The core requirements every operator meets.
A genuinely vetted panel protects everyone on it. Here is the full standard each vetted independent service partner meets before approval — and exactly what to have ready.
At a glance
- The same core requirements for everyone. Verified identity, a registered business, the right insurance, core chainsaw and first-aid competence, a valid waste carrier’s licence, and acceptance of the panel agreement.
- Two things you opt into. Beyond the core requirements you can choose to receive emergency and commercial work. Each has one or two extra requirements, and you can turn them on or off at any time.
- Certificates that depend on your work. If you climb, rig or use a woodchipper, you upload the matching certificates. If you don’t do it, you don’t need them.
- No upload where a public register will do. For your waste carrier’s licence and a few optional memberships, just give us the reference and we confirm it live.
- Core requirements Every operator
Identity · business · insurance · core competence · waste licence · agreements
- Work-type certificates If you do that work
Climbing (CS38 / CS39 / LOLER) · rigging (CS41) · woodchipper
- Emergency opt-in Optional
24/7 availability + a one-off reachability check
- Commercial opt-in Optional
Public liability raised to £10m + basic DBS
- Trust signals Optional
Arboricultural Association · TrustMark
Core requirements
All of the following are required before your application can be approved.
- Photo ID — passport or UK driving licence, confirmed through a secure identity check
- Proof of business address — a utility bill or bank statement no more than 3 months old
- A quick selfie / liveness check
- Legal name and business type — sole trader, limited company, partnership or LLP
- Companies House number (if a limited company or LLP) and VAT number where registered — confirmed against the public registers
- How many people work with you — sets whether employer’s liability is required
- £5m public liability minimum, covering arboriculture, in date
- £5m employer’s liability if you have any employees, sub-contractors or volunteers
- Professional indemnity — optional, only if you offer paid reports or BS5837 surveys
- NPTC CS30 — chainsaw maintenance and cross-cutting
- NPTC CS31 — felling and processing small trees (up to 380mm)
- Emergency first aid at work +F — the forestry variant, no more than 3 years old
- Waste carrier’s licence — give us the registration number and we confirm it live against the relevant public register (Environment Agency, SEPA or Natural Resources Wales). No upload needed.
- Accept the operator panel agreement and privacy notice
- Consent to operational lead alerts by WhatsApp and SMS
- A payment method held securely on file
- At least one positive reference
Certificates for the work you do
You tell us which types of work you undertake. Each one you tick adds a required certificate. If you don’t do it, you don’t need the certificate.
- You climb or do any aerial work NPTC CS38 (climbing & aerial rescue), NPTC CS39 (aerial cutting with a chainsaw) and 6-monthly LOLER inspection records for your climbing kit
- You carry out rigging NPTC CS41 (aerial rigging)
- You use a woodchipper Woodchipper operations (Lantra or equivalent)
You carry professional responsibility for declining any job that falls outside the work you’ve declared.
Choosing your work — the two opt-ins
If a requirement stops being met — for example your public liability drops below £10m — the matching opt-in pauses automatically until it’s back in place.
Emergency work
Opt-inConfirm you accept 24/7 emergency work and that your WhatsApp number is reachable out of hours. In your first 14 days you’ll get one clearly-labelled overnight test message — tap to confirm within 30 minutes to pass. No extra certificate or insurance beyond the core requirements.
Commercial work
Opt-inConfirm you take on commercial work. Public liability is raised to £10m, and a basic DBS certificate applies (you apply on gov.uk and upload it, refreshed every 3 years). Optional signals such as SMSTS / SSSTS, CSCS and asbestos awareness strengthen your profile.
Trust signals
Not required, and no upload — give us the reference and we confirm it live against the public register. Each appears as a badge on your operator profile and can help when several eligible operators are in line for the same lead.
- Arboricultural Association — approved-contractor membership Verified against the AA public register
- TrustMark — accreditation Verified against the TrustMark public register
What to have ready
Gather these in one sitting and the application takes minutes.
- Passport or UK driving licence, and a utility bill or bank statement (≤3 months old)
- Public liability certificate (£5m+) — and employer’s liability (£5m+) if you have staff
- NPTC CS30 and CS31 certificates
- Emergency first aid at work +F certificate (≤3 years old)
- Your waste carrier’s licence registration number
- For the work you do: CS38 / CS39 / LOLER records (climbing), CS41 (rigging), woodchipper operations (chipper)
- One referee’s name and contact details
- A payment card
- If opting in to commercial: a £10m public liability certificate and a basic DBS certificate
Ready to join the panel?
Request the panel details and we’ll send the application steps.
Request panel details