Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Archway

Tree Surgeons Archway is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a transparent, lawful, and secure manner. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use our services. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Archway customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who contacts us regarding our services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Tree Surgeons Archway is the data controller in relation to the personal data we collect and use for our own business purposes. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal information in connection with our tree surgery, arboricultural, maintenance, and related services.

We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so and only for legitimate business purposes.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Property information relevant to the services requested, including access notes and site details.
Service information such as quotes, job records, surveys, work specifications, and customer preferences.
Payment and billing information where relevant for invoicing and account management.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and correspondence.
Technical information if you visit any digital service we use, such as device data, IP address, and usage data.
Photographs or site images where needed to assess work, document progress, or verify completed services.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data unless it is necessary and relevant. If such information is provided to us, we will only process it where permitted by law and where suitable safeguards are in place.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for a range of operational, legal, and administrative purposes. These include:

Providing quotes, assessments, and tree surgery services.
Managing bookings, scheduling, and site visits.
Communicating with you about your enquiry or service request.
Preparing invoices, receiving payments, and maintaining financial records.
Keeping records of work completed, follow-up actions, and customer preferences.
Handling complaints, disputes, or insurance-related matters.
Meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and health and safety obligations.
Improving our services, business operations, and customer experience.

We only use your information where it is necessary and proportionate for the stated purpose. We do not sell your personal data.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. We may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes at your request, carrying out tree surgery services, invoicing, and managing the customer relationship.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

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

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for certain optional communications or uses. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare circumstances, we may process personal data to protect someone’s life or physical safety, such as in an emergency.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These organisations act as processors when they process data on our instructions. They are required to keep your data secure and use it only for the agreed purpose.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that store or manage business records.
Accountancy and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial administration.
Payment processing providers that handle card or electronic payments.
Communication service providers that support email, messaging, or telephone systems.
Survey, scheduling, or invoicing software providers used for business management.

We may also share data with independent controllers where necessary, such as insurers, legal advisers, tax authorities, or regulatory bodies. In all cases, we only share the minimum information needed and only where there is a lawful basis.

We take steps to ensure that any processor we use provides appropriate technical and organisational safeguards.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Customer and service records may be kept for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are typically retained for the period required by law.
Correspondence and quotation records may be retained to manage enquiries, disputes, and business administration.
Site images or project documentation are retained only as long as needed for operational, legal, or evidential purposes.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices. We regularly review the data we hold to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

7. 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, password protection, and restricted access to sensitive records.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take data protection seriously and review our practices to reduce risk wherever possible.

8. International Transfers

Where a processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. This may include adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections designed to protect your personal data to a standard consistent with UK data protection law.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply in full or in part 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 data.
Right to erasure – you may request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you can request transfer of certain data in a structured format.
Right to withdraw consent – if we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. This helps us protect your personal information from unauthorised access.

10. Marketing Communications

We may send you service-related updates where necessary for administrative or contractual reasons. We will only send marketing communications where permitted by law. You can object to direct marketing at any time, and we will respect your preferences.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use any digital tools that place cookies or similar technologies on a device, these may be used to support website functionality, measure performance, or improve user experience. Where required, we will provide appropriate notice and seek consent for non-essential cookies. This policy does not cover any separate cookie notice that may apply.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or technical changes. Any revised version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Tree Surgeons Archway will only collect and use personal data when it is lawful, necessary, and proportionate. We aim to be transparent about how information is handled, to retain it only for as long as needed, and to safeguard it with appropriate security measures. We also ensure that any processors we use are bound by suitable data protection obligations.

By using our services, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to your personal data as a customer in the area. Your privacy matters to us, and we are committed to handling your information responsibly and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.