A customer rings about a large tree shading her entire garden. It is not her tree. It belongs to a neighbour she has not spoken to in three years, and she wants somebody to come and take a third off it.
Anybody who attends without establishing ownership and permission is walking into a dispute with a chainsaw.
Why these enquiries are different
Because two parties are involved, at least one of them is unhappy, and the contractor is being asked to act on land or property that the caller may not control.
Establish ownership first
Whose land the trunk stands on. It is the starting point and callers frequently do not know, assume, or hope.
Establish who is instructing
Because whoever instructs the work is the client, is responsible for the decision and is paying. It must be unambiguous before anything is booked.
Establish whether the neighbour has been spoken to
Frequently the answer is no, and frequently a conversation resolves it. Suggesting it is better advice than quoting for work.
Explain the overhanging position carefully
That established principles exist, that they come with conditions and that anybody considering acting on them should take proper advice. Never a summary of what somebody is entitled to do.
Explain what happens to the cut material
That there are conventions about offering it back, that it matters, and that it is one of the things that turns a job into a dispute.
Explain the boundary line problem
That fences are not always on the boundary, that ownership can be unclear and that a dispute about a line is not a tree question, which is the same territory as boundary and neighbour questions fencing firms field.
Explain the access issue
That work frequently needs access from the other side, that this requires agreement and what happens without it.
Check for protections
Because a boundary tree is as likely to be protected as any other, which is the ground in permission and protected tree questions arborists hear.
Decline the dispute
Politely, where two parties disagree. A contractor who says plainly that this needs resolving between the parties first is protecting everybody including themselves.
Offer the joint quote
Where both neighbours want the work, a single quote split between them is frequently the cleanest answer and almost nobody suggests it.
Explain the dangerous tree exception
Where a tree presents a genuine risk, that different considerations apply and who should be involved. Handled carefully and never as a way around a dispute.
Record what was agreed
Who instructed, what was agreed, what was discussed about ownership and what the customer confirmed. It is the protection that matters if anything goes wrong.
Explain the tree roots question
Roots under a drive, a wall or a drain are the second half of every boundary tree conversation and are considerably more complex than branches. Saying that it needs assessment, that responsibility is rarely obvious and that it frequently involves more than an arborist keeps a contractor out of a dispute about somebody's foundations.
Capture the situation at enquiry
Address, ownership, whether the neighbour is aware and photographs, which is the structured approach in receptionist screening questions and the quoting discipline in quote questions that need photographs and access.
Getting started
Publish that you establish ownership and permission before quoting, offer joint quotes and capture the situation at any hour. SpideyChat for landscaping and tree businesses answers from your published pages. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.