Privacy Policy - Landscaping Thorntonheath

This Privacy Policy explains how Landscaping Thorntonheath collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Landscaping Thorntonheath customers in the area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and individuals who contact us for information, quotations, bookings, or aftercare. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Landscaping Thorntonheath acts as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in the ordinary course of providing landscaping services. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. In some cases, we may also use third-party service providers acting as data processors on our behalf.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name, title, and any business name you provide.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information including property details, garden preferences, project requirements, quotes, site notes, and records of requested work.
Payment and transaction information such as invoices, payment status, and billing records.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, feedback, complaints, and maintenance requests.
Technical data where applicable, such as basic website usage details or device information if you interact with our online services.
Photographs or videos of a garden or site before, during, or after work, when needed for quotation, planning, quality assurance, or evidence of completed work.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or we have another lawful basis to process it. Please avoid sharing unnecessary sensitive information.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, assess sites, and plan landscaping work.
To deliver services, manage bookings, and communicate about projects.
To prepare invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To respond to questions, complaints, and aftercare requests.
To improve our services, manage quality, and keep accurate internal records.
To comply with legal, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business, customers, staff, and property from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We do not sell personal data. We only use your information for legitimate business purposes connected to our landscaping services and legal responsibilities.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data when we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes at your request, delivering landscaping work, issuing invoices, and handling post-service matters.

Legitimate Interests

We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer records, answering queries, improving our services, preventing fraud, and maintaining business operations. We always consider the impact on your privacy before relying on this basis.

Legal Obligation

We process data where necessary to comply with laws and regulations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for certain optional communications or for specific uses of images beyond service delivery. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency involving health or safety.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary and only to the extent needed for the relevant purpose. These third parties may act as processors under our instruction or, in some cases, as independent controllers.

Payment providers who process card or bank payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping services that help manage invoices, tax records, and financial administration.
IT, cloud storage, and software providers used for scheduling, file storage, communication, and business management.
Trade or subcontracted specialists engaged to support specific landscaping tasks where necessary to complete a project.
Insurers, legal advisers, or regulatory bodies when required for claims, compliance, or legal obligations.

All processors are required to protect personal data, use it only for authorised purposes, and implement appropriate security measures. We take reasonable steps to ensure any third party handling your information does so in accordance with data protection law.

6. Data Retention

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

Customer and project records may be retained for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage follow-up work, warranties, or disputes.
Financial and tax records are typically retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained for as long as needed to resolve issues and maintain service history.
Photographs and site images are retained only as long as necessary for service delivery, record-keeping, or approved marketing use where consent has been obtained.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited access to records on a need-to-know basis.

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we aim to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the nature of the data and the risk involved.

8. International Transfers

If any service provider stores or processes data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place before such transfers occur. This may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms to protect your data.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations or exemptions, but we will always consider your request carefully.

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 certain circumstances, you may ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law.

10. Automated Decision-Making

We do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and ensure your rights are protected.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and property owners, though we may occasionally process information relating to children where it is incidentally provided by an adult customer. We do not knowingly collect children’s data for marketing or unrelated purposes.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how we handle personal data.

13. Summary of Our Privacy Commitments

In summary, Landscaping Thorntonheath only processes personal data where it is necessary, lawful, and proportionate. We collect information to provide landscaping services, manage customer relationships, meet legal obligations, and protect our business. We use trusted processors, apply retention limits, safeguard data appropriately, and respect your rights under UK GDPR. This policy applies to all Landscaping Thorntonheath customers in the area and is designed to support transparency and trust in every stage of our service.