Gardeners Hanworth Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Hanworth collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers in our service area. We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 and to handling your personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Hanworth customers and prospective customers located in our service area, whether you contact us online, by post, or in person, and whether you purchase services from us once or on a repeat basis.

Who We Are

Gardeners Hanworth is a gardening and grounds maintenance service provider operating in the Hanworth area and surrounding neighbourhoods. For the purposes of data protection law, Gardeners Hanworth is the data controller in relation to the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means that we decide how and why your personal data is used.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on your relationship with us and the services you request. This may include:

Identity and contact details such as your name, address, service address if different, and general location information in the Hanworth area, as well as any other basic contact details you choose to provide.

Communication information such as the content of messages and enquiries you send to us, including requests for quotes, service instructions, customer feedback, and any correspondence relating to bookings or complaints.

Service and contract information such as details of the gardening or maintenance services you have requested or purchased, visit schedules, notes about your garden or property relevant to our work, and records of any contracts or agreements.

Payment and billing information such as records of payments made to us, dates and amounts, and your chosen payment method. We do not store full payment card details; where card payments are used, these are processed securely by external payment providers.

Usage and technical information where relevant, such as basic information about how you interact with our website or online forms. This may include device and browser type and general information needed to maintain and improve our website. We do not collect more information than is necessary for these purposes.

Any other information you choose to provide in the course of receiving our services, for example specific access instructions, preferences about how we carry out work, or information relating to safety at your property.

How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data in the following ways:

Directly from you when you contact us to request a quote, make a booking, ask a question, or provide feedback.

During the provision of services at your property, for example when we assess your garden or grounds and record details needed to perform our work.

From publicly available sources where appropriate for verifying addresses or locations, in order to plan and deliver our services efficiently in the Hanworth area.

Through our website or online forms when you submit your details to us.

Lawful Basis for Processing

We only use your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract. We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into a contract with you or to provide gardening and related services that you have requested. This includes handling bookings, providing quotes, scheduling visits, and communicating with you about your services.

Legitimate interests. We process certain data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include improving our services, managing our relationship with you, and keeping appropriate business records.

Legal obligation. We may process your personal data where we are required to do so to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including record keeping, tax and accounting requirements.

Consent. In limited circumstances we may rely on your consent, for example where you request to receive certain types of optional marketing communications. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us using our normal contact details.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

To respond to your enquiries, provide quotes and information about our services, and help you decide which services are suitable for your property.

To enter into and perform contracts with you, including planning and delivering gardening services, maintenance visits, and any follow up work you request.

To manage our day to day operations such as scheduling, staff allocation, route planning within the Hanworth area, and ensuring that our services are delivered safely and efficiently.

To process and record payments, manage invoicing and handle any issues related to billing or refunds.

To maintain accurate business and financial records for accounting, tax and audit purposes and to comply with our legal obligations.

To communicate with you about changes to our services, important information about booked work, and updates that are relevant to our existing relationship with you.

To protect our rights and interests, for example in connection with the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or to prevent fraud or misuse of our services.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We only share your data where this is necessary and in line with this Privacy Policy. In particular, we may share your personal data with:

Service providers acting as data processors who assist us with delivering our services, such as information technology support, payment processing, bookkeeping, or secure data storage. These processors act on our instructions and are required to protect your data.

Professional advisers, such as accountants or legal advisers, where this is necessary for legitimate business and legal purposes.

Public authorities and regulators where we are legally required or permitted to do so, for example in connection with tax obligations or the investigation of a legal matter.

Any third party involved in a business restructuring, such as a sale or transfer of part of the business, in which case your data would only be shared as necessary and in accordance with data protection law.

Where our processors are located outside the United Kingdom or European Economic Area, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal data is given an equivalent level of protection, in line with legal requirements.

Data Retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Customer and contract records, including service information and communications, are typically kept for a period needed to manage our relationship with you and to handle any queries, complaints or legal issues that may arise after work is completed. Financial and transaction records are generally retained for a period required for tax and accounting purposes.

Where we no longer need personal data, we will delete it or anonymise it so that it no longer identifies you. The exact retention period may vary depending on the nature of the data and the reason it was collected.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply to all Gardeners Hanworth customers and prospective customers within our service area, subject to certain legal limitations and exemptions. Your rights include:

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

Right to rectification. You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure. In some circumstances, you may have the right to ask us to delete your personal data. This right is not absolute and may be limited where we need to retain data for legal or legitimate business reasons.

Right to restriction. You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we are checking its accuracy or considering an objection you have raised.

Right to object. You may object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as our lawful basis. We will consider your objection and stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue or the processing is needed for legal claims.

Right to data portability. In certain cases, you have the right to receive personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used format and to request that we transfer it to another organisation where this is technically feasible and lawful.

Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process your data, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, you can contact us using our usual contact methods. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request, to protect your privacy and security.

Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. These measures include limiting access to personal data to those who need it for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, using secure systems and keeping our procedures under review.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our practices, or legal requirements. Any changes will take effect when the updated policy is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle your personal data.

Contact and Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Gardeners Hanworth handles your personal data, or if you wish to make a complaint, you can contact us using our normal contact channels. We will do our best to address your concerns.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in the United Kingdom if you are unhappy with how we have used your personal data. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly before you approach the authority, and we encourage you to contact us in the first instance.