Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Wandsworth

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Wandsworth collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Wandsworth customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, makes an enquiry, or otherwise interacts with our business. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (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, suppliers, and any other individuals whose personal data we process in connection with our tree surgery services in Wandsworth and the surrounding area. It also applies where we receive personal data from third parties such as landlords, managing agents, neighbours, or local contractors when this is necessary to provide our services.

By personal data, we mean any information that identifies, or can be used to identify, a living individual. This may include names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, payment details, service history, and other information relevant to our work.

2. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the delivery and administration of our services. Depending on the nature of your interaction with us, we may collect the following types of information:

Identity data: your name, title, and, where relevant, company name or role.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and other communication details.
Property and service data: site address, access details, photographs, tree-related observations, service instructions, and notes about the work requested or completed.
Financial data: invoice details, payment records, and transaction information.
Communication data: messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence relating to our services.
Technical data: limited device and usage information if you contact us through digital channels, such as IP address or browser details where applicable.
Legal and compliance data: records needed to demonstrate compliance with health and safety, insurance, tax, and contractual obligations.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is required for a specific legal or employment-related purpose and appropriate safeguards are in place. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a customer service reason and provided by an adult responsible for the relevant property or account.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to schedule, deliver, and manage tree surgery services;
to communicate about appointments, work progress, and service updates;
to issue invoices, process payments, and manage accounts;
to keep records of completed work and customer preferences;
to handle complaints, queries, and dispute resolution;
to meet legal, regulatory, insurance, and tax obligations;
to improve our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
to maintain the safety of staff, customers, contractors, and the public.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and that this is permitted by law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the context, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, arranging visits, carrying out tree work, issuing invoices, and managing aftercare or follow-up service.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with the law. This may include tax records, accounting records, health and safety obligations, insurance requirements, and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing our business operations, maintaining records, improving services, preventing fraud, and defending legal claims.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent. If we do, you will be informed clearly about what data is collected and why. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. These third parties act either as independent controllers or as processors acting on our behalf. We only use processors that provide appropriate safeguards and process data under written instructions.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Accounting and bookkeeping providers for invoicing, tax, and financial administration;
IT and cloud storage providers for secure data hosting, backup, and communications;
Payment service providers for taking and processing payments;
Customer management tools used to organise enquiries, bookings, and records;
Professional advisers such as insurers, lawyers, or auditors where necessary;
Subcontractors or specialist contractors involved in delivering the requested service.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, to protect our rights, to establish or defend legal claims, or to safeguard the safety of individuals or property.

Where data is shared, we ensure that only the minimum necessary information is disclosed and that appropriate safeguards are in place. We do not sell personal data.

6. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is held.

Quotation and enquiry records are generally retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up and business records.
Customer service and work records are retained as needed to evidence completed services, manage complaints, and support future work.
Financial and tax records are retained in line with legal obligations and accounting requirements.
Data held for legal claims or disputes may be retained for longer where necessary.

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

7. Security of Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling processes.

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of security appropriate to the risks associated with the personal data we process.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal exceptions and limitations, but we will always consider requests carefully and respond in accordance with the law.

Right of access: you may request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and receive a copy of that data.
Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: you may request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in specific situations.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability: you may request a copy of certain data in a portable format where the legal conditions are met.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you also have the right to raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concern directly.

9. International Transfers

If any of our processors or service providers store or access personal data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate legal safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other approved transfer mechanisms designed to protect your personal data.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or services. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your personal data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Tree Surgeons Wandsworth respects your privacy and is committed to processing personal data responsibly. We collect only the data we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where the law requires it. We aim to be transparent and fair in all aspects of our data handling, ensuring that every customer in the Wandsworth area can trust us with their information.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Tree Surgeons Wandsworth customers in the area.