Privacy Policy

Gardeners New Malden Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners New Malden collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to its customers and prospective customers in the Gardeners New Malden service area. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners New Malden customers and potential customers within the area we serve, regardless of how you contact us or use our services, including by telephone, in person, in writing, or through any online enquiry method that we may provide.

Who we are and scope of this policy

Gardeners New Malden is a local gardening services provider operating in and around the New Malden area. For the purposes of data protection law, Gardeners New Malden is the controller of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed when you engage with us for gardening and related services.

This policy covers personal data we collect about private individuals, including household customers, landlords, tenants, and other local customers who contact us or use our services within our service area.

Types of personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data when you contact us, request a quote, or use our gardening services:

Identification and contact details such as your name, postal address, property address where services are performed, and any other contact details you choose to provide, such as a preferred communication method.

Service and contract information such as details of the gardening services requested, visit dates and times, notes about your garden or property relevant to the work, access instructions, photographs taken for estimating or record purposes, and your service history with us.

Billing and payment information such as information necessary for issuing invoices, records of payments received, payment method type, and any related transaction records. We do not store full payment card details if electronic card payments are processed through a third party provider.

Communication records such as notes of telephone calls, messages you send to us, and our responses, including any complaints, compliments, or other feedback.

Technical and usage information where applicable, such as basic technical information if you interact with any website or online form we may operate, including your browser type, approximate location based on your IP address, and page interaction information. We only collect what is necessary for security, analytics, or to provide any online service you request.

How we collect your personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us to request information, to obtain a quote, or to book gardening services. This may be done by telephone, in person, through an online enquiry form, or in writing.

We may also receive personal data indirectly when a third party acts on your behalf. For example, a letting agent, landlord, family member, or neighbour may provide your details so we can arrange gardening services for your property. Where this happens, we will treat your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy and, where appropriate, will inform you that we hold your data.

Lawful bases for processing your personal data

We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under data protection law when we process your personal data:

Contractual necessity. We process your personal data to enter into and perform a contract with you, such as providing gardening services, preparing quotes, managing bookings, and handling payments and invoices.

Legitimate interests. We process certain personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where these are not overridden by your rights and interests. This includes managing our customer records, improving our services, handling queries and complaints, and maintaining records for insurance and business planning.

Legal obligations. We process personal data where this is required to comply with legal duties, such as accounting, tax, and health and safety obligations, and to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example, if we wish to send you certain types of marketing communications that require consent under relevant law. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage gardening services, including arranging visits, carrying out work at your property, and keeping records of services provided.

To create and maintain customer accounts and service histories, so that we can understand your preferences, plan future work, and provide consistent service.

To prepare quotes and estimates, including where necessary by visiting your property and recording relevant information about your garden and access arrangements.

To manage payments, issue invoices, track outstanding amounts, and maintain financial records.

To respond to your enquiries, feedback, or complaints, and to keep you informed about appointments, access requirements, or changes to planned work.

To manage our business operations, such as scheduling work, training staff or contractors, improving service quality, and maintaining appropriate records for insurance and risk management.

To comply with the law, including retaining certain records for tax and accounting purposes and responding to lawful requests from regulators or public bodies.

Data sharing and processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with third parties where necessary and appropriate, as described below:

Service providers acting as processors who provide services to us, such as IT and cloud storage providers, payment processing services, or accounting support. These providers are only allowed to process your personal data on our documented instructions and must protect it appropriately.

Professional advisers such as accountants, legal advisers, or insurance providers, where this is necessary for professional advice, dispute resolution, or insurance purposes.

Public authorities and regulators where we are legally required to do so, for example in response to a lawful request from law enforcement or a regulatory body.

Other third parties with your consent or at your direction, for example where you ask us to liaise with a landlord, letting agent, or another contractor in connection with work at your property.

International transfers

Where any of our service providers or systems involve transferring personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as relying on adequacy regulations or using standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities, so that your data remains protected to standards that are essentially equivalent to those in the United Kingdom.

Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or for as long as required by law. In determining appropriate retention periods, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process it, and applicable legal requirements.

In general, customer contact and service records are retained for a period after the end of our relationship to enable us to respond to queries, manage any disputes, and meet tax and accounting obligations. Where data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

How we protect your personal data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard 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 have a business need to know, using secure storage solutions, and providing appropriate guidance to any staff or contractors who handle personal data on our behalf.

Your data protection rights

As an individual whose personal data we process, you have certain rights under data protection law. Subject to applicable conditions and exemptions, these include:

Right of access. You can request confirmation that we process your personal data and ask for a copy of the data we hold about you.

Right to rectification. You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Right to erasure. You can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances, for example, where it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing.

Right to restriction. You can ask us to restrict or suspend the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection you have raised.

Right to object. You can object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or the processing is required for legal claims.

Right to data portability. In certain situations, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format or ask that we transfer it to another organisation where this is technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent for processing, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

Exercising your rights and complaints

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights in relation to Gardeners New Malden or have questions about how we handle your personal data, you may contact us using any of the usual communication channels you use to arrange or discuss gardening services.

You also have the right to raise a concern or lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. However, we encourage you to contact Gardeners New Malden first so that we have an opportunity to address your concerns directly.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in our services, in the laws that apply to us, or in best practice. The most current version of the Privacy Policy will apply to how we process your personal data. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how Gardeners New Malden protects your personal data.