Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Brompton

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Brompton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing services to customers in the Brompton area and surrounding local area. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Brompton customers in area, including individuals, household clients, landlords, property managers, and business customers who enquire about, receive, or have received tree surgery and related services.

1. Introduction

Tree Surgeons Brompton is committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect personal information that is necessary for our services, business administration, legal compliance, and customer support.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or entering into an agreement with us, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity data such as your name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
Contact data such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service-related data including details of the property, requested work, site access information, quotations, invoices, and service history.
Communication data such as messages, notes from calls, complaint records, and correspondence.
Payment and transaction data including payment status, billing records, and financial references necessary for account administration.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you interact with digital systems we use for administration.
Health or safety-related information only where it is relevant to safe service delivery, for example access needs, site hazards, or emergency arrangements.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is required for a specific lawful purpose and only with appropriate safeguards in place.

3. How We Use Personal Data

Tree Surgeons Brompton uses personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to assess work requirements and plan tree surgery services;
to deliver services safely and efficiently;
to manage bookings, scheduling, and site visits;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
to communicate about service updates, changes, or follow-up matters;
to handle complaints, disputes, and service-related claims;
to maintain business records and meet legal obligations;
to protect our business, clients, staff, and property;
to improve our services and internal operations.

We only use personal data where there is a valid reason to do so and where the processing is limited to what is necessary.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Tree Surgeons Brompton relies on the following lawful bases:

a) Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging site visits, providing quotations, carrying out tree surgery services, and administering invoices and payments.

b) Legal obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal or regulatory duties, including tax record keeping, health and safety obligations, insurance-related matters, and other statutory requirements.

c) Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer relationships, preventing fraud, maintaining service records, improving operations, and protecting our business from claims or misuse.

d) Consent

In some limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is needed for a particular optional purpose. Where consent is used, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties that help us operate our business. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We ensure that appropriate contractual and security measures are in place before sharing data.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and cloud storage providers used for secure record keeping and system administration;
accounting and bookkeeping providers used to manage invoices and financial records;
payment service providers used to process payments;
email, communication, and administration providers used to support customer correspondence;
insurance, legal, or compliance advisers where needed for claims, disputes, or legal obligations;
subcontractors or specialist contractors who support service delivery under our instructions.

We do not sell personal data. We only share the information necessary for the relevant purpose and require recipients to protect it appropriately.

6. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is lawful and that your information receives an adequate level of protection. This may include using approved contractual safeguards and assessing the security of the destination country or provider.

7. Data Retention

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

In general:

customer and service records are retained for a reasonable period after completion of work;
financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law;
communications relating to disputes, claims, or complaints may be kept longer where necessary;
data that is no longer required is securely deleted or anonymised.

Where we no longer need personal data, we will take appropriate steps to destroy or anonymise it safely.

8. Security of Personal Data

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include restricted access, secure storage, password protection, and staff awareness procedures.

While no system can be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of security that is appropriate to the nature and sensitivity of the information we process.

9. Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you may have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are not absolute and may be subject to conditions or legal exceptions.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests in some cases.
Right to data portability – you can request transfer of certain data where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will assess your request in accordance with applicable law and respond within the required timeframe.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is provided incidentally by an adult customer in connection with a service request. Where we become aware that child-related data is not needed, we will handle it carefully and delete it where appropriate.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulatory guidance, or the way we operate. Any updates will apply from the date they are published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

12. Complaints and Further Information

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you may raise them with us so that we can address the issue appropriately. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide clear and transparent information about our data practices. Tree Surgeons Brompton is committed to respecting privacy, limiting data use to what is necessary, and handling all personal information responsibly.