Privacy Policy

Gardeners Forest Hill Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Forest Hill collects, uses, stores and protects personal data about customers and prospective customers in our service area. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Forest Hill customers and anyone who contacts us or uses our services in the local area, whether as a private individual, landlord, tenant, business, or community organisation.

Who we are and scope of this policy

Gardeners Forest Hill is a gardening and outdoor maintenance service operating in the Forest Hill area and surrounding neighbourhoods. We act as a data controller when we decide how and why your personal data is processed. This policy covers all personal data that we collect in the course of providing quotations, delivering gardening services, managing customer relationships, and operating our business.

What personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that we need to deliver and manage our services. The types of data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details: name, address, property location, and general contact preferences.

Service and contract information: details of previous and current services, site notes, access instructions that you provide, job history, appointment dates and times, and contract status.

Billing and payment records: amounts charged, payment method type, payment status and related transaction information. We do not store full payment card details if you pay using a third-party payment provider.

Communication records: information you provide when you contact us by any method, including enquiries, feedback, complaints, and any photos or descriptions you share to help us assess a job.

Website and usage information: basic technical information automatically collected when you visit our website, such as pages viewed, time and date, and general device or browser information. This may be collected using cookies or similar technologies where legally permitted.

How we collect your data

We collect personal data in the following ways:

Directly from you when you contact us, request a quote, book an appointment, or engage us to provide gardening services.

During service visits when we record information needed to complete or improve our work at your property.

From publicly available sources, for example basic address information, where needed to verify job locations or issue invoices.

Through third-party tools or service providers we use to manage bookings, invoices, and payments, where they share necessary information with us as part of providing their service.

Lawful bases for processing your data

We only process your personal data when we have a valid legal basis under data protection law. Depending on the situation, we may rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract: to take steps at your request before entering into a contract and to perform a contract for gardening or maintenance services. This includes providing quotes, scheduling work, and managing ongoing service arrangements.

Legal obligation: to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements, including record-keeping and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests: to operate and improve our business, manage customer relationships, maintain site safety, prevent fraud, and handle general enquiries, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Consent: in limited circumstances where we ask for your clear permission, for example for optional marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage gardening services, including arranging visits, carrying out work, and following up on any issues or queries.

To prepare and send quotations, invoices, and payment reminders, and to keep records of transactions.

To communicate with you about bookings, service changes, safety information, updates to our terms or policies, and responses to queries or complaints.

To plan workloads, manage our team, and improve the quality and efficiency of our services.

To maintain the security of our systems and business operations, and to protect our rights, property, and the safety of customers and staff.

To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including tax, accounting, and auditing requirements.

Data retention and how long we keep your information

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information:

Service and contract records are normally kept for a number of years after the end of the customer relationship so that we can answer queries, handle complaints, and maintain accurate records of work carried out.

Financial and invoicing records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting laws.

Enquiry records from people who do not become customers are usually kept for a limited time so we can respond effectively to follow-up enquiries, after which they are securely deleted or anonymised.

Where we rely on consent, such as for optional marketing, we will stop using your data for that purpose if you withdraw your consent. We may still keep limited records to show that we respected your request.

Data processors and third-party services

We may use carefully selected third-party service providers to help us run our business. These providers act as data processors and may process personal data on our behalf only in accordance with our instructions and subject to appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors include:

Accounting and invoicing platforms that store customer and billing information so we can issue invoices and manage payments.

Payment service providers that process payments securely and share limited transaction details with us.

Scheduling or job management tools that help us organise appointments and service visits.

IT and website hosting providers that store data and ensure the security and availability of our systems.

We require all processors to protect personal data, keep it confidential, and use it only for the specific services they provide to us. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

International data transfers

Some of our service providers may store or access data in countries outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as using providers located in countries with adequate data protection laws or entering into contracts that include standard data protection clauses approved under data protection law.

Your data protection rights

As a customer or prospective customer of Gardeners Forest Hill in our service area, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data under the UK GDPR and related laws. These include:

Right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we hold personal data about you and ask for a copy of that data, together with information about how we use it.

Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.

Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example if it is no longer needed for the original purpose and there is no legal reason for us to keep it.

Right to restriction: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we check the accuracy of information you believe is incorrect.

Right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, including any direct marketing. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue or it is needed for legal claims.

Right to data portability: In certain cases, you can request that we provide you with personal data you supplied to us in a structured, commonly used format, or that we transfer it to another provider where technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect any processing already carried out before withdrawal.

How to exercise your rights and make complaints

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, or if you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the usual contact methods shown on our website or in our customer communications.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data. We would, however, encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concerns directly.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, in data protection law, or in best practice. Any updates will be published with a revised date. We recommend that you review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Forest Hill customers and service users in our operating area and is effective from the date of publication until superseded by a revised version.