Privacy Policy - Gardeners Bankside

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Bankside collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Gardeners Bankside customers in the area and to anyone who interacts with us regarding gardening services, quotations, bookings, invoicing, service updates, or customer support. We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We take privacy seriously and aim to ensure that any personal data we process is adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary for our legitimate business purposes and for the delivery of our services. This policy sets out the types of data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful basis we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to data subjects.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data when you request or receive services from Gardeners Bankside:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details relating to gardening work requested, property access instructions, preferred service dates, and notes relevant to the job.
Billing and payment information such as invoice records, payment status, and transaction references.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and complaints or feedback.
Technical data where relevant, such as basic information about how you use digital forms or online booking tools.

We do not intentionally collect special category data, such as health information, unless you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for a specific service arrangement. Where that occurs, we apply additional safeguards and only process it when there is a lawful basis to do so.

2. How We Use Personal Data

Gardeners Bankside uses personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange and deliver gardening services.
To manage bookings, schedules, cancellations, and service changes.
To issue invoices and record payments.
To communicate with customers about ongoing or completed work.
To maintain service quality, resolve disputes, and handle complaints.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services and maintain internal records.

We only process personal data for specified and legitimate purposes. We do not use customer data for unrelated purposes without telling you and, where required, obtaining a valid lawful basis.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each activity involving personal data. The lawful bases relied on by Gardeners Bankside may include:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, arranging visits, carrying out gardening work, and providing associated administrative support.

Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with legal duties, including accounting requirements, tax record retention, fraud prevention, and other obligations imposed by law.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining business records, managing customer communications, improving operational efficiency, and protecting our business from abuse or misuse.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly where special category information is provided or where the law requires consent for a particular use. Where consent is relied upon, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

We assess the lawful basis for each processing activity carefully and retain records of those assessments as part of our accountability obligations.

4. Retention of Personal Data

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

Customer and service records are typically retained for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to address queries, disputes, or follow-up requests.
Invoice and tax records are retained for the period required by law and standard accounting practice.
Communication records are retained for as long as needed to manage the customer relationship and resolve any issues.
Consent records are retained so we can demonstrate compliance where consent has been used.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe and appropriate manner. We review retained data periodically to ensure it is not kept for longer than necessary.

5. Processors and Third Parties

Gardeners Bankside may use trusted third-party processors to support the delivery of our services and administrative operations. These processors only handle personal data on our instructions and are required to maintain appropriate security and confidentiality measures.

Examples of processors may include:

Administrative service providers that support booking, record keeping, or customer communication.
Payment processors that handle transactions securely.
IT and cloud service providers that store or manage business systems.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary.
Regulatory or public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

We do not sell personal data. Where data is shared with processors, we ensure appropriate contracts and safeguards are in place. If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we take steps to ensure the transfer is protected by lawful transfer mechanisms and equivalent security standards.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling practices.

Although no method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free, we work to reduce risks and to respond promptly if a data incident occurs. Where required, we will comply with legal notification obligations.

7. User Rights

Under data protection law, individuals have a number of rights in relation to their personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access your personal data and obtain information about how it is processed.
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure of personal data in certain circumstances.
Restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis relied upon.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you believe your rights have not been respected, you may seek guidance from the relevant supervisory authority. We encourage customers to raise privacy concerns so they can be addressed promptly and fairly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults responsible for arranging gardening work. We do not knowingly collect children’s personal data except where it is incidental and necessary for service administration. If we become aware that we have collected data improperly, we will take steps to delete or secure it as appropriate.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the way we process data. The latest version will always apply to the services we provide. Customers are encouraged to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

Gardeners Bankside is committed to keeping personal information private, secure, and used only for legitimate purposes. By handling data responsibly, we aim to provide a trustworthy service experience for every customer in the area.