Privacy Policy - Gardeners Farringdon

Gardeners Farringdon is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when we provide gardening and related services. It applies to all Gardeners Farringdon customers in area, including current, former, and prospective customers who contact us, request a quote, or receive services from us.

This policy is designed to be transparent and compliant with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so, and we apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to keep information secure.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on the service requested. This may include:

Identity details such as your name or business name
Contact details such as phone number and email address
Address and service location information
Booking and service details including requested work, garden preferences, and appointment history
Payment and billing information where relevant
Communication records such as emails, messages, and notes from calls
Technical information such as limited website or device data if you interact with our online channels

We aim to collect only the information that is necessary and relevant for the service we provide. We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is needed for a specific lawful purpose.

2. How We Use Personal Data

Gardeners Farringdon uses personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations
To arrange appointments and deliver gardening services
To manage customer records and service history
To handle billing, invoices, and payments
To communicate about bookings, service updates, or changes
To maintain operational, quality, and safety standards
To deal with complaints, disputes, or service queries
To comply with legal obligations, including accounting and tax requirements

We may also use limited data for internal administration, service improvement, and record keeping. Any such processing is carried out in a way that respects your rights and expectations.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Gardeners Farringdon may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

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

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to comply with legal duties, such as accounting, taxation, insurance, or record retention requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for legitimate business purposes, such as maintaining customer records, improving services, preventing fraud, and ensuring the safe and efficient operation of our business. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we make sure that your interests and rights are not overridden.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain optional communications. You can withdraw consent at any time where consent is the legal basis for processing.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. These parties only receive data where necessary and are expected to handle it securely and lawfully.

Payment providers to process transactions
IT and hosting providers that support data storage, email, or system functionality
Accountants or bookkeeping services for financial administration
CRM or administration software providers used to manage customer relationships and service records
Professional advisers where needed for legal, insurance, or compliance purposes

Where processors are used, Gardeners Farringdon puts in place appropriate data processing agreements and checks that suitable safeguards are in place. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, or lawful request from a public authority. Any sharing is limited to what is necessary and proportionate.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and in line with legal and operational requirements. Retention periods may depend on the type of record and the reason it is held.

Customer enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up and service continuity
Service and invoice records may be retained for accounting and tax purposes
Communication records may be held where needed to resolve disputes or maintain accurate service history

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices. Retention is reviewed periodically to ensure we do not keep information longer than necessary.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include restricted access, secure storage, staff awareness, and reasonable technical safeguards.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risk and handle information responsibly. If a personal data breach occurs and it creates a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in line with applicable legal obligations.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure – to request deletion of data in certain circumstances
Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
Right to data portability – to request certain data in a machine-readable format where applicable
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent

You also have the right to raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage customers to contact us first so we can address any issues promptly.

8. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. This may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. We only use services that are suitable for the level of protection required.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are aimed at adults and property owners, tenants, or authorised representatives. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary and lawful in a specific context. If we become aware that data has been collected inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where required.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or services. The latest version will apply to all Gardeners Farringdon customers in area. Where changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to make them known.

11. Summary of Our Commitments

Gardeners Farringdon will:

Collect only relevant personal data
Use it fairly, lawfully, and transparently
Keep it only as long as needed
Share it only with appropriate processors or where required by law
Respect your rights and handle requests responsibly

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide clear information about how we manage customer data while delivering gardening services. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal information may be processed in accordance with this policy and applicable data protection laws.