Privacy Policy - Gardeners Shadwell

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Shadwell collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data belonging to customers, prospective customers, and service users. It applies to all Gardeners Shadwell customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a gardening service, makes an enquiry, or otherwise interacts with our services. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We understand that privacy matters. Whether we are arranging a garden maintenance visit, providing a landscaping quotation, or managing an ongoing service relationship, we only process the information needed to deliver our services responsibly and professionally. This policy is written to help you understand what we do with your information, why we do it, and the rights you have in relation to your personal data.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all individuals in the Shadwell area who use, enquire about, or receive services from Gardeners Shadwell. It covers customers, householders, property managers, business clients, and any other person whose data we may process in connection with our services. By personal data, we mean any information that identifies, or can reasonably be used to identify, a living person.

2. Information we collect

We collect only the personal data necessary for legitimate business and service purposes. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

Identity details: name, title, and preferred form of address.
Contact details: telephone number, email address, and service address.
Service information: details about your garden, requested work, scheduling preferences, and notes relevant to carrying out the service.
Billing and payment information: invoicing details, transaction records, and payment status.
Communication records: messages, call notes, complaint details, and service updates.
Technical data: basic information such as device or browser details if you contact us through digital channels.
Special categories of data: we do not seek to collect sensitive personal data. If such data is inadvertently shared with us, we will only process it where strictly necessary and lawful.

We generally collect data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, place an order, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may receive information from third parties, such as property managers, letting agents, or household representatives, where they are acting on your behalf or where it is necessary to fulfil a service request.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data to operate our services effectively and to meet our legal and contractual obligations. Typical uses include:

providing quotes and responding to enquiries;
managing bookings, visits, and service schedules;
carrying out gardening, maintenance, or related services;
processing payments and maintaining accounting records;
communicating about changes, updates, or service issues;
handling complaints, disputes, or follow-up requests;
maintaining internal records and service history;
meeting legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access.

We do not sell personal data. We also do not use your information for unrelated marketing without a lawful basis and, where required, your consent.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Gardeners Shadwell relies on the following bases where appropriate:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations you have requested, arranging services, communicating about an active job, issuing invoices, and managing service delivery.

Legitimate interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes managing our operations, keeping accurate records, improving service quality, handling customer enquiries, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the potential impact on privacy and ensure that our use of data is proportionate.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain information where necessary to comply with legal duties, such as accounting, tax, insurance, health and safety, or record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain forms of electronic marketing where consent is required. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Retention of personal data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to satisfy legal, accounting, and operational requirements. The exact retention period depends on the type of information and the nature of the service provided.

Customer and service records: kept for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage follow-up issues, warranties, or disputes.
Financial and accounting records: retained for the period required by law and tax rules.
Communication records: retained as needed to document service arrangements, complaints, or ongoing correspondence.
Inactive enquiry records: stored only for a limited time unless a longer period is justified by legal or operational needs.

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

6. Processors and third parties

We may use trusted third-party service providers, known as processors, to help us operate our business. These may include providers of:

accounting and bookkeeping services;
payment processing systems;
IT, cloud storage, and secure data hosting;
communication tools and administrative software;
professional advice, such as legal or insurance support, where required.

Any processor handling personal data on our behalf must do so only under our instructions and must have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect your data. We aim to work only with providers that understand and respect data protection obligations.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, public authority request, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Gardeners Shadwell, our customers, or others. If a business transfer or restructuring occurs, personal data may be transferred as part of that process, subject to appropriate safeguards.

7. Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure devices, password protection, limited staff access, and careful handling of paper and electronic records. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

8. Your rights under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits and verification of identity, these rights may include:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
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 where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will review your request and respond in line with applicable data protection rules. In some situations, we may need to retain certain information despite a request, for example where we are legally required to keep it or where it is needed to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

9. International transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that suitable safeguards are in place so that your information remains protected in accordance with GDPR requirements. This may include approved contractual protections or transfer mechanisms recognised by law.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal duties, or data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

11. Our commitment to privacy

Gardeners Shadwell values trust, clarity, and responsible data handling. We aim to collect only what we need, use it only for valid purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards. By doing so, we support a professional service experience while respecting the privacy of everyone we serve in the Shadwell area.