Privacy Policy - Gardeners New Addington

Gardeners New Addington is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of our customers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in connection with our gardening services. It applies to all Gardeners New Addington customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who have previously used our services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Gardeners New Addington acts as a data controller when we determine why and how personal data is processed. This means we are responsible for ensuring that personal information is handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We only collect and process personal data that is relevant to providing gardening services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal obligations. We do not sell personal data to third parties.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect different types of personal information depending on the nature of your enquiry or service request. The information may include:

Identity details such as your name and title
Contact details such as telephone number and email address
Address details required to identify the service location
Service information including the type of gardening work requested, appointment preferences, and job history
Communication records such as enquiries, messages, complaint details, and service updates
Billing and payment information where needed to process transactions and maintain accounts
Technical information such as basic website or device data if you contact us through digital channels

We may also collect limited notes about property access, service preferences, or garden-related instructions that help us carry out work safely and effectively. Where necessary, we may process information that is considered sensitive if it is voluntarily provided and clearly relevant to the service. In those cases, we will only use it when lawful to do so and only for the specific purpose explained to you.

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, job scheduling, and customer records
To issue invoices, process payments, and keep accounting records
To handle customer service matters, complaints, or follow-up requests
To maintain service quality, safety, and operational record-keeping
To comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations

We process personal data only to the extent necessary for these purposes. We do not use your information in ways that are incompatible with the reason it was collected unless required or permitted by law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for every use of personal data. Gardeners New Addington relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, arranging services, completing work, and handling payments.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include improving our services, managing customer relationships, keeping internal records, and preventing fraud or misuse.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal requirements, such as tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping rules.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain types of communications or where consent is needed for specific optional processing. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal information with trusted third parties who assist us in operating our business. These service providers act as processors when they process data on our instructions. Examples may include:

Accounting or bookkeeping providers
Payment processing services
IT and data storage providers
Administrative or scheduling support services
Professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers

We only use processors that provide suitable guarantees regarding data security and confidentiality. Where personal data is transferred or processed by a third party, we require appropriate contractual safeguards to ensure the information is protected and used only for the agreed purpose.

We may also share data where required by law, court order, or regulatory authority, or where necessary to protect our rights, property, staff, customers, or the public.

6. Data Retention

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

As a general approach:

Customer enquiry records are retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up and service continuity
Service and invoice records are retained for the period required by accounting and tax laws
Communication records are kept only as long as needed for customer support and dispute resolution
Data no longer needed is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived where appropriate

We regularly review stored information to ensure we do not retain it for longer than necessary. Where data is no longer required, we take appropriate steps to dispose of it securely.

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 restricted use of data to those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

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

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing. They include:

The right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
The right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
The right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain situations
The right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how your data is used in certain cases
The right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
The right to data portability – to request transfer of certain data in a commonly used format
The right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so that we can address them promptly and fairly.

9. Data Accuracy and Your Responsibilities

We aim to keep the personal data we hold accurate and up to date. To help us do this, please inform us if your contact details or service information change. Accurate information helps us deliver services efficiently and avoid unnecessary errors.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, business practices, or the way we process personal data. Any updates will apply from the date they are published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Gardeners New Addington respects your privacy and is committed to responsible data handling. We collect only the information needed to provide gardening services, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it securely, and retain it only for as long as necessary. We also ensure that trusted processors are used appropriately and that customer rights are respected at all times.

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