Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Erith

Tree Surgeons Erith is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers and prospective customers in the area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Erith customers in area, including individuals who enquire about our services, request quotations, or instruct us to carry out tree surgery, tree maintenance, or related arboricultural work.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Tree Surgeons Erith acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing personal information when we deal with customer enquiries, service arrangements, invoicing, and ongoing client administration.

We recognise the importance of handling personal data responsibly and only processing information that is necessary, relevant, and proportionate to the services we provide.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process a range of personal information depending on how you interact with us. This may include:

Identity details such as your name and title
Contact information such as address, telephone number, and email address
Property details relevant to the work requested, including site access information and service location
Communication records including enquiries, messages, complaint details, and service instructions
Quotation and contract information related to the services requested or provided
Payment and billing information necessary to process invoices and receive payment
Technical information where you interact with our digital systems, such as device or usage data if applicable
Service history including records of completed work, follow-up needs, and customer preferences

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and lawful to do so. If such information is provided to us incidentally, we will process it only where permitted under data protection law and only for a valid purpose.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

Make an enquiry about our services
Request a quotation or assessment
Enter into a contract for tree surgery or related work
Communicate with us by telephone, email, form submission, or other means
Provide information during site visits, appointments, or service delivery
Make a payment or request an invoice

We may also receive data from third parties where appropriate, such as property representatives, contractors, insurers, or public bodies, when this is necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, or to protect legitimate interests.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Tree Surgeons Erith relies on the following lawful bases where appropriate:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, arranging work, carrying out tree surgery services, issuing invoices, and managing related customer administration.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing enquiries, improving our services, maintaining records, handling customer communication, preventing fraud, and ensuring safe and efficient operations.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to meet legal and regulatory obligations, such as tax records, accounting duties, health and safety requirements, insurance obligations, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you have explicitly agreed to a specific type of communication or optional processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. How We Use Your Data

We use personal information for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations
To arrange and deliver tree surgery and related services
To communicate about appointments, access, scheduling, or service updates
To prepare invoices, process payments, and manage accounts
To keep records of work carried out and customer interactions
To meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations
To improve our services and maintain quality standards
To handle complaints, disputes, or claims

We only use personal data where it is relevant to the purpose for which it was collected or where a compatible lawful basis applies.

6. Data Retention

We retain 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 may vary depending on the nature of the information and the obligations attached to it.

In general:

Customer and contract records may be kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law
Communication records are retained only as long as needed to manage enquiries, complaints, or ongoing support
Technical or operational records are kept only for as long as necessary for security, service improvement, or troubleshooting

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

7. Data Processors and Sharing

We may share personal data with trusted processors or service providers who help us operate our business and provide services to you. These may include:

IT and cloud service providers that host or support our systems
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with financial administration
Payment processing services that support secure transactions
Administrative support services that help manage records, scheduling, or communications
Professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where necessary

Where we use processors, they are required to handle personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to protect our rights, to prevent fraud, or to comply with a valid request from a court, regulator, or law enforcement authority.

8. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect that information in accordance with applicable data protection law. These safeguards may include adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or other approved transfer mechanisms.

9. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices.

Although no system can be guaranteed as completely secure, we work to reduce risk and handle your data with care and professionalism.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exemptions depending on the circumstances. They include:

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 circumstances
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you believe your rights have not been respected, you may seek guidance from the relevant data protection authority.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are aimed at adult customers and property owners or authorised representatives. We do not intentionally collect personal data from children unless it is necessary and lawful in a specific context. If we become aware that we have collected such information without an appropriate basis, we will take steps to delete it where required.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulatory guidance, or our business practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their information is handled.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Tree Surgeons Erith is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to provide our services, rely on appropriate lawful bases, retain data for no longer than necessary, and use trusted processors under strict safeguards. We respect your rights and aim to maintain a responsible, secure, and compliant approach to privacy for all customers in the area.