Privacy Policy - Landscaping Havering

This Privacy Policy explains how Landscaping Havering collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to customers, prospective customers, website visitors, suppliers, and other individuals whose information we process. It applies to all Landscaping Havering customers in the area, including anyone who enquiries about, purchases, or receives landscaping services from us.

We are 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. This policy sets out the purposes for which we use personal data, the lawful basis we rely on, how long we keep information, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to individuals.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process information that identifies you directly or indirectly. The type of personal data we collect depends on how you interact with us and the services requested. This may include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as the landscaping services you request, property details relevant to the work, project notes, preferences, and instructions.
Payment and transaction information such as billing details, payment status, and records of invoices and receipts.
Communication records such as emails, telephone notes, messages, and other correspondence.
Technical information if you visit a digital service we operate, including basic device and usage data collected through cookies or similar technologies where applicable.
Marketing preferences such as your choices about receiving promotional information.

We generally do not intentionally collect special category data. If you voluntarily provide such information, for example in relation to access needs or health-related requirements affecting service delivery, we will only process it where necessary and in compliance with data protection law.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes. These include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
planning, delivering, and managing landscaping services;
arranging site visits, scheduling work, and communicating about appointments;
processing payments, issuing invoices, and maintaining accounting records;
handling complaints, disputes, and aftercare requests;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
maintaining business records and service history;
improving our services, administration, and customer experience;
sending direct marketing where permitted and where you have not opted out;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will only use your data in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe another lawful purpose applies under data protection law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data when we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, the lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, supplying landscaping services, managing bookings, and taking payment where agreed.

Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, and other regulatory duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may rely on legitimate interests where processing is necessary for the operation and development of our business, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Examples include service administration, internal record management, fraud prevention, and improving our services.

Consent

We may rely on consent for certain activities, such as optional marketing communications or the use of non-essential cookies where applicable. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests and Public Interest

These bases are unlikely to apply in most routine landscaping matters, but we may use them where necessary in exceptional circumstances.

4. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We do not sell personal data. We may share information with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy, and only where appropriate safeguards are in place.

Some third parties act as processors on our behalf. A processor handles personal data only under our instructions and is required to keep it secure and confidential. Processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that support email, storage, and business administration systems;
accounting and bookkeeping providers that help manage invoices, payments, and financial records;
payment service providers that process card or online payments;
customer management or scheduling tools used to organise work and communications;
professional advisers such as lawyers, accountants, insurers, or consultants where needed;
delivery or subcontracting partners where required to complete landscaping work or source materials.

We may also share personal data with organisations that act as independent controllers, such as public authorities, regulators, courts, or law enforcement bodies, where we are required or permitted to do so by law.

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, tax, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it is used.

In general, we follow these principles:

Enquiry records are retained for a reasonable period after the enquiry ends, unless further contact is expected.
Customer and service records are retained for the duration of the business relationship and for a period afterwards to deal with queries, warranty matters, or disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Marketing data is retained until you opt out, withdraw consent, or it is no longer needed.
Technical logs are retained only for as long as necessary for security, troubleshooting, or auditing.

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

6. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are not absolute and may apply only in certain circumstances. They 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 ask us to delete your data where there is no legal reason for us to continue processing it.
Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format and, where feasible, have it transferred to another controller.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing at any time.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your data has been handled. We encourage individuals to contact us first so that we can try to resolve concerns promptly and fairly.

7. Security of Your Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted data sharing. While we take reasonable steps to protect information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure.

8. Data Accuracy and Your Responsibilities

We aim to keep personal data accurate and up to date. Please let us know if your details change, especially where they affect service delivery, billing, or communication. Providing accurate information helps us deliver services efficiently and maintain proper records.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are generally directed to adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service request and permitted by law. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without a valid basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the services we provide. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how we handle personal data.

Summary: Landscaping Havering’s GDPR-compliant Privacy Policy explains what data is collected, lawful bases, retention periods, processors, and customer rights for all local customers.