Gardeners Lambeth Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Lambeth collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to all customers and prospective customers in the Lambeth area. It is designed to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. By engaging Gardeners Lambeth for gardening services or by providing your personal data, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Scope and Who This Policy Applies To
This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Lambeth customers and potential customers located within the Lambeth area, as well as individuals acting on behalf of such customers, for example property managers or family members arranging services. It covers personal data collected through any method, including in person, by post, through online forms, or via messaging and social media platforms where we operate an account.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with Gardeners Lambeth. The types of personal data we may collect include:
Identification details such as your full name and, where relevant, the name of a business or organisation you represent. Contact details such as billing and service addresses, and any other address relevant to the provision of services. Information about the services you request, including garden size, access details, frequency of visits, specific instructions or preferences, photographs or notes related to the work required, and records of quotes, invoices and payments. Communication records including enquiries, complaints, feedback and any information you voluntarily provide during calls, messages or written correspondence. Technical data such as basic device or browser information if you interact with us through online forms, and general usage information to help us understand interest in our services.
How We Collect Personal Data
We collect personal data directly from you when you request a quote, book a service, communicate with us, or otherwise provide your details. We may also receive personal data indirectly when another person arranges services on your behalf, when you are referred by an existing customer, or when publicly available information about your property is used to assess job requirements and provide accurate quotations.
Lawful Basis for Processing
Gardeners Lambeth processes personal data only where a lawful basis under data protection law applies. The main lawful bases we rely on are:
Contract: We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract for gardening or related services with you. This includes taking pre-contractual steps at your request, such as providing a quote or scheduling a visit. Legal obligation: We process certain information to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax, accounting and record keeping obligations. Legitimate interests: We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where these are not overridden by your rights. This includes managing our relationship with you, improving our services, preventing fraud, keeping records of past work and responding to enquiries. Consent: In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for optional direct marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
How We Use Personal Data
We use the personal data we collect to provide and manage our gardening services, including scheduling and carrying out visits, tailoring services to your preferences, and communicating with you about booking confirmations, changes or cancellations. We also use personal data to prepare and send quotes and invoices, to process payments where applicable, and to keep internal records of work performed.
Additionally, we may use your information to handle enquiries and complaints, to improve our services and customer experience, and to comply with legal, tax and accounting requirements. Where you have agreed, we may use your details to send information about services that are similar or related to those you have already received from us, and you can opt out of such messages at any time.
Data Processors and Sharing of Personal Data
Gardeners Lambeth may engage carefully selected third party service providers who act as data processors and assist in the delivery of our services. These may include providers of scheduling or customer management tools, payment processing services, accounting and bookkeeping services, cloud storage and document management tools, and communication platforms used to send service-related messages.
Such processors only process personal data on our documented instructions and are bound by contractual obligations to protect personal data, maintain confidentiality and comply with applicable data protection laws. We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary, and with public authorities if required by law or to protect our rights or the rights of others.
International Transfers
Some of our third party service providers may store or process personal data outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, Gardeners Lambeth will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in accordance with data protection law, such as using providers in countries deemed to provide an adequate level of protection or implementing standard contractual clauses or equivalent protections.
Data Retention
Gardeners Lambeth keeps personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet legal, tax and regulatory requirements. This typically means retaining customer and service records for the duration of our relationship with you and for a period afterwards during which we may need the information to respond to queries, demonstrate our work, or defend potential legal claims.
Accounting and invoicing records may be retained for statutory periods required under tax and financial regulations. When personal data is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted, anonymised or otherwise disposed of in a way that protects your privacy.
Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted access to records, and, where applicable, using reputable and secure third party services. While no system can be fully secure, Gardeners Lambeth strives to protect personal data proportionately to the risks involved.
Your Data Protection Rights
As a data subject under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, you have certain rights regarding your personal data held by Gardeners Lambeth. These include:
The right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, together with further information about our processing. The right to rectification: You can request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data be corrected or updated. The right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and there is no legal requirement to retain it. The right to restrict processing: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection you have raised. The right to object: You can object to processing based on our legitimate interests, particularly in relation to direct marketing, and we will stop such processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue. The right to data portability: Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format or transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.
Exercising Your Rights and Complaints
If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or have questions about how Gardeners Lambeth processes your personal data, you can contact us using the details provided when you engage our services or as set out in our customer communications. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable legal time limits and may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you are concerned about how your personal data is being handled. We would, however, appreciate the chance to address your concerns directly in the first instance.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
Gardeners Lambeth may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our processing activities, or applicable laws. The updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers in the Lambeth area to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.
