Privacy Policy - Landscaping Dalston

This Privacy Policy explains how Landscaping Dalston collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing landscaping and related services. It applies to all Landscaping Dalston customers in the area, including prospective customers, existing customers, property owners, tenants, and anyone who communicates with us in connection with our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Last updated: This policy reflects the current way we process personal data for our landscaping services and may be updated from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or security changes.

1. Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for the operation of our business and the delivery of our services. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details: name, title, and related identifying information;
Contact details: telephone number, email address, billing address, service address, and other communication details;
Property and service details: information about gardens, outdoor spaces, access arrangements, requested work, job history, and service preferences;
Payment and invoicing details: records needed to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records;
Communication records: messages, calls, quotations, complaints, feedback, and correspondence;
Technical information: limited data such as device or browser information if you use digital communication tools with us;
Photographs and site records: images or notes taken before, during, or after work to document conditions, progress, or completed services;
Special category data: we do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific lawful purpose.

We generally collect data directly from you when you request a quotation, book a service, make a payment, provide feedback, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may receive information from third parties such as property managers, landlords, agents, subcontractors, or payment processors where it is needed to deliver the service.

2. Why we use your data

We use personal data only for clear and legitimate purposes connected to our business. These include:

providing quotations, surveys, and landscaping services;
managing appointments, scheduling work, and attending sites;
processing payments, invoices, refunds, and credit control;
responding to enquiries, requests, and complaints;
maintaining service records and customer history;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
improving service quality, planning resources, and preventing fraud or misuse;
communicating important updates about services, bookings, or changes that affect your work;
protecting our staff, contractors, customers, and property during service delivery.

We do not use personal data for unrelated purposes that would be unexpected or unfair to you.

3. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis before processing your personal data. Depending on the situation, Landscaping Dalston relies on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, carrying out landscaping work, managing bookings, and handling payment-related matters.

Legal obligation

We process data where we must comply with legal requirements, such as tax rules, accounting obligations, health and safety duties, and record-keeping laws.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate interests to do so, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include improving our services, keeping accurate customer records, managing operations, preventing fraud, and maintaining security. When relying on this basis, we consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or where it is the most appropriate basis for a specific activity. When we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Important note: if we ever process special category data, we will only do so where a valid condition under data protection law applies and where additional safeguards are in place.

4. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, insurance, and business requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

Customer and service records: retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage follow-up queries, warranty issues, or disputes;
Financial records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws;
Communication records: kept for as long as needed to respond to queries, resolve disputes, and evidence agreed work;
Photographs and site notes: retained only as long as necessary for service documentation, quality control, or legal protection;
Security or incident records: retained for the period required to investigate, resolve, or defend a claim.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it. Where data is retained in backup systems, it will be protected and removed in line with our deletion procedures.

5. Data processors and sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers acting as data processors on our behalf. These processors are only allowed to use your data according to our instructions and for the agreed purpose. They must also apply appropriate security measures.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and hosting providers: to store and secure business records or communications;
Accounting and bookkeeping services: to manage invoices, taxes, and financial records;
Payment service providers: to process card or electronic payments;
Scheduling or customer management tools: to organise bookings and service records;
Subcontractors: where necessary to complete parts of the landscaping work;
Professional advisers: such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where required.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to protect our legal rights, safety, or the safety of others. We do not sell your personal data.

6. International transfers

If any service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms. We will only transfer data where necessary and with suitable protections.

7. Security of personal data

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. Measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality practices, staff awareness, and limited access based on need. While no system is completely risk-free, we work to reduce risks and to respond appropriately to any suspected data incident.

8. Your rights

Depending on your circumstances and the law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 information;
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain situations;
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases;
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable;
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute. Some may be limited where we must keep data to comply with legal obligations, defend claims, or protect the rights of others.

9. How we handle requests

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, we will respond in accordance with legal time limits and may ask for information to verify your identity before acting on the request. We aim to keep our responses clear, fair, and timely. We may refuse a request where permitted by law, but we will explain our decision where appropriate.

10. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adult customers and property-related contacts. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided incidentally and is necessary for a legitimate service-related purpose. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child without a lawful basis, we will take steps to remove it.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or the way we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review it periodically to stay informed about how their information is used.

12. Summary of our approach

In short, Landscaping Dalston only collects the personal data it needs to provide reliable landscaping services, manage customer relationships, meet legal obligations, and protect its operations. We use data lawfully, keep it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We also respect your rights and will handle any requests in line with applicable data protection rules.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.