Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Limehouse

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Limehouse collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing tree surgery and related services. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Limehouse customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who interact with us in connection with quotations, bookings, site visits, and aftercare. 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.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you engage with us. This can include information you provide directly, information generated during service delivery, and limited technical information collected when you contact us electronically.

Identity information such as your name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Property and service information including site access details, work instructions, service preferences, and any information needed to carry out tree surgery safely.
Payment and billing information where required for invoicing and account management.
Communication records such as emails, messages, call notes, quotation requests, complaint records, and correspondence relating to our services.
Service history including details of work completed, recommended follow-up actions, and safety-related notes.
Technical information such as basic device or usage information if you submit information through digital means.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive special category data unless it is necessary and lawful to do so. If such information is ever provided to us, for example in relation to access needs or site safety, we will only process it where a valid legal basis applies and with appropriate safeguards.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only where necessary for our business and service operations. This includes:

providing quotations and assessing work requirements;
arranging appointments and carrying out tree surgery services;
communicating with you about your booking, service updates, or follow-up work;
maintaining records of completed work and customer history;
issuing invoices, processing payments, and handling account administration;
meeting legal, regulatory, health and safety, insurance, and tax obligations;
responding to enquiries, complaints, and claims;
improving our services, scheduling, and customer experience;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will only use your data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected. We do not sell personal data.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the situation, Tree Surgeons Limehouse may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations at your request, arranging and completing tree surgery services, and managing billing or service-related communications.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain data where required by law, including tax records, accounting records, health and safety documentation, and other statutory obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and rights do not override those interests. Examples include maintaining service records, responding to customer enquiries, preventing fraud, managing business operations, and improving our services.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent. If we do, you may withdraw consent at any time. Where consent is the lawful basis, we will make this clear at the point of collection.

Vital Interests

In rare circumstances, we may process personal data where it is necessary to protect someone’s life or safety, for example in an urgent site safety situation.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us deliver and manage our services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum data necessary for the relevant purpose.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers used for email, document storage, and data management;
accounting and invoicing providers that help manage financial records;
payment service providers that process transactions securely;
customer administration tools used for scheduling or record keeping;
professional advisers such as accountants, legal advisers, or insurers where needed;
subcontractors or specialist partners assisting with parts of a job, where necessary for service delivery.

All processors are required to handle data securely, act only on our instructions where applicable, and protect personal data in accordance with data protection law. We do not permit processors to use your information for their own unrelated purposes.

We may also disclose data where necessary to comply with legal requirements, respond to lawful requests from public authorities, or protect our rights, property, customers, or staff.

5. International Transfers

Where any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal mechanisms recognised under UK GDPR.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up and business administration.
Customer service and job records may be retained to support service history, safety, warranty, and future work planning.
Financial and tax records are typically retained for the period required by law.
Complaint, claim, or dispute records may be retained for longer where needed to defend or establish legal claims.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. Retention is reviewed periodically to ensure we do not keep information longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful supplier selection. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we aim to maintain strong protection standards suitable for the nature of the data we process.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis relied upon.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – in certain cases, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability – in certain cases, you can request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law, usually within one month, unless the request is complex or numerous.

9. Marketing Preferences

We will only send marketing communications where permitted by law. If you receive marketing and no longer wish to do so, you can object at any time. We will stop using your data for direct marketing once we receive a valid objection.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for property owners, occupiers, agents, and related adult contacts. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in a lawful and limited way, such as where a child’s safety is relevant to a site visit. If we learn that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take steps to remove it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data handling practices. The most current version will apply from the time it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Our Commitment

Tree Surgeons Limehouse is committed to respecting your privacy and using personal data responsibly. We aim to ensure that all information is collected only when needed, kept secure, retained for an appropriate period, and processed on a valid legal basis. By using our services, you acknowledge that this policy applies to you as a Tree Surgeons Limehouse customer in the area.

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide clear information about our data practices and your rights. It is written to support transparency and compliance with applicable UK data protection law.