Trees in communal or shared areas
We’re responsible for maintaining trees in communal or shared areas. We plan and carry out tree surveys to check the health of trees in these areas. We also have a tree register to store key information about the maintenance of each tree.
If you see anything wrong with trees in communal or shared areas let us know – this could include storm damage, vandalism or poor tree health.
The cost of maintaining trees in communal or shared areas is covered by a service charge.
Trees in gardens that aren’t shared
If you have a garden that you don’t share with others, trees in that area are your responsibility – this is covered in your tenancy agreement.
Our tree register holds information about trees in gardens that aren’t shared, and we check those trees are being well maintained. If we see trees in your garden that aren’t maintained we can take action – this is usually when there’s a health and safety risk such as large broken branches, or trees in poor health. If we have to carry out the work ourselves, we can reclaim the cost of the work from you.
We don’t encourage you to plant trees in your own garden – they can be difficult to maintain and choosing the wrong tree for the location can cause issues later. If you want to plant any trees or large shrubs in your garden you’ll need to put your request in writing to your Neighbourhood Officer .
Our Community Spaces team can offer free advice on the best type of trees or shrubs to be planted.