Privacy Policy

Gardeners Hampton Hill is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Hampton Hill area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use our gardening services. It also explains the rights available to you under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy applies to all Gardeners Hampton Hill customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and former customers who have engaged with our services or made enquiries. By using our services, you acknowledge that your information will be handled in line with this policy and applicable data protection law.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Gardeners Hampton Hill acts as the data controller for the personal information we process about you. This means we determine why and how your personal data is used in connection with our gardening and related services.

We take a privacy-first approach to personal data and aim to ensure that all processing is lawful, fair, transparent, and limited to what is necessary for the services we provide.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details relating to the gardening work requested, completed, or quoted for.
Property information needed to carry out gardening services safely and effectively.
Communication records including enquiries, feedback, complaints, and correspondence.
Billing and payment information where required for invoicing, accounting, and record keeping.
Technical data if you contact us electronically, such as device or usage information limited to service delivery and security purposes.

We do not seek to collect sensitive personal data unless it is strictly necessary and permitted by law. If such information is ever provided to us, it will be handled with extra care and only for a specific lawful purpose.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data in several ways. You may provide it directly when making an enquiry, requesting a quote, arranging a visit, booking a service, or communicating with us. We may also receive information when you provide instructions to help us deliver a garden maintenance or related service.

In some cases, we may collect data indirectly from third parties where necessary to deliver or manage a service, for example where a property owner, tenant, or representative arranges work on your behalf. We may also receive payment-related or administrative information from service providers that help us operate efficiently and securely.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data where we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, our processing may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract: to provide quotes, manage bookings, carry out gardening services, and handle related administration.
Legitimate interests: to operate and improve our services, manage business records, prevent fraud, and respond to customer queries, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Legal obligation: to comply with tax, accounting, or other legal requirements.
Consent: where you have given clear permission for a specific purpose, such as optional marketing communications where applicable.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect processing carried out before your withdrawal.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use personal data to:

respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
schedule and deliver gardening services;
communicate about appointments, service updates, or changes;
prepare invoices, maintain accounts, and process payments;
keep records of work completed and customer preferences;
manage complaints, disputes, or service issues;
meet legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
protect our business, staff, customers, and systems from misuse or fraud.

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably need to use it for another compatible purpose permitted by law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including for legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. The retention period depends on the type of information involved and the reason it is held.

In general:

Customer service and booking records are retained for a period that allows us to manage ongoing service needs, resolve queries, and maintain accurate business records.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by applicable law.
Communication records are retained for as long as needed to evidence instructions, service agreements, or support matters.

When information is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in line with our retention practices. We review retained data periodically to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

7. Processors and Third Parties

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service they provide. These parties help us deliver our business efficiently and may include:

payment service providers;
accounting or bookkeeping services;
IT, hosting, or security providers;
administrative support services;
professional advisers, such as legal or tax advisers, where necessary;
subcontractors or service partners assisting with gardening work, where relevant to your booking.

Where a third party acts as a processor, they are only permitted to process your data on our instructions and must keep it secure. We require appropriate contractual safeguards and review our processors to help ensure compliance with data protection law.

We do not sell your personal data. We will only disclose it where necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, or the protection of our legitimate business interests.

8. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the information we hold and the risks involved.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain strong safeguards and regularly assess how personal data is managed. Access to data is limited to those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights over your personal information. 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 situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: to receive certain information in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been breached. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so we can address them promptly and fairly.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Transparent and lawful processing

We only collect and use personal data where there is a valid reason to do so, and we keep our processing limited to what is necessary for delivering gardening services and managing our business responsibly.

Respect for your rights

We recognise your right to control your personal information and will respond to valid requests in line with data protection law.

Secure and responsible handling

We aim to store and protect data carefully, share it only when needed, and retain it only for as long as required.

Gardeners Hampton Hill values trust, discretion, and compliance. We are committed to handling personal information with care and in a way that respects the privacy of every customer in the Hampton Hill area.