Privacy Policy - Gardeners Isle of Dogs

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Isle of Dogs collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing gardening and related services. It applies to all Gardeners Isle of Dogs customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who contacts us in connection with our services. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, requesting a quote, making an enquiry, or otherwise providing personal data to us, you acknowledge that your information will be processed in accordance with this policy. We only collect and use data that is necessary for legitimate business purposes and we take appropriate measures to keep it secure.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and, where relevant, business or property name.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and other communication details.
Service data: details about the gardening services requested, job history, site notes, quotations, preferences, and instructions.
Payment and transaction data: billing details, payment status, invoices, and records of services provided.
Technical data: limited information such as device or browser details if you contact us through digital channels.
Communication data: messages, calls, emails, and any feedback, complaints, or reviews you provide.
Property and access data: access arrangements, gate codes, parking notes, or site-specific safety information where needed to complete work.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it. If you share sensitive information with us, we will only process it where there is a lawful basis and where it is relevant to the service provided.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to deliver gardening services and manage appointments;
to maintain service records and customer accounts;
to process payments, invoices, and related administration;
to communicate about service updates, scheduling, and site access;
to handle complaints, feedback, and service improvement;
to meet legal, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property;
to support legitimate business operations, including record-keeping and quality control.

We only use personal data where it is necessary, relevant, and proportionate to the purpose concerned.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Gardeners Isle of Dogs relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, scheduling jobs, carrying out gardening services, issuing invoices, and managing customer accounts.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and interests do not override them. This includes managing and improving our services, retaining customer records, preventing fraud, resolving disputes, and maintaining business security. We always consider whether the processing is necessary and whether less intrusive methods are available.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax records, accounting requirements, insurance purposes, or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly where processing is not necessary for a contract or another legal basis. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted processors and service providers who help us operate our business. These may include:

accounting and bookkeeping providers;
payment processing services;
IT, cloud storage, and communications providers;
administrative support services;
professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers;
subcontractors or specialist service providers where needed to complete a job.

All processors are required to handle personal data securely, to use it only on our instructions, and to comply with applicable data protection laws. We do not sell personal data. If data is shared outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as approved contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of record and the purpose of processing.

Customer and service records are generally retained for the period needed to manage the relationship and for a reasonable time afterwards in case of queries or disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained for service management, complaint handling, or evidence of instructions.
Safety or access notes are kept only as long as they remain relevant to the service.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in a manner consistent with our retention obligations.

6. Data Security

We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality expectations, and careful data minimisation. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to safeguard information.

7. 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 legal basis for processing and the circumstances of your request.

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

To exercise your rights, you may make a request using the details provided through our usual business communication channels. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law.

8. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, please raise them with us first so we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so that we have the opportunity to address your concerns promptly and fairly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a specific service arrangement and provided by an adult with authority to do so. If we become aware that data has been collected inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. Any updated version will apply to all Gardeners Isle of Dogs customers in the area from the date it takes effect. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is used.

Last reviewed: This policy is maintained as part of our commitment to clear, lawful, and responsible data handling. Privacy and trust are important to the way we work, and we aim to ensure personal data is always processed with care and respect.