Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Kenton

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Kenton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Kenton customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, makes an enquiry, receives a site visit, or otherwise interacts with our services. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to all customers, prospective customers, business contacts, and website or service users of Tree Surgeons Kenton in the local area. It covers personal data collected in connection with tree surgery services, arboricultural assessments, pruning, removal, stump work, emergency call-outs, maintenance visits, and related service administration.

By engaging with Tree Surgeons Kenton, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity data: name, title, and relevant business or property ownership details.
Contact data: address, phone number, and email address.
Service information: details of requested work, property access notes, instructions, and service history.
Quotation and billing data: pricing information, invoice details, payment status, and records needed for accounting.
Technical and usage data: limited information generated through communication systems or digital forms, where applicable.
Correspondence data: messages, complaints, feedback, and notes from calls or meetings.
Site and safety data: photographs, assessments, and information required to carry out work safely and effectively.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have chosen to provide it, or unless required by law. If such information is received inadvertently, we will handle it with appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Collect Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quotation or consultation;
book or receive tree surgery services;
contact us by phone, email, or other communication methods;
submit information during a site assessment;
make a payment or request an invoice;
provide feedback or raise an issue.

We may also receive limited information from third parties where necessary, such as property managers, business clients, insurers, or subcontracted service providers involved in the work. In some cases, we may observe or record information on-site to support safety, planning, and service delivery.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

4.1 Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as preparing a quotation, scheduling work, carrying out services, issuing invoices, or managing aftercare.

4.2 Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include responding to enquiries, managing client relationships, improving our service, maintaining records, preventing fraud, and ensuring the safety and efficiency of our operations.

4.3 Legal Obligation

We may retain and process data where required to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, health and safety, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

4.4 Consent

Where required, we will rely on your consent for specific processing activities. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide tree surgery and related services;
to assess the work required and prepare quotations;
to communicate with you about bookings, access, and service updates;
to manage payments, invoices, and account records;
to keep service, safety, and compliance records;
to respond to queries, complaints, and disputes;
to improve our services and operational processes;
to protect our rights, property, staff, and customers;
to meet legal, regulatory, and insurance obligations.

We only use data for the purpose for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe another compatible purpose applies or we are legally permitted to do otherwise.

6. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary to deliver our services, manage our business, or comply with legal obligations. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on their role.

6.1 Processors

Processors may include:

IT and cloud storage providers;
accounting and bookkeeping systems;
payment service providers;
communication and scheduling tools;
subcontractors or specialist service providers acting on our instructions.

Where a processor handles data on our behalf, we require appropriate contractual safeguards and expect them to process data only in line with our instructions and applicable law.

6.2 Other Sharing

We may also disclose data where necessary to:

comply with legal requests or court orders;
protect the rights, safety, and property of customers, staff, or the public;
support insurance claims or regulatory matters;
transfer business records in the event of a business restructure or sale.

We do not sell your personal data.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the nature of the data and the reason it is held.

Quotation and enquiry records: kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up, customer service, and audit purposes.
Service and invoice records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Safety and compliance records: kept where needed for legal, insurance, or operational reasons.
Correspondence and complaints: held for as long as necessary to resolve matters and maintain records.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, data minimisation, and restricted sharing. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold.

We also expect any processors we use to maintain comparable security standards.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply in full or in part depending on the legal basis for processing and the circumstances of the request.

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 data.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit processing in certain circumstances.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concern promptly and fairly.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally included in service records relating to a property or legal arrangement. Where such data is processed, it will be handled only as necessary and in accordance with applicable law.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Tree Surgeons Kenton is committed to using personal data responsibly, lawfully, and only where necessary to deliver services and manage our business. We aim to be clear about what we collect, why we collect it, who may process it, how long it is retained, and the rights available to you. Our approach is designed to respect privacy while allowing us to provide safe, reliable, and professional tree surgery services across the area.