Do I need permission to cut down a tree?

In a conservation area or where a tree preservation order applies, yes. Check with the council before work starts.

Who maintains a tenement back green?

It is common property shared by the owners in the stair, maintained collectively or through a factor.

Void property clearance

Garden reset between tenancies

Cut it back, simplify it, then photograph it

The short answer

An overgrown garden makes a property look neglected in photographs and puts off viewers before they reach the door. A void reset means cutting back, clearing green waste through a licensed carrier, dealing with any invasive planting, and simplifying the layout so the next occupier can realistically maintain it. Trees may need consent before work in a conservation area.

What the work involves

Cutting grass and hedges, pruning, clearing rubbish and green waste, checking boundaries and paths for safety, and reducing high-maintenance planting.

Rules and responsibilities in Scotland

Tree work in conservation areas or on protected trees needs council notification or consent. Japanese knotweed must not be spread and its waste is controlled. Boundary walls and fences are subject to the title deeds.

What commonly goes wrong

Strimming through Japanese knotweed and spreading it, and cutting a protected tree without checking with the council first.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

A one-off reset costs more than a season of routine cutting, so it is worth keeping on top of during tenancies.
Green waste disposal is charged by volume by licensed carriers.
Simplifying planting reduces every future void cost.

What to do, in order

1Photograph the garden before starting.
2Identify any invasive plants before cutting anything.
3Check with the council before pruning or felling mature trees.
4Clear waste through a licensed carrier and keep the transfer note.
5Simplify the layout so ongoing maintenance is realistic.

Local detail for the Lothians

Many Edinburgh gardens sit in conservation areas where the council must be notified before tree work.
Tenement back greens are common property, so no single owner should reshape them without agreement.
Japanese knotweed appears along old railway lines and watercourses in parts of the Lothians.

When you need a professional

An insured tree surgeon for anything beyond light pruning, and a specialist contractor for knotweed treatment.

Common questions

Do I need permission to cut down a tree?: In a conservation area or where a tree preservation order applies, yes. Check with the council before work starts.
Who maintains a tenement back green?: It is common property shared by the owners in the stair, maintained collectively or through a factor.

Lothian Property is a property information and professional-introduction service operated by Maybury Scotland Limited. Lothian Property is not an estate agency. Where requested, we may connect homeowners with independent estate agents and other property professionals. How we work.

Gardens and common areas
Who cuts the grass, who clears the stair, and how to write it into the tenancy.
Preparing a void for photography
The last two hours before the camera arrives, and what they are worth.
Furniture and bulky waste
Getting sofas, beds, white goods and mattresses out of a property legally and cheaply.

Last reviewed 4 September 2026.