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What an arborist report costs in Melbourne
I quote every job rather than working off a price list, so this page sets out what the market charges, what pushes your job up or down against that, and how to get a fixed number from me inside a day.
What the market charges
Published Australian cost guides put a Melbourne arborist report for one or two trees at somewhere between $450 and $700, and multi tree reports for development sites between $800 and $2,500.
Read those figures with some care. Almost all of them come from tree removal companies who write reports alongside the removal work, which is a different product with a different incentive sitting behind it. For consulting work I would treat that range as the bottom end.
Why I do not publish a fixed price, and nor does anyone else
I looked at fourteen Melbourne arboricultural consultancies while I was putting this site together. Not one of them publishes a fee. The only numbers you can find belong to tree removal businesses.
The reason is that these jobs vary so much. Two trees of the same species and size, on two sites, under two councils, with two different proposals, are not the same piece of work. One number would be too high for the straightforward jobs and too low for the hard ones, so I look at what is on the site and then quote it.
What moves your number
Tree count
The main driver. Each tree is more measurement, more assessment, more analysis against the proposal, another entry in the schedule.
Whether usable plans exist
A current feature survey and a clear site plan speed the whole job up. If I have to work levels and boundaries out from a sketch it takes considerably longer.
Access
Trees I can walk up to and get a tape around are quick. A tree behind a locked gate on the neighbouring title means arranging access first, which can add a week before I even attend.
How many controls apply
A site under a Significant Landscape Overlay, a local law and Clause 52.37 needs three arguments made properly. The council pages set out which apply where.
What the report is for
A straightforward condition report takes less time than one written on the assumption a lawyer or an insurer will go through it line by line.
Deadline
Standard turnaround is built into the quote. If you need it faster, tell me and I will say what is possible and what the rush costs.
How quoting works here
Send the address and whatever plans you have
Even a rough sketch and the number of trees is enough to start. If you have council correspondence, send that too, because it usually tells me which test applies.
Fixed number back within one business day
The price and the scope, both in writing. If the job needs two stages I will say so when I quote rather than invoicing you for a second one later.
The number does not move
Unless the scope does, and then I quote the variation before I do it. If the site turns out to take me longer than I allowed for, I wear that.
Sometimes you do not need a report at all
If you send me the plans and the job does not need an arborist report, I will tell you so and there is nothing to pay. It happens often enough to be worth asking, usually because the works sit outside every root zone or the site is in a zone Clause 52.37 does not reach.
Common questions
How much does an arborist report cost in Melbourne?
Published cost guides put a Melbourne arborist report for one or two trees between $450 and $700, and multi tree development reports between $800 and $2,500. Those figures come mostly from tree removal companies who write reports alongside the removal work, so treat them as the bottom end rather than a guide to consulting work. Every job here is quoted individually and fixed in writing before work starts, with the quote back within one business day.
What drives the cost of an arborist report?
Tree count is the main driver, then whether usable plans and a current survey exist, site access, how many overlays and controls apply, and the deadline. A five tree site with a clear site plan is straightforward. Twenty trees on a battleaxe block with no survey is not.
Do you charge for a quote?
No. Send the site address and whatever plans you have and you will get a fixed number back within one business day. If it turns out you do not need a report at all, I will tell you that and there is no fee.
Can the fee change once you have started?
Only if the scope changes, for example the tree count on site is different from the plans or the design is revised. I quote the variation before doing the work rather than adding it to the invoice. If the site simply takes me longer than I allowed, I wear that.
Get a real number for your site.
Send the address and whatever plans you have. You get a fixed quote back within one business day, with the scope written out, and I do not add variations you have not agreed to.