Neighbouring trees
If you have trees on land that you own or rent, you have a duty:
- under common law to make sure they do not cause damage or injury to neighbouring property or people
- under the Occupiers’ Liability Act to ensure the safety of anyone on your land including visitors and possibly trespassers
We own a considerable number of trees across the district. You can find out how we manage them on the pages about Trees on our land.
We are not responsible for managing trees on land owned by individuals or other organisations.
Trees in other ownership
If you have a tree enquiry, the most important thing to establish is who owns the land the tree sits on. This is because it is the land owner who is responsible for the tree.
There are a number of different potential landowners, including:
- a private land owner, if the tree is in someone’s garden
- us, if the tree is in a park or play area
- Essex County Council, if the tree is on a verge next to a footpath or road
- the local parish council, if the tree is in a village or on other public land
- a private management company, if the tree is part of a complex of flats
- Eastlight Community Homes, if the tree is part of a social housing property they own
We can’t tell you who owns a piece of land. We only hold records for the land that we own.
If you want to find out who owns a piece of land, you can contact the Land Registry. They charge a small fee for this service.
