Privacy Policy - Gardeners Lampton

Gardeners Lampton is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the area we serve. 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 you have under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy applies to all Gardeners Lampton customers in the area, including people who request a quote, book a service, communicate with us, or receive any form of gardening work from us. By using our services, you acknowledge that your data may be handled as described below.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for delivering our services, managing our relationship with you, and meeting legal or operational requirements. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your organisation or property manager.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information including details about the gardening work requested, property access requirements, preferred dates, and notes about the condition of the garden.
Payment and billing information such as invoice details, payment status, and records of transactions.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and any feedback, complaints, or service instructions you provide.
Technical data where relevant, such as limited website or device information if you contact us through digital channels.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and lawful to do so. If such information is ever provided to us incidentally, we will handle it with extra care and only for a lawful purpose.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to provide our gardening services efficiently and responsibly. This may include:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
Scheduling and delivering gardening work;
Managing billing, payments, and account records;
Keeping service notes and customer preferences;
Handling complaints, service changes, and follow-up communication;
Meeting legal, accounting, and insurance obligations;
Protecting our business, staff, customers, and property;
Improving the quality, reliability, and safety of our services.

We use your information only where necessary and in a way that is fair, lawful, and transparent. We do not sell personal data.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Gardeners Lampton relies on the following lawful bases depending on the purpose of processing:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, booking work, carrying out gardening services, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where we are required to comply with the law. This includes keeping tax, accounting, or insurance records and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include improving our services, maintaining internal records, preventing fraud, and managing customer correspondence.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or where consent is the most appropriate basis. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only where necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, or business operations. These parties act as data processors or independent controllers depending on the situation.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and hosting providers who store or secure customer records;
Accounting or bookkeeping services that help manage invoices and financial records;
Payment service providers that process transactions;
Scheduling or administration tools used to manage appointments and service planning;
Professional advisers such as legal, tax, or insurance advisers where necessary.

All processors are required to protect your data, use it only on our instructions, and apply appropriate security measures. We take care to use providers who can demonstrate suitable data protection standards.

We may also disclose information if required by law, if needed to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Gardeners Lampton, our customers, or others.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason we hold it.

Customer and service records are generally retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by accounting and tax laws.
Communication records may be retained to manage service history, disputes, or ongoing support.
Inactive or unnecessary records are deleted or securely anonymised when no longer needed.

When data is no longer required, we take steps to securely erase it or make it permanently anonymous so it cannot be linked back to an individual.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and data minimisation.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work hard to protect your information and review our practices regularly. Access to personal data is limited to people who need it for legitimate business purposes.

7. International Transfers

Where any processor or service used by Gardeners Lampton stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms required by data protection law.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have several rights under GDPR. These rights may apply depending on the reason we hold and process your data.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction – you can request limits on how we use your data in some situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will assess your request in line with applicable law and respond within the required timeframe. In some cases, we may need to retain certain information for legal or operational reasons.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging gardening work for homes, businesses, or managed properties. We do not knowingly collect data directly from children. If we become aware that a child’s personal data has been provided without appropriate authority, we will take steps to remove or protect it as required.

10. Changes to This Policy

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

11. Our Commitment to Privacy

Gardeners Lampton treats privacy as a core responsibility. We aim to handle personal information with care, professionalism, and respect. Our approach is based on data minimisation, purpose limitation, and accountability. We only keep what we need, use it only for valid reasons, and protect it as part of our everyday operations.

By choosing our services, you trust us with information needed to deliver quality gardening work. We value that trust and will continue to process personal data in a way that is lawful, secure, and proportionate to the services we provide.