Privacy Policy - Gardeners Arkley

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Arkley collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Gardeners Arkley customers in the area, including anyone who enquires about, books, receives, manages, or pays for our gardening services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to customers, prospective customers, property owners, tenants, business clients, and any other individual whose personal data we process when providing or arranging Gardeners Arkley services. It also applies where we receive information from a customer’s representative, such as a landlord, property manager, or family member acting on their behalf.

By using our services, submitting an enquiry, or communicating with us about a gardening appointment, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy.

2. Data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the delivery of our services, running our business, and meeting legal obligations. Depending on the nature of the service, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity data: name, title, and where relevant, business name or property ownership details.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and service location.
Service data: details about requested work, garden conditions, preferences, access instructions, quotes, bookings, and service history.
Payment data: billing information, payment status, and limited transaction records. We do not routinely store full payment card details if payment processing is handled by a third party.
Communication data: messages, emails, call notes, complaint details, and feedback.
Technical data: basic information collected through our digital systems, such as device type, browser data, and log information where applicable.
Photographic or site-record data: images of gardens or outdoor areas taken to assess work, document before-and-after conditions, or support service records.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and lawful. If such data is provided to us incidentally, we will treat it with enhanced care and only process it where a valid legal basis exists.

3. How we use personal data

Gardeners Arkley uses personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to schedule and deliver gardening services;
to manage customer accounts, records, and service instructions;
to process payments, invoices, and refunds where relevant;
to communicate about appointments, service changes, or important updates;
to handle complaints, disputes, or claims;
to maintain business records and improve service quality;
to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We use data only for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes and do not process it in ways that are incompatible with those purposes.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for every processing activity. Gardeners Arkley relies on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes quoting, booking, carrying out work, invoicing, and managing service delivery.

Legal obligation

We may process data to comply with laws relating to taxation, accounting, record keeping, health and safety, or other legal requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and interests do not override those interests. Examples include managing enquiries, improving service operations, maintaining records, and protecting against fraud or misuse.

Consent

Where consent is required, we will ask for it clearly and separately. You may withdraw consent at any time, although this will not affect processing that has already taken place lawfully.

Vital interests

In rare circumstances, we may process information where it is necessary to protect someone’s life or physical safety.

We do not rely on consent where another lawful basis is more appropriate. We will always aim to select the most suitable legal ground for the specific processing activity.

5. Sharing personal data and processors

We do not sell personal data. We may share data only where necessary and appropriate for the purposes described in this policy. In some cases, we use carefully selected processors who act on our instructions and are contractually required to protect data.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

IT and cloud storage providers;
email and communication service providers;
booking, scheduling, or customer record systems;
payment processors and invoicing tools;
professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers;
subcontractors assisting with service delivery, where needed.

We only share the minimum data necessary. Where third parties process data on our behalf, they must use it only for the agreed purpose and apply appropriate technical and organisational safeguards.

We may also share information where required by law, to respond to lawful requests, to establish or defend legal claims, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Gardeners Arkley, our customers, or others.

6. Retention of personal data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. The retention period depends on the type of data, the nature of the service, and whether a legal or contractual obligation requires us to keep it longer.

As a general approach:

enquiry records may be kept for a limited period after the enquiry ends;
customer service and transaction records may be retained for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law;
complaints, dispute records, and legal correspondence may be kept until the matter is resolved and for a further period where needed for defence purposes.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices.

7. Data security

Gardeners Arkley takes appropriate security measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff confidentiality expectations, and limiting data access to authorised persons only.

While no system can be guaranteed as completely secure, we take reasonable steps to reduce risk and to respond appropriately if a security incident occurs.

8. Your rights under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations and exemptions, but we will always respond appropriately and transparently.

Right of access

You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data.

Right to rectification

You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Right to erasure

You can ask us to delete personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer needed or where consent has been withdrawn and no other lawful basis applies.

Right to restriction

You can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations, such as while accuracy or lawful use is being checked.

Right to object

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including any direct marketing activity where applicable.

Right to data portability

Where processing is based on contract or consent and carried out by automated means, you may request your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.

Right to withdraw consent

Where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you are concerned about how your data is handled.

9. Children’s data

Gardeners Arkley services are not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with property access, household arrangements, or a lawful service instruction provided by an adult with authority to act.

10. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. Any updated 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. Summary of our commitment

Gardeners Arkley is committed to lawful, transparent, and secure data handling. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and respect the rights of every customer. Our approach is based on privacy by design, data minimisation, and responsible stewardship of information.