons charge per tree or per day?
Both. Small, straightforward jobs may be quoted per tree; larger jobs are priced as a half-day or full-day rate, or, as we prefer, as a fixed price for the whole project, so the cost can’t escalate.
Is waste removal included?
Chipping of green waste on site is usually included. Off-site disposal of timber or stumps may be quoted separately; always confirm before accepting any quote.
How much does stump grinding cost?
From around £150 per stump, priced by size at ground level, and discounts for multiple stumps in one visit.
Do you charge VAT?
Yes, we’re a VAT-registered limited company (VAT Registration Number: 182552893), and every written quote clearly shows the VAT.
Get an Exact, Fixed Price Today
For a free, no-obligation written quote from NPTC-qualified, fully insured London tree surgeons, get in touch today.
Request a Free Quote → | Call 020 8123 7653
