Privacy Policy - Gardeners Westcombe Park

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Westcombe Park collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in relation to its gardening services. It applies to all Gardeners Westcombe Park customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about services, request quotations, book appointments, receive ongoing maintenance, or otherwise interact with our business. We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy should be read carefully so that you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over your personal information.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant to providing our gardening services, managing enquiries, maintaining customer relationships, and meeting legal or contractual obligations. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity details such as your name or title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details relating to your gardening needs, property access notes, preferred visit times, service history, and instructions.
Payment and billing information where required for invoicing, payment processing, and account administration.
Communication records including messages, emails, call notes, and feedback.
Technical information if you use digital forms or online enquiry tools, such as device type, browser data, and basic usage logs.
Special category data only where you voluntarily provide it and where it is necessary for a specific purpose, for example access requirements linked to health or mobility considerations.

We do not intentionally collect more data than is needed. If you choose not to provide certain information, we may not be able to deliver some services or respond to some requests properly.

2. How We Use Personal Data

Gardeners Westcombe Park uses personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to arrange and deliver gardening services;
to manage appointments, job planning, and service updates;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain records;
to communicate with customers about their services;
to manage complaints, feedback, and service improvements;
to comply with legal, accounting, insurance, and tax obligations;
to protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We may also use aggregated or anonymised information for internal reporting and service planning. This data does not identify you personally.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the context, our lawful bases include:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you. This includes handling enquiries, providing quotes, carrying out gardening work, and managing payments.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service administration, record keeping, business development, customer support, and security monitoring.

Legal Obligation

We may process certain information to comply with statutory obligations such as tax, accounting, insurance, or regulatory requirements.

Consent

Where required, we will rely on your consent. For example, this may apply to optional communications or the handling of certain special category information that you choose to share. You may withdraw consent at any time, although this will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

In rare circumstances, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for business operations, service delivery, or legal compliance. These third parties act either as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

accounting and bookkeeping providers;
payment processing services;
IT support and cloud storage providers;
email, communication, or scheduling tools;
professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers;
subcontractors assisting with gardening work when required.

We ensure that processors only handle personal data under our instructions and are subject to appropriate confidentiality and security obligations. We do not sell your personal information.

Where personal data is shared with independent controllers, they are responsible for their own privacy practices. This may include government bodies, insurers, or other authorities where disclosure is required by law.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the information and the reason it is held.

Customer and service records are kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards for administration and dispute handling.
Invoice and tax records are generally retained for the period required by law.
Enquiry data may be held for a limited period if no service is booked, to allow follow-up or auditing of communications.
Security and technical logs are retained only as long as needed for operational and security purposes.

When personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

6. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis we rely on.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you may ask us to delete your data in certain situations.
Right to restrict processing – you may ask us to limit how your data is used in specific cases.
Right to data portability – you may request that certain data be provided to you or another organisation in a structured format.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
Right to lodge a complaint – you may complain to the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. We aim to deal with requests within the time limits required by law.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, and staff confidentiality obligations.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risks and respond promptly to any suspected data incident. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take the action required by law.

8. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures permitted by law.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and property-related service arrangements. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided in the course of a customer relationship and is necessary for service delivery or safety.

10. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service operations. When updates are made, the revised version will apply from the date it takes effect. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is handled.

11. Our Commitment

Gardeners Westcombe Park values privacy and treats personal information with care and respect. We aim to collect only the information needed, use it fairly, keep it secure, and retain it only for as long as necessary. If you continue to use our services, make an enquiry, or maintain an active customer relationship with us, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to you.

This policy applies to all Gardeners Westcombe Park customers in the area. By working with us, you can expect your information to be handled responsibly, transparently, and in accordance with data protection law.