Tell us the job

Tree services

Strata and commercial tree work

Strata and commercial tree work anywhere in Australia, matched to a local arborist.

A tree on strata common property is the owners corporation's to deal with, not any one owner's, and councils usually want proof the owners corporation agrees before they'll look at a tree application.

  • We match you with the local arborist who does your kind of job.
  • Tell us the job once, and the arborist who takes it calls you.
  • Storm damage and fallen trees flagged urgent.

Tell us the tree job

What needs doing?

If anyone is in danger, call 000. For storm damage to your home, call the SES. Then tell us the job.

Only one local arborist gets your number.

A worker in a helmet and earmuffs pruning a branch over the driveway of a brick apartment block with a pole saw, traffic cones set out

Matched by the job, not just the postcode

A big gum over a roof, a stump and a council report are different jobs, so the job comes first.

Only one local arborist gets your number.

Your contact details go to one arborist for your job, so you deal with one person.

Storm jobs flagged urgent

Pick storm damage and the arborist sees it marked urgent. If anyone is in danger, call 000 first.

Council rules before the cut

Many councils protect bigger trees. The permit guides cover every state, so you can check first.

What happens next

A local arborist calls you.

Tell us the job

  1. Tell us the job

    What the tree needs and your postcode. A few taps.

  2. We pass it on

    To a local arborist near your postcode.

  3. They call you

    They talk it through, usually see the tree, and quote in writing. You decide.

Who decides about a common-property tree?

The owners corporation (the body corporate, in some states), usually through its committee or a general meeting. For council purposes, one owner or a tenant generally can't sign off: Hornsby says tenants can't give permission, and strata or common property needs an authorised officer or the body corporate.

The law points the same way. Queensland's neighbour tree law treats the body corporate as the tree-keeper for a tree on common property, and in the ACT an application about a protected tree on units plan (strata) common property needs the owners corporation's written agreement. How your scheme votes is set by your state's strata law and by-laws, so ask the strata manager.

What councils ask strata schemes to provide

  • Minutes of a body corporate or executive committee meeting agreeing on the tree work (Randwick).
  • A managing agent's letter, or minutes showing majority support (Mosman).
  • The owners corporation's seal, plus a site plan with the trees numbered (Cumberland).
  • A manager's letter and the owners corporation number (Stonnington).
  • The body corporate's seal if the applicant isn't the owner, plus photos and a location map (Brisbane).
  • An arborist report, where the council asks for one. See arborist reports.

Do council shortcuts work for strata?

Not always. City of Ryde's urgent tree assessment is only for non-strata homes, and City of Gold Coast says its accepted development guidelines don't apply to trees on land managed by a body corporate. Plan for the normal application, and allow time for a meeting before it. Our permit pages cover the rules council by council.

What's different on a commercial site?

Mostly the people around the work. Safe Work Australia says the people doing tree work, or working near it, are the most at risk, and that an exclusion zone should be set up below and around the tree. On a busy site that can mean closing car park bays, paths or an entrance for the day, so plan it with the site manager.

In NSW, SafeWork NSW's Tree works code of practice, in force from 27 March 2026, covers everyone who works with trees, builders and developers included. If there's construction, the trees come under AS 4970:2025 and protection zones, which our tree protection zones guide explains.

How long should we allow?

Longer than for a house. The ACT has to decide a tree activity application within 35 working days, and Brisbane says it will contact you about a protected vegetation permit within 20 business days. Add the wait for the next meeting, then book the work for when the site is quietest. For routine pruning, a yearly arborist inspection beats reacting to each fallen branch.

Strata and commercial tree work: what you can do yourself

You can

  • Photograph the tree and the problem, with dates.
  • Put the tree on the next meeting agenda with a clear motion.
  • Ask the council what it needs from a strata or commercial applicant.
  • Ask each arborist for proof of public liability and workers compensation insurance.

Leave to an arborist

  • The assessment and any report.
  • Pruning and removal, with an exclusion zone in place.
  • Stump grinding and the clean-up.

Hiring an arborist for strata and commercial work

We'd get the arborist's report first, table it with a clear motion at the next meeting, and lodge the council application with the minutes attached. That's the order most councils want anyway, and it stops one tree dragging across three meetings.

Strata and commercial tree work: common questions

Can one owner remove a tree on common property?

Not on their own say-so. The tree is the owners corporation's to deal with, and councils such as The Hills want the body corporate's consent before an application is lodged. Raise it with the committee or strata manager first.

Can an arborist lodge the council application for us?

Often, with the right authority. Orange City Council accepts applications from an arborist acting for the owner or body corporate, and Stonnington accepts them from arborists holding a letter of authorisation. Ask your council what it needs.

Do we need an arborist report for a strata tree?

Only if the council asks, but it helps the meeting too, because owners can vote on a clear recommendation. Banyule, for one, needs a report when four or more trees are involved.

Are commercial properties covered by the same tree rules?

Yes, commercial land isn't outside them. In NSW, the state's urban tree rules cover employment and mixed use zones as well as residential ones, and the ACT's protections reach commercial and industrial zones. Check with the council before work starts.

Trees on a strata or commercial site?

Pick the job and give your postcode, and a local arborist calls you.

Tell us the tree job

What needs doing?

Only one local arborist gets your number.

Strata and commercial tree work near you

More on strata and commercial tree work

Sources

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