Privacy Policy - Gardeners Petersham

Gardeners Petersham is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Petersham area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Gardeners Petersham customers in the area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and anyone who enquires about our gardening services.

We want our customers to understand what information we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have in relation to your personal data. This policy should be read alongside any service agreement, estimate, or booking correspondence you receive from us.

1. Who We Are

Gardeners Petersham provides gardening and related outdoor maintenance services to residential and commercial customers in the Petersham area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller when we decide how and why personal data is used.

This means we are responsible for ensuring that any personal information we collect is handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We also require any third parties who process data on our behalf to meet appropriate data protection standards.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect information that is necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, and meet our legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information: name, title, and similar identifying details.
Contact details: address, email address, phone number, and preferred method of communication.
Service information: details about the gardening work requested, property access instructions, service preferences, and scheduling requirements.
Billing information: payment records, invoice details, and transaction history.
Communication records: enquiries, messages, complaints, feedback, and notes from service discussions.
Technical data: limited website or device information where relevant, such as basic logs or cookie-related data, if applicable.
Contractual information: quotations, agreements, and records related to the work we have agreed to provide.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless there is a clear and lawful reason to do so, such as where you voluntarily provide information that is necessary for safety, access, or service planning. If such information is received, we will apply additional safeguards as required by law.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to operate our business and to deliver gardening services effectively. Typical uses include:

responding to enquiries and preparing quotations;
arranging appointments and carrying out services;
maintaining service records and customer preferences;
sending invoices, processing payments, and managing accounts;
handling complaints, queries, or follow-up requests;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
improving our services and customer experience;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud or misuse.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected unless we reasonably determine that it is compatible with the original purpose or we are legally required to use it differently.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis for each type of processing. Gardeners Petersham relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, delivering gardening services, issuing invoices, and managing the customer relationship.

Legitimate Interests

We may process certain data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing service records, protecting against fraud, improving service quality, and maintaining internal administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain information where it is necessary to comply with legal requirements, such as tax records, accounting obligations, health and safety duties, or lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or optional data uses. If processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

5. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We do not sell personal data. However, we may share information where necessary with trusted third parties who help us run our services. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the circumstances.

Processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers who store files, emails, or customer records securely;
accounting and bookkeeping providers who help with invoicing and tax compliance;
payment service providers who handle transactions;
administrative support providers who assist with scheduling or record management;
professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where required;
public authorities when disclosure is required by law.

When processors are used, we ensure they only act on our instructions, keep data secure, and use appropriate technical and organisational measures. We require them to process personal data only for the agreed purpose and not for their own unrelated purposes.

Where information is shared with an independent controller, such as a public body or professional adviser acting in their own right, that organisation will be responsible for its own data practices.

6. Data Retention

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

In general, we may retain:

customer and service records for the duration of the relationship and a reasonable period afterwards;
invoice and accounting records for the period required by tax and accounting law;
communication records for as long as needed to manage the service, complaints, or disputes;
consent records until consent is withdrawn or the records are no longer needed;
technical logs for a limited period for security, troubleshooting, or operational needs.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. If legal claims, disputes, or investigations arise, we may need to keep relevant records for longer than usual.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, restricted permissions, and staff awareness practices.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risk and maintain data protection standards proportionate to the nature of our services. If a personal data breach were to occur, we would assess the risk and notify affected individuals or the relevant authority where required by law.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you;
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data;
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances;
Restriction of processing in certain situations;
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Data portability for data processed by automated means where applicable;
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We will respond to valid requests within the time limits required by law. In some cases, we may need additional information to confirm your identity before acting on a request. Certain rights may not apply in full where we are legally permitted or required to retain or use data.

9. Marketing Communications

We may contact you with service-related messages that are necessary to carry out a booking, manage an account, or provide operational updates. For marketing communications, we will only send messages where permitted by law. If consent is required, we will ask for it before sending such communications.

You can object to marketing at any time. Where you opt out, we will stop sending non-essential promotional communications as soon as reasonably possible.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children in the ordinary course of business. If we become aware that we have received information relating to a child without appropriate authority, we will take suitable steps to delete or secure that information in accordance with legal requirements.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or how we process personal data. Any revised version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Gardeners Petersham respects your privacy and handles personal data responsibly, lawfully, and securely. We collect only the information needed to provide our gardening services in the Petersham area, we process it on appropriate lawful bases, we keep it only as long as necessary, and we ensure our processors are bound by suitable data protection obligations. You also have clear rights over your personal data, and we aim to support those rights fairly and promptly.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Petersham customers in the area.