Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Harrow

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Harrow collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Harrow customers in the area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and individuals who enquire about our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy is intended to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who we may share it with, and what rights you have over your personal data. Please read it carefully.

1. Who We Are

Tree Surgeons Harrow provides tree surgery and related arboricultural services. In the course of delivering quotes, scheduling work, carrying out services, managing aftercare, and handling customer records, we process personal data. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller when we determine the purposes and means of processing personal data.

We take privacy seriously and aim to process only the information necessary to operate effectively, deliver services safely, and comply with legal obligations.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity data such as your name or title.
Contact data such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service and property data such as details of the property, access requirements, tree locations, photos, and job specifications.
Quotation and transaction data such as requested services, pricing information, invoices, payment status, and service history.
Communication data such as messages, enquiry details, complaints, feedback, and correspondence relating to appointments or services.
Technical data such as limited information collected through digital communication tools, for example IP-related records where relevant to system security.
Legal and compliance data such as records required for insurance, health and safety, tax, or regulatory compliance.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and a lawful basis applies. If such data is provided to us inadvertently, it will be handled with additional care and only retained where necessary.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you request a quote, make an enquiry, book a service, sign an agreement, submit feedback, or communicate with us. We may also collect data from third parties where this is lawful and relevant, such as landlords, property managers, insurers, or subcontractors acting on your behalf.

In some cases, we may create records during the delivery of our services, for example when we document site conditions, job outcomes, safety checks, or customer instructions. This information is used only for legitimate business and compliance purposes.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract – where processing is necessary to provide a quotation, carry out work, manage appointments, or fulfil our service obligations.
Legal obligation – where we must keep records or process information to comply with tax, accounting, health and safety, employment, or insurance requirements.
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights. This may include responding to enquiries, maintaining service records, preventing fraud, improving our services, or managing customer relationships.
Consent – where we rely on your freely given consent, for example for certain optional communications. You may withdraw consent at any time where it is the basis for processing.

When we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the potential impact on your rights and ensure our processing remains proportionate and necessary.

5. How We Use Personal Data

We may use your data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange and deliver tree surgery services.
To manage customer accounts, records, and service history.
To send invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To carry out safety assessments and operational planning.
To meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To handle complaints, disputes, or claims.
To improve our service quality, efficiency, and customer experience.

We only use data for specified purposes and will not process it in a way that is incompatible with those purposes without a lawful basis.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the data and the reason for processing.

As a general approach:

Customer and service records are usually retained for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and invoicing records are retained in line with legal and tax obligations.
Communication records are kept only as long as needed to manage the enquiry, service, or any related dispute.
Where data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

Retention periods are reviewed periodically to ensure we do not keep personal data longer than necessary.

7. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as processors on our behalf or, in some cases, as independent controllers. These may include:

IT and cloud service providers that support storage, email, scheduling, or record management.
Accountants, bookkeepers, and payroll providers.
Payment service providers and financial institutions.
Subcontractors or specialist professionals assisting with service delivery.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, and regulators where required.

Where we use processors, they are required to act only on our instructions, maintain appropriate security, and protect personal data in compliance with data protection law. We do not sell personal data. We only disclose information where necessary, proportionate, and lawful.

In limited circumstances, we may also disclose information to prevent fraud, protect our rights, or comply with a legal requirement.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and controlled sharing arrangements with processors.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of data breaches and to respond appropriately if an incident occurs.

9. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject, you have several rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions. These rights include:

The right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes called the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing where the law permits.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability for certain data provided to us, where applicable.
The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your data is handled. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them.

10. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use fully automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on customers. Any decisions about services, pricing, or scheduling are made using human review and normal business processes.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are directed at property owners, managers, and adult customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary and provided lawfully by an adult with authority to do so.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

13. Summary of Our Approach

Transparency

We explain what data we collect and why we need it.

Lawfulness

We only process personal data where a valid lawful basis applies.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal data from misuse and unauthorised access.

Respect for Rights

We recognise and support your GDPR rights.

Tree Surgeons Harrow is committed to responsible data handling and to maintaining the trust of customers throughout the area. If you provide us with personal information, we will use it only for legitimate purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards.