Privacy Policy - Gardeners Camden Town

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Camden Town collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing gardening services to customers in the Camden Town area. It applies to all Gardeners Camden Town customers in the area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and people who contact us about our services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy describes the categories of data we collect, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep information, the types of processors we use, and the rights available to individuals.

1. Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for delivering our services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal obligations. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity data: name, title, and, where relevant, business or property name.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and service location details.
Service data: details of the gardening work requested, preferred service times, property access instructions, and job notes.
Billing data: invoice details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication data: emails, messages, call notes, and feedback.
Technical data: limited device or usage information if you interact with us through digital systems, where applicable.
Special category data: we do not intentionally collect special category data. If such information is disclosed to us incidentally, it will only be handled where strictly necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

We do not collect more information than we need. When possible, we encourage customers to avoid sharing sensitive personal details that are not relevant to the gardening service.

2. How we use personal data

Gardeners Camden Town uses personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations, schedule visits, and carry out gardening services;
to manage customer accounts and service records;
to communicate about appointments, updates, and service changes;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and service-related requests;
to maintain safety, security, and operational quality;
to comply with legal, tax, and accounting obligations;
to improve our services and internal processes.

We process data in a way that is adequate, relevant, and limited to the purpose for which it is collected.

3. Lawful basis for processing

We only process personal data where a lawful basis applies under UK GDPR. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases include:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, arranging services, carrying out gardening work, billing, and managing service communications.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain data to comply with legal duties, including accounting, taxation, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process information where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service administration, fraud prevention, record management, and improving customer experience.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on consent, for example where you choose to receive optional marketing or where specific processing requires your permission. Where consent is used, it can be withdrawn at any time.

4. Retention of personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Customer and service records: retained for the period needed to administer the service relationship and resolve any follow-up matters.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by applicable law and accounting rules.
Communication records: retained as long as necessary to manage enquiries, complaints, or service history.
Consent-based records: retained until consent is withdrawn or the information is no longer needed.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise, or securely archive it depending on the circumstances. We review retention periodically to ensure that we do not keep data for longer than necessary.

5. Processors and third parties

To operate efficiently, Gardeners Camden Town may use trusted third-party service providers that process personal data on our behalf. These processors are only given access to the data required to perform their services and are contractually bound to protect it.

IT and cloud service providers: for data storage, email, and document management.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: for invoicing, tax, and financial administration.
Payment service providers: for secure transaction processing.
Customer communication tools: for scheduling, messaging, or record management.
Professional advisers: such as legal or insurance advisers where necessary.

We do not sell personal data. We only share personal information with third parties where it is necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, or the protection of legitimate interests. Any processor engaged by us is expected to follow appropriate security, confidentiality, and data handling standards.

6. Data security

We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and internal procedures for handling information responsibly.

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a high standard of data protection and to reduce risk wherever possible.

7. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, individuals have a number of rights regarding their personal data. Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you;
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete information;
Erase personal data in certain situations;
Restrict how we process your data in certain cases;
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means;
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data rights have not been respected.

Some rights are not absolute and may not apply in every case. We will assess each request in line with legal requirements and respond appropriately.

8. International transfers

Where personal data is processed outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that the data remains protected in accordance with applicable data protection law. This may include contractual protections or use of approved transfer mechanisms.

9. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults acting on their own behalf or on behalf of a property or household. We do not knowingly collect children’s personal data unless it is incidentally provided in connection with a customer enquiry or service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected unnecessary data about a child, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal duties, or data handling practices. Any revised 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 personal data is used.

11. Summary of our privacy principles

Gardeners Camden Town is committed to responsible data handling. In practice, this means we aim to be transparent about what we collect, lawful in how we process it, careful in how long we keep it, and respectful of the rights of every customer in Camden Town.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.