Gardeners Selhurst Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Selhurst collects, uses, stores and protects personal data about its customers. It applies to all Gardeners Selhurst customers in our service area who use or enquire about our gardening and related services. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and applicable data protection laws.

Who This Policy Applies To

This Privacy Policy applies to individuals who are residential or business customers, prospective customers who contact us for quotations or information, and any other individuals who interact with Gardeners Selhurst in relation to our services within our operating area. By engaging with us or providing your personal information, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for us to provide and manage our services. The types of information we may collect include:

Identification details such as your full name and, where relevant, the name of your business or organisation. Contact details such as your address, property location where services are to be delivered, and preferred methods of communication. Service information such as details about the type of gardening work requested, access instructions, property layout notes relevant to the service, and service history. Transaction information such as invoices, payment records and information about the services you have purchased from us. Communication records such as notes or summaries of telephone calls, messages and correspondence relating to quotations, bookings, feedback or complaints.

We do not intentionally collect special categories of personal data, such as health information or data relating to your beliefs, unless it is volunteered by you where strictly necessary for service delivery, for example safety-related information. In such cases, we will handle this information with additional care and only for the specific purpose for which it was provided.

How We Collect Your Data

We may collect your personal data directly from you when you contact us to request a quotation or service, make a booking, communicate with us about an existing service, or provide feedback. We may also collect data during site visits or when our team attends your property to carry out work.

In some cases, we may receive limited personal data about you from third parties, for example when an existing customer refers you to us or when a managing agent or landlord provides contact details to allow us to arrange access for gardening services. Where we receive data from third parties, we take steps to ensure that they are entitled to share this information with us.

Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract: We process personal data where it is necessary for entering into or performing a contract with you, such as to provide gardening services, issue quotations, manage bookings and take payment. Legal obligation: We may process data where it is necessary to comply with legal obligations, for example for tax, accounting and record-keeping purposes. Legitimate interests: We may process data for our legitimate business interests, such as managing our customer relationships, improving our services, planning work schedules and protecting our business from fraud or misuse, provided that your interests and rights do not override those interests. Consent: In limited situations, we may ask for your consent, for example to send certain types of direct marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

To provide, manage and complete gardening and related services you request. To prepare quotations, manage bookings, schedule visits and communicate with you about your services. To issue invoices, process payments and maintain financial records. To respond to your enquiries, feedback and complaints. To plan and improve our services, including understanding the types of services that are most in demand in our area. To keep basic records of your service history to help us provide a consistent and efficient service in the future. To comply with legal and regulatory requirements and to protect our legal rights where necessary.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information only where this is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, and always in accordance with data protection law.

We may use third party service providers who act as data processors on our behalf. These may include providers of administrative or office support, payment processing services, accounting or bookkeeping services, secure data storage or cloud-based tools, and communications or scheduling systems. These processors are only permitted to use your personal data in accordance with our instructions and are required to keep it secure and confidential.

We may also need to share personal data with professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, or with authorities where we are legally required to do so, for example for tax or regulatory reasons or in connection with the prevention or detection of crime.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, customer and service records are kept for a period linked to statutory limitation periods and tax obligations, after which they are securely deleted or anonymised. Communications such as quotations and routine correspondence may be kept for a shorter period where they are no longer required for ongoing services or legal obligations.

When determining the appropriate retention period, we consider the nature and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process it, and whether those purposes can be achieved by other means.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, disclosure or destruction. These measures include restricting access to personal data to those who need it for their role, using secure storage methods, and maintaining appropriate administrative controls.

While we take all reasonable steps to safeguard your information, no system can be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we do continually review and update our practices to reduce risk to an appropriate level.

International Transfers

Our intention is to store and process personal data within the United Kingdom or other jurisdictions that provide an adequate level of data protection. If it becomes necessary to transfer your personal data outside these areas via a data processor, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent protections, in accordance with data protection laws.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply in most circumstances and include:

Right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of the information we hold about you. Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data. Right to erasure: In certain situations, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected and we have no legal obligation to retain it. Right to restrict processing: You can request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as while we are verifying the accuracy of the data. Right to object: You can object to processing that is based on our legitimate interests, including profiling based on those interests. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms or unless processing is required for legal claims. Right to data portability: Where processing is based on consent or contract and is carried out by automated means, you can request that we provide your personal data in a commonly used, machine-readable format where technically feasible.

Where we rely on consent for any processing, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Exercising Your Rights

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us using your usual method of communication with Gardeners Selhurst and clearly state which right you wish to exercise and what information your request relates to. We may need to verify your identity before responding in order to protect your information.

We aim to respond to all valid requests within one month. If your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests, it may take us longer, in which case we will keep you informed.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance so that we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority under applicable law.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or for other operational reasons. The updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.