Privacy Policy - Gardeners West Brompton

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners West Brompton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our gardening services. It applies to all Gardeners West Brompton customers in the area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and anyone who contacts us about our services. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Gardeners West Brompton provides gardening and related outdoor maintenance services to residential and commercial customers in West Brompton and the surrounding area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal information we collect and process in the course of delivering our services.

2. What Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name and title;
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number;
Service details such as property access notes, gardening preferences, requested work, and appointment history;
Payment information such as billing records and transaction references;
Communication records such as emails, messages, complaints, feedback, and service updates;
Technical information if you interact with our digital systems, such as basic device or usage data where relevant;
Security and access information where needed for safe site visits, including instructions related to gates, pets, alarms, or special access arrangements.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and lawful to do so. If such information is ever provided to us, we will process it only where a lawful basis exists and additional safeguards apply.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, schedule services, and carry out gardening work;
To manage customer accounts and service preferences;
To communicate about appointments, changes, invoicing, or service issues;
To process payments and keep financial records;
To respond to enquiries, complaints, and feedback;
To maintain safety, security, and quality standards;
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
To improve our services and understand customer needs in an appropriate and proportionate manner.

We will only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that another compatible purpose applies under data protection law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, the lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging services, managing bookings, and delivering the work you have requested.

Legal Obligation

We may process certain data to comply with legal obligations, including record-keeping, tax requirements, accounting, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

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 managing operations, protecting property, preventing fraud, and improving service quality. We always assess the impact on your privacy before relying on this basis.

Consent

Where we rely on your consent, we will make this clear at the time of collection. You may withdraw consent at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Retention of Personal Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is held. In general:

Customer and service records are retained for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law;
Communication records are retained as long as needed to resolve queries, support service history, or defend legal claims;
Security-related records are kept only for as long as necessary to manage safety and access arrangements.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

6. Processors and Third Parties

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf, or with independent controllers where necessary. These parties are only allowed to process data according to our instructions or their own legal obligations. They may include:

Payment processors for handling secure transactions;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration;
IT and cloud service providers for data storage, email, and system support;
Scheduling or customer management tools used to organise appointments and service records;
Professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where necessary;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

We require processors to handle data securely, confidentially, and in compliance with data protection legislation. Gardeners West Brompton does not sell personal data.

7. Data Security

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, staff awareness, and limited access to information on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect the information entrusted to us.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights include:

Right of access – to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
Right to rectification – to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction – to limit how we process your data in certain situations;
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format;
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent;
Right to complain – to the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We will respond to requests within the time limits required by law and may need to verify your identity before taking action. We encourage you to contact us if you believe any of your information is inaccurate or if you wish to exercise any of these rights.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will take steps to ensure that an adequate level of protection is in place. This may include the use of approved safeguards and contractual protections where required by law.

10. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, service arrangements, or data processing practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it becomes effective. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Gardeners West Brompton is committed to respecting privacy, maintaining confidentiality, and using personal information responsibly. We collect data only when necessary, process it on a valid lawful basis, keep it no longer than needed, and work with processors that meet appropriate security and compliance standards. Our aim is to ensure that all Gardeners West Brompton customers in the area can rely on a clear, lawful, and trustworthy approach to privacy.