Privacy Policy - Landscaping Dulwich

This Privacy Policy explains how Landscaping Dulwich collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Landscaping Dulwich customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, book services, receive maintenance work, or otherwise interact with our business. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance 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, and any other individuals whose personal data we process in connection with landscaping services in Dulwich and the surrounding area. It also applies where we process information about business contacts, site representatives, and people authorized to act on behalf of a customer.

2. Personal data we collect

We only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing landscaping services, managing enquiries, administering our business, and meeting legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name and, where necessary, the name of a business or property representative.
Contact information such as telephone numbers and email addresses.
Property and service details such as the address of the site, access instructions, service preferences, and information about requested landscaping work.
Payment and billing information such as invoice records, transaction references, and payment status.
Communication records including enquiries, quotations, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you interact with our digital systems, where applicable.
Photographs or site notes taken to assess, plan, or complete work, where required for service delivery.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary personal data, and we aim to keep the information we hold accurate and up to date.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes, schedule visits, and carry out landscaping services;
to communicate about appointments, service changes, and customer requests;
to prepare invoices, process payments, and manage our accounts;
to maintain service records and customer history;
to respond to complaints, disputes, or queries;
to improve our services, customer experience, and internal operations;
to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to protect our business, staff, clients, and property from fraud or misuse.

We will only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that we need to use it for a compatible purpose and we are permitted to do so under data protection law.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, delivering landscaping work, and managing related billing.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining service records, improving our business, preventing fraud, and communicating with customers about ongoing services.

Legal obligation

We process some data to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is needed for optional communications or specific uses of personal data not covered by another lawful basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital interests and public task

These bases are unlikely to apply in most landscaping situations, but where necessary we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests or to respond to an official requirement.

5. Sharing personal data with processors

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers who act as processors and handle data on our behalf under written contracts. These processors are only permitted to use personal data according to our instructions and for agreed purposes. They must also take appropriate security measures.

Examples of processors may include:

accounting and bookkeeping providers;
payment service providers;
IT support, cloud storage, and data backup providers;
email or communications platforms;
customer record or scheduling software providers;
professional advisers such as solicitors, insurers, or auditors, where required.

We may also disclose data where required by law, for example to law enforcement, courts, tax authorities, or regulators. If a business transfer or restructuring occurs, personal data may be shared with relevant parties subject to confidentiality and legal safeguards.

6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, including to satisfy legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. The retention period depends on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Quotation and enquiry records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up, customer service, and business administration.
Contract and service records may be retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a further period where needed for warranty, dispute resolution, or legal claims.
Financial and tax records are retained in line with legal and accounting requirements.
Communication records may be retained for customer support, evidence, and quality control.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited permissions, staff awareness, and regular review of our processes. While no system is completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to safeguard information.

8. Your rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations or exceptions.

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

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

9. Children’s data

Our services are generally intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a specific service arrangement and lawful to do so. If we become aware that we have unintentionally collected such data, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically so you remain informed about how we handle personal data.

11. Summary of our commitment

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your information. In summary, Landscaping Dulwich collects only the personal data needed to deliver landscaping services, uses it on a lawful basis, shares it only with appropriate processors or where legally required, retains it for no longer than necessary, and supports your rights under data protection law. We aim to keep all processing lawful, transparent, and proportionate.