Privacy Policy - Gardeners Tottenham Hale

This Privacy Policy explains how personal data is collected, used, stored, and protected when we provide gardening services to customers in Tottenham Hale and the surrounding area. It applies to all Gardeners Tottenham Hale customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who contacts us about our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a fair, transparent, and lawful way in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and process in connection with our gardening services. This means we determine why and how your personal data is used. We only process personal data where we have a valid legal reason to do so and only for clearly defined purposes related to our work.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information we need to provide gardening services safely, efficiently, and professionally. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact information such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information such as details of your garden, the services requested, booking preferences, and notes about work carried out.
Billing information such as payment records, invoices, and transaction details.
Communication records such as messages, enquiries, complaints, and feedback.
Site and access information such as entry instructions, parking notes, or other information needed to complete the job.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you interact with our online systems, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is necessary and lawful to do so, and only in exceptional circumstances. If such information is ever provided, we will handle it with additional care and only where a valid legal basis applies.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange and deliver gardening services.
To manage appointments, scheduling, and job records.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To keep service notes for quality, continuity, and safety.
To communicate about changes, updates, or service-related matters.
To handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests.
To meet legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services and maintain accurate records.

We only use personal data in ways that are relevant to the service relationship. We do not sell personal data, and we do not use it for unrelated marketing purposes unless you have given appropriate permission where required.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, arranging work, delivering services, and managing payments.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include record keeping, service administration, preventing fraud, improving service quality, and resolving disputes.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal requirements, including tax rules, accounting obligations, and record retention duties.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent. If we do, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing before consent was withdrawn.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only where necessary and only with trusted third parties who help us operate our services. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our instructions. Examples may include:

Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help manage invoices, taxes, and financial records.
IT and cloud service providers that store or secure business records.
Communication service providers that support email, messaging, or scheduling tools.
Payment processing providers that handle card or bank transactions.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary.

Where we use processors, we ensure they are contractually bound to protect personal data and to process it only according to our instructions. We do not allow them to use your information for their own purposes.

We may also disclose data if required by law, for example to public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement agencies. If business arrangements change, such as a reorganisation, data may be transferred in a lawful and secure manner.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for holding it.

Customer and service records are usually retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law, including accounting obligations.
Communication records may be retained for operational, quality, and dispute resolution purposes.
Enquiry data that does not result in a booking may be kept only as long as needed to manage the enquiry and follow-up.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices. We aim to keep data no longer than necessary, while also meeting business and legal requirements.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful handling of records. Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to safeguard the information we hold.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights over your personal data. Subject to legal limits and verification of identity, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erase your data in certain circumstances.
Restrict how we use your data in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Data portability for information you provided to us, where applicable.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are aimed at adult customers and property owners or occupiers. We do not knowingly collect personal data relating to children unless it is incidental and necessary for a service-related purpose. If we become aware that we have collected such data without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete or protect it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or service arrangements. Any updates will be made available in a clear and accessible form. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Approach

We take privacy seriously and only process personal data when we have a lawful reason to do so. Our approach is based on necessity, transparency, and security. We collect the minimum amount of information needed, use trusted processors where required, and retain data only for as long as necessary. This policy applies to all Gardeners Tottenham Hale customers in area and is intended to explain how we protect your information throughout the service relationship.