Privacy Policy - Gardeners Manor House

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Manor House collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to our customers in the area. It applies to all Gardeners Manor House customers in the area, including individuals who request services, receive quotes, make enquiries, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our gardening and related 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. We only collect information that is relevant and necessary for operating our services, managing customer relationships, meeting legal obligations, and improving the quality and reliability of what we provide.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all Gardeners Manor House customers in area, whether you are a homeowner, tenant, property manager, business customer, or another person receiving or arranging services on behalf of someone else. It also applies to prospective customers who contact us, request a quotation, submit an enquiry, or otherwise provide personal data before becoming a customer.

Gardeners Manor House acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy, meaning we determine the purposes and means of processing your information.

2. Data we collect

We collect only the personal data needed for our business and service delivery. The exact information we hold may vary depending on how you interact with us, but it may include the following categories:

Identity details such as your name and, where necessary, the name of the person or organisation arranging the service.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details such as property access information, service preferences, appointment notes, and instructions related to the work.
Billing and payment information such as invoice details, payment status, and records of transactions.
Communication records such as emails, messages, call notes, complaint details, and service feedback.
Technical data where applicable, including basic website or device interaction information if you use our online channels.
Legal and compliance information where we must retain records for tax, accounting, insurance, or dispute-resolution purposes.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or we are otherwise permitted or required by law to do so. Special category data may include information about health, religious beliefs, or other sensitive details. If such data is ever provided to us, we will apply additional safeguards and only process it where a lawful basis exists.

3. How we use personal data

Gardeners Manor House uses personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, confirm bookings, and deliver services efficiently.
To communicate with you about appointments, service updates, changes, or follow-up matters.
To manage accounts, invoices, payments, and business records.
To understand your instructions and tailor our services to your requirements.
To handle complaints, enquiries, and customer support requests.
To maintain the safety, security, and quality of our services and operations.
To meet legal, accounting, tax, and insurance obligations.
To defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We only use your data in ways that are compatible with the purpose for which it was collected, unless we are required or permitted to use it for another lawful reason.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Gardeners Manor House relies on the following lawful bases depending on the situation:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into a contract with you or to perform our obligations under an existing contract. This includes arranging services, confirming appointments, carrying out work, and managing payments.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests may include responding to enquiries, improving services, maintaining business records, preventing fraud, ensuring operational efficiency, and managing customer communications.

Legal obligation

We process certain information to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, record-keeping, and regulatory requirements. We may also need to retain or disclose information where required by law or a lawful request from a public authority.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we rely on your consent, particularly where the law requires consent for a specific activity. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing personal data and processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties who act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers, where this is necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, or business administration.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers used for secure data storage, email, and system administration.
Payment service providers that help process card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers used to manage invoices, records, and tax-related processes.
Customer management or scheduling tools used to organise appointments and communications.
Professional advisers such as legal, financial, or insurance advisers when needed.

Where processors act on our behalf, they are only permitted to process personal data under our instructions and must implement appropriate security measures. We require processors to handle information confidentially and in compliance with data protection law.

We may also disclose personal data if required to do so by law, court order, law enforcement request, or to protect our rights, staff, customers, property, or the safety of others.

6. Data retention

Gardeners Manor House retains personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to satisfy legal, accounting, insurance, or operational requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason it is held.

As a general approach:

Customer and service records are kept for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are retained in line with statutory requirements.
Enquiry or quotation records may be retained for a shorter period if no service is provided.
Complaint, dispute, and claims-related records may be kept longer where necessary to defend or establish legal rights.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it where appropriate.

7. International transfers

If 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 other lawful transfer mechanisms as required by data protection law.

8. Data security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality expectations, and routine review of data handling practices.

While we take data security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs, we will respond in accordance with applicable legal obligations.

9. Your rights under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exemptions under the law. Subject to those limits, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances.
Restriction of processing in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability for information you provided to us where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent where we rely on consent as the lawful basis.

You also have the right to be informed about how your data is used and to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

10. Automated decision-making

Gardeners Manor House does not make decisions about customers based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and provide the required information.

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. The revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

12. Summary of our commitment

Gardeners Manor House is committed to processing personal data lawfully, responsibly, and with respect for privacy. We collect only what we need, keep it only as long as necessary, share it only where appropriate, and protect it using suitable safeguards. This policy applies to all Gardeners Manor House customers in area and is intended to provide clear information about how your personal data is handled.