Privacy Policy - Gardeners Welling

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Welling collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing gardening services. It applies to all Gardeners Welling customers in the area, including prospective customers, active clients, and individuals who enquire about our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Information We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your household or business.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information including details of requested gardening work, property access instructions, scheduling preferences, and service notes.
Billing information such as invoicing details and payment records.
Communication records including enquiries, complaints, and correspondence related to our services.
Technical data where applicable, such as basic website or device information if you interact with digital forms or messages.

We do not knowingly collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it. If such data is ever shared with us unintentionally, we will handle it with additional care and only where a lawful basis exists.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to deliver gardening services efficiently and responsibly. Typical uses include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
planning, carrying out, and managing gardening work;
arranging appointments and service visits;
issuing invoices and processing payments;
maintaining service records and customer preferences;
handling complaints, disputes, and service follow-up;
meeting insurance, accounting, and legal requirements;
improving our services and internal business operations.

We only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that another compatible purpose applies or we are required by law to do otherwise.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Gardeners Welling 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 providing quotations, confirming bookings, completing gardening services, and managing payment arrangements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and rights do not override those interests. This may include maintaining customer records, preventing fraud, improving service quality, and handling operational planning. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and respectful of your privacy.

Legal Obligation

Some processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as keeping accounting records, meeting tax requirements, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example if you agree to receive certain optional communications or if additional information is collected for a purpose outside the main service relationship. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with trusted third parties that support our operations. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and hosting providers that store or secure business records;
accounting or bookkeeping services that support financial administration;
payment service providers that process customer payments securely;
email, messaging, or scheduling tools used to manage communication and appointments;
professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers where necessary.

Any processor we use is expected to protect personal data, act only on our instructions, and comply with appropriate data protection safeguards. We do not sell personal data. We also do not share data with third parties for their own marketing purposes without a lawful basis.

5. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we will take steps to ensure your information remains protected. This may include using approved contractual safeguards or working with providers in jurisdictions that offer an adequate level of protection.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including for legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of record and the reason it is held.

Customer service records are generally kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and invoicing records are retained in line with tax and accounting obligations.
Communication records may be stored for as long as needed to manage queries, resolve disputes, or evidence service history.
Consent-based records are kept until consent is withdrawn or the purpose has ended.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a controlled manner.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and careful management of records. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take privacy protection seriously and review our practices regularly.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under the UK GDPR, you have important rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions, but we will always aim to respond fairly and promptly.

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in some circumstances, you may request deletion of your personal data.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you may request that data be provided in a commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – if we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have not been respected.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults or for households acting on behalf of property owners or occupiers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided by an adult customer as part of service arrangements, and only where necessary for practical reasons.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, business operations, or service processes. Any updates will apply from the date they are made available. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Privacy Approach

Gardeners Welling is committed to using personal data responsibly, lawfully, and only where necessary to deliver reliable gardening services. We collect limited information, apply clear lawful bases, share data only with trusted processors, retain records for appropriate periods, and respect the rights of every customer in the area.

By continuing to use Gardeners Welling services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy. This policy applies to all Gardeners Welling customers in the area.