Privacy Policy - Gardeners West Wickham

This Privacy Policy explains how personal data is collected, used, stored, and protected by Gardeners West Wickham for all customers in the West Wickham area. It applies to every customer, prospective customer, and website or service user who engages with our gardening services in this area. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We value privacy and understand that personal information must be treated with care. This policy sets out what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful basis we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to individuals. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read this policy and understand how your information is handled.

1. Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary to provide our gardening services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal obligations. The data we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, phone number, and email address.
Service information such as property access notes, garden preferences, service requests, and job history.
Billing and payment information such as invoicing details and payment status, where applicable.
Communication records including messages, booking notes, feedback, and complaint history.
Technical data if you interact with digital forms or messages, such as basic device or usage information.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is provided voluntarily and is necessary for a specific service interaction, such as access arrangements relating to health or mobility. If such information is shared, we will treat it with additional care and only use it where lawful and necessary.

We aim to keep all data collection relevant and proportionate to the services requested.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange and deliver gardening services.
To manage customer accounts, service records, and scheduling.
To issue invoices, receive payments, and maintain financial records.
To communicate about service changes, updates, or follow-up actions.
To maintain internal records and improve service quality.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.

Gardeners West Wickham will not sell or rent personal data to third parties. We only use information in ways that are consistent with the purposes for which it was collected, unless a new lawful basis applies.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. The lawful bases we rely on may include:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging services, confirming bookings, completing work, and managing payments.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include record-keeping, service management, responding to queries, and improving our operations. We always consider whether the processing is fair and proportionate.

Legal Obligation

We process personal data when required to comply with legal duties, such as tax, accounting, insurance, and record retention obligations.

Consent

Where consent is required, such as for optional communications or specific uses of information, we will ask for it clearly. You may withdraw consent at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

We only process data where there is a valid legal reason to do so.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted service providers who act as processors on our behalf. These processors are only permitted to use personal data in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection law. They are required to keep information secure and to process it only for the services they provide.

Examples of processors may include:

Booking and scheduling tools.
Invoice and accounting services.
Email and communication providers.
IT support, cloud storage, and data backup providers.
Payment processing services, where used.

We may also share personal data where required by law, such as with tax authorities, insurers, legal advisers, or regulatory bodies. If a business restructuring or transfer occurs, data may be disclosed to relevant parties under appropriate safeguards.

We do not allow processors to use your data for their own purposes.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Customer service records are retained for as long as the relationship continues and for a reasonable period after it ends.
Financial and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records may be kept to manage disputes, service history, and customer support.
Consent records are retained to demonstrate compliance with data protection obligations.

When data is no longer required, we take appropriate steps to delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it. We review retention regularly to ensure we do not keep personal data longer than necessary.

6. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality measures, and regular review of procedures. While no method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free, we make reasonable efforts to safeguard information.

Protecting privacy is an ongoing responsibility, not a one-time action.

7. Your Rights

Individuals whose personal data we process have rights under data protection law. These rights may include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – to request limits on how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to request transfer of certain data in a structured format, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you believe your data protection rights have not been respected, you may have the right to complain to the relevant supervisory authority. We encourage individuals to raise concerns so we can address them promptly.

8. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we take steps to ensure that it is protected by appropriate safeguards and that any transfer complies with data protection law. This may include approved contractual protections or transfers to countries with an adequate level of protection.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, operational practices, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers in the West Wickham area to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

10. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners West Wickham customers in the area, including prospective customers, active customers, and anyone whose personal data is processed in connection with our services. It covers all gardening service interactions, whether arrangements are made verbally, in writing, or through any other communication method used for service delivery.

Gardeners West Wickham is committed to maintaining privacy, transparency, and accountability in every stage of data processing. If personal data is no longer needed, we will not keep it without a lawful reason. If it is required, we will use it only for legitimate and clearly defined purposes.

Last updated: This policy should be reviewed regularly and updated as needed to remain compliant with applicable data protection requirements.