Tell us the job

About us

How Nearby Arborist works

Four steps on the form. The arborist does the rest.

You answer four quick steps about the tree job, and we pass it to a local arborist, who contacts you, quotes and does the work if you go ahead.

A person standing on a back lawn, helmet under one arm, looking up into a tall gum tree beside a brick house

What the form asks

  1. The job

    Storm damage, a removal, pruning, a stump, a palm, a hedge, an arborist report or clearing a block. Pick the closest one.

  2. A few taps about the tree

    Things like how tall it is, how many there are and whether it's near a power line. On removals it asks whether you have a council permit, and passes your answer to the arborist.

  3. Your postcode

    It tells us where the tree is.

  4. Your first name and mobile

    An email address and a note about the job are optional. You tick a box agreeing that we can share your details with a local arborist so they can contact you about the job.

What happens after you send it

A local arborist contacts you about the job. They'll usually want to see the tree before quoting, because height, access and what's underneath change a job a lot.

The price and the work are agreed between you and the arborist. We don't quote, we don't set prices and we're not part of the job itself, so whether to go ahead is your call.

Got a quote and not sure what should be in it? Reading a tree quote goes through it line by line.

If the tree is on a power line

The form asks about power lines for a reason. A tree touching a street power line isn't taken as a job: the form sends you to the electricity network instead, because the line has to be made safe before anyone goes near the tree. Stay well back, keep others away, and call 000 if anyone is in danger. Trees and power lines lists the networks.

Storm damage

If anyone is in danger, call 000 first. For a storm-damaged home, ring the SES. Storm jobs sent through the form are marked urgent for the arborist, but we make no promise about how quickly anyone responds, and in a big storm nobody honestly can.

What we never do

We never do tree work, quote it or employ the arborists. The site shows no prices for tree work.

We never tell you a tree is fine to cut without checking. Permit pages say what the rules cover and send you to the council.

And we never give felling, climbing or chainsaw instructions. Tips here stop at small pruning you can do from the ground with hand tools.

How Nearby Arborist works: common questions

What if I don't have a council permit yet?

That's fine. The form asks so the arborist knows where things stand. The council decides whether a permit is needed, and the tree permits pages explain the rules by state and council.

Do I have to go with the arborist who contacts me?

No. Their quote is an offer from their business, and it's up to you whether to accept it. Ask your questions first: how we check lists the ones worth asking any arborist.

Can I send a job from anywhere?

Yes, from anywhere in Australia. The postcode tells us where the tree is.

More on how Nearby Arborist works

How we check arboristsNo arborist licence exists, so here's what to ask any arborist for instead.Reading a tree quote: what should be in itWhat a written tree quote should cover, line by line, and the red flags that say keep looking.Trees near power linesStreet lines, the line to your house and private poles: who clears what, and which network to call.Storm damage and fallen treesAfter a storm: 000, the SES, power lines, what an arborist does next, insurance and permits.Do I need a permit to remove a tree?Do you need a permit to remove a tree? Why the rules differ by state and council, and how to check yours.About Nearby ArboristWhat Nearby Arborist is, who's behind it, and what we never do.

Where this information comes from

Tree rules change, so check with your council before anything is cut. How we write and check these pages.