Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Surbiton

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Surbiton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with its services. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Surbiton customers in the area, including individuals and organisations who enquire about, book, receive, or pay for tree surgery, tree maintenance, hedge work, stump removal, arboricultural inspections, and related services.

We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy also explains your rights and how you can exercise them.

1. Who We Are

Tree Surgeons Surbiton is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we decide how and why personal data is processed when providing our services, managing enquiries, carrying out work, and maintaining business records.

We only process personal data where we have a valid reason to do so. We aim to collect only the information that is necessary and relevant to the services we provide.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity data such as your name or business name.
Contact data such as postal address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as details about the trees, hedges, land, access arrangements, requested works, quotes, and job specifications.
Payment data such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication data such as messages, enquiry records, complaint details, and notes from conversations.
Technical data where relevant, including basic website or device information if you submit an online enquiry.
Property and site data such as photographs, measurements, and arboricultural assessment notes needed to assess or complete work safely.

In some cases, we may also receive personal data from third parties, such as landlords, managing agents, local authorities, insurers, or members of the public who request services on your behalf. Where this occurs, we will only use the data for the purpose for which it was provided.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotes.
To assess the site and plan tree surgery work safely.
To perform services requested by the customer.
To manage bookings, invoices, payments, and administration.
To keep records of work completed, including safety and compliance notes.
To handle complaints, queries, and customer support.
To meet legal, tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services and maintain business records.

We may also use your data to verify instructions, prevent fraud, and protect the security of our systems and operations. Where we use photographs or site notes, this is usually to document tree conditions, access, progress, or completed work.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data where a lawful basis applies under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, our lawful bases are:

Contract: processing is necessary to provide a quote, deliver services, manage bookings, or perform obligations under an agreement.
Legal obligation: processing is necessary to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, or other legal duties.
Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as managing customer records, improving service delivery, protecting our operations, and responding to enquiries, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Consent: in limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for optional marketing communications where applicable. You may withdraw consent at any time.

We do not rely on personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original reason it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us run our business. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our instructions, or as separate controllers where they determine their own purposes.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and email service providers.
Accounting and bookkeeping services.
Payment processors or invoicing systems.
Cloud storage and document management providers.
Scheduling, quoting, or customer record systems.

We may also share data with:

Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers.
Public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement where required by law.
Subcontractors or specialists involved in delivering a specific job, where necessary for the work to be completed.

We require processors to keep personal data secure, use it only for our instructions, and take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it.

6. Data Retention

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

Enquiry records may be retained for a reasonable period so we can follow up on quotes or future work.
Customer and job records may be kept for several years to support service history, warranties, dispute handling, and operational needs.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Health and safety or compliance records are kept where needed to demonstrate safe working and legal compliance.

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

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and limited access to records on a need-to-know basis.

However, no system is completely secure. While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If a data breach occurs that is likely to risk your rights and freedoms, we will respond in line with our legal obligations.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and exceptions, but we will always consider your request carefully.

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

These rights help you understand and control how your information is used. If you wish to exercise any of them, we will respond within the time limits set by law.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is stored or processed outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, contractual protections, or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms designed to protect your information.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults or organisations acting on their behalf. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a lawful service request and appropriate consent or authority has been provided.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, business practices, or the way we process personal data. The latest version will apply to all Tree Surgeons Surbiton customers in the area from the date it is published or otherwise made available.

12. Additional Information

If you provide us with information about access routes, property details, tree conditions, neighbour concerns, or site constraints, we will use that information only to plan and deliver the relevant service safely and efficiently. We will not sell your personal data to third parties.

In summary, we process personal data fairly and responsibly, use it only for legitimate business and legal purposes, keep it no longer than necessary, and respect your rights under data protection law. This policy is intended to give clear and transparent information to all customers served by Tree Surgeons Surbiton in the local area.