Tree surgeon?

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Hi, i have two big trees at the end of the garden (London). We moved in three years ago.
Do we need to trim the trees at some point?
I am just conscious of the impact on neighbours garden (too much shade and leaves?). Neighbours have not said anything but they are extremely polite!!
i am also worried about how much water these two trees use and whether this is going to make subsidence worse (every house is suffering in my local area)
The sycamore (smaller/blue circle tree) seems to be using a lot of water (nothing grows underneath it)
Maybe trimming them will help?

i have never used a tree surgeon (is this the right person to do the job?) what questions should i ask and how much does it cost roughly?
thanks im advance!!

Get a tree surgeon in to have a look a good one will give you honest advice. Find one through personal recommendation if you can, there are a lot of cowboys around. Your Council Tree Officer may have a list of firms they use. As for the cost it’s impossible to say without knowing what’s involved but it will be more than you bargain for. It’s dangerous work and is well paid as a result.

Yeah a tree surgeon/arborist. They'll be able to cut it back without damaging it.

We gave a MASSIVE copper beech tree. But it has a Tree Preservation Order on it. Be sure yours hasn't, as you need to get permission from your local council to do any work on it. Having done that, I agree with @NellieJean , get a tree surgeon in and a couple of quotes ( also check about responsible disposal ( if appropriate to burn, and you want to, some tree surgeons will cut into logs for you).
Also, added ammunition ( if you need council permission, is any overhang over chimneys ( fire hazard).
Your neighbours may well be v appreciative.
Good luck, and hope you don't have a TPO.
It leads to a huge, protracted process, even to just lift the canopy.

Please be aware that there is a HUGE difference between a fully-qualified expert tree surgeon who is also an arborist and is very knowledgeable about trees... and a bloke with a chainsaw licence.

We use a tree surgeon on councils approved list. They come and assess for free and give quote. I would say allow £800 to £1,000 but you will get precise quote and could be less / more.

Thanks a lot all! Pretty sure there is no TPO but will check
Do we NEED to trim them or can we just let them grow?

Its up to you, really; if it's casting shadow, if its encroaching on your neighbour's garden/property/if you're worried about fire risks...or you just want to...! Do it, you're lucky there's no TPO that you know of.
I would echo @Yamadori though...do get a qualified tree surgeon,/arborist, either through the council website, or reliable word of mouth..there are many "blokes with chainsaws " around!

A tree surgeon will tell you, a good one will be happy to come and look for free and give advice.

Get a tree surgeon in now to talk about growth and the cost if you do something now compared to later. Plus the options of branch trimming all the way through to crown reduction.

Usually people let trees get out of control then they cannot afford the tree surgeon. We have done crown reductions and full tree removal when the previous owner had let some trees get too tall and they were lifting the surrounding soil in high winds. They were very shallow rooted trees.

As we have several trees on our property we tend to have something done every year and rotate which tree they are working on. We have a self seeded silver birch that needs to come out. It is much cheaper if the tree doesn't require full harnessing and tall ladders.

Make sure they are NPTC and LANTRA members ( Google will tell you what they stand for, specifically, I forget now) but they are certificates of competency and environmental codes of conduct.

We had a crown reduction on our ash tree in 2021 and I’m booking to have it done again in January. It was £800 for a specialist and we had to book a few months in advance; and they didn’t want to do anything until the winter months.

ours requires permission from the council.

A properly good tree surgeon will not only know whether anything needs to be done (sometimes nothing at all) and will be able to advise you of a variety of options; they will also know the right time of year in which to carry out work on that tree species.

A Chainsaw Charlie will just hack away at any old time of year and make it look awful, with no regard to its long-term health or appearance. As long as they are paid, they don't give a shit.

Trees spend a lot of time out of leaf in the UK, and their appearance then, or their 'winter image' as we call it in bonsai circles, is just as important as what it looks like with its clothes on. You don't want to be looking at a mutilation for 5 months of the year.

It'll vary by the type of tree and position in relation to buildings etc whether it will need work and how much needs doing. The tree surgeon will advise. We get ours done every few years. They often don't like doing work in nesting season (will do it if tree is unsafe and a risk) but now is a good time to be getting a quote so they can do work roughly September onwards / when free of nesting birds.

Thanks all for your advice. I will get recommendations on my street whatsapp