Privacy Policy - Gardeners Strawberry Hill

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Strawberry Hill collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data for all customers in the Strawberry Hill area. It applies to every customer, enquiry, and service interaction associated with Gardeners Strawberry Hill, whether communication is made by phone, email, online form, or in person. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your data may be processed for legitimate gardening service purposes, including enquiries, quotations, scheduling, account management, service delivery, and legal compliance. We keep our approach simple and proportionate, collecting only the information needed to provide reliable garden services to customers in the area.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to all Gardeners Strawberry Hill customers in the area, including residential clients, commercial clients, landlords, tenants, and anyone who contacts us to request garden-related services. It also applies to visitors who submit enquiries, request quotes, or otherwise provide personal information to us in connection with our services.

For the purposes of this policy, personal data means any information that identifies, or could reasonably identify, an individual. This may include names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, service notes, billing details, and communication records.

2. Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide gardening services effectively and to manage our business responsibly. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information such as garden size, location notes, access instructions, and preferences for the work requested.
Communication records including messages, enquiries, complaint notes, and appointment confirmations.
Transaction and billing information where relevant to invoicing, payment records, and account administration.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you interact with us digitally, including IP-related logs where applicable.
Photos or site notes where needed to assess a garden, plan work, or record completed tasks.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is strictly necessary for a specific legal or service reason. Where such information is provided, we handle it with additional care and only where permitted by law.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange visits, manage bookings, and deliver gardening services.
To maintain records of work carried out, including service notes and customer preferences.
To issue invoices, manage payments, and keep accurate business records.
To communicate about appointments, changes, or service-related updates.
To handle complaints, queries, and follow-up requests.
To meet legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services and maintain quality standards.

We use data only for purposes that are necessary and proportionate. We do not sell personal data, and we do not use it for unrelated marketing without an appropriate 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 Strawberry Hill relies on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes quoting, scheduling, carrying out agreed garden services, and managing associated administration.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your rights do not override those interests. This may include maintaining customer records, improving service delivery, preventing fraud, and managing business operations efficiently. We always consider whether the processing is fair and reasonable.

Legal Obligation

We process personal data where we must comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping duties.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where you have agreed to receive specific communications or where processing is not otherwise covered by contract, legitimate interests, or legal obligation. You may withdraw consent at any time if consent is the basis being used.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary to provide our services or comply with legal requirements. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud storage providers used for secure data handling.
Accounting and invoicing systems used for financial administration.
Communication service providers used for sending emails, messages, or appointment reminders.
Payment service providers used to process transactions where applicable.

We require processors to handle data securely, use it only on our instructions, and comply with data protection laws. We do not permit them to use your data for their own unrelated purposes.

We may also disclose data to professional advisers, insurers, public authorities, or law enforcement where necessary and lawful. Any such disclosure will be limited to the minimum information required.

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 obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Customer and service records are generally retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage follow-up, disputes, or continuity of service.
Financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Enquiry records may be retained for a shorter period if no service is booked.
Communication records are kept only as long as necessary for operational, legal, or evidential purposes.

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

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and restricted sharing of information on a need-to-know basis.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risks and to respond promptly to any suspected incident involving personal data.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have rights regarding your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights may include:

The right to be informed about how your data is used.
The right of access to request a copy of your personal data.
The right to rectification if your information is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes known as the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing in certain situations.
The right to data portability where applicable.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Rights relating to automated decision-making where such processing applies, although we do not rely on it in a way that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in line with legal requirements. We may need to verify your identity before dealing with your request.

9. International Transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or processes data outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected to a standard consistent with UK GDPR requirements. These safeguards may include approved contractual protections or adequacy decisions where available.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults responsible for property or garden management. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental and necessary for service-related communication with an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete or correct it as required.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any updated version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Approach

Gardeners Strawberry Hill handles personal data with care, using it only for clear and lawful purposes connected to our gardening services. We collect the minimum data needed, keep it secure, limit sharing to trusted processors, and retain it only for as long as necessary. We respect your rights and aim to process information in a way that is transparent, responsible, and fully aligned with GDPR principles.

This policy applies to all Gardeners Strawberry Hill customers in the area and forms the basis of how we protect privacy across our day-to-day service activities.