Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeon Kingstonuponthames

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeon Kingstonuponthames collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing tree surgery, arboricultural, and related services. It applies to all Tree Surgeon Kingstonuponthames customers in the area, including private homeowners, landlords, businesses, managing agents, and other service users who engage us for advice, quotations, site visits, or completed works.

We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect and use personal data where we have a valid reason to do so, and we take appropriate steps to keep that data secure.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all customers and prospective customers of Tree Surgeon Kingstonuponthames in the local area, as well as individuals who interact with us in relation to enquiries, quotations, tree inspections, tree work, stump removal, emergency call-outs, and aftercare. It also applies to people whose data we may receive indirectly where it is relevant to carrying out our services, such as tenants, property managers, neighbours, or site representatives.

2. Information we collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on the service requested. This may include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, job title or organisation name.
Contact details such as phone number, email address, billing address, and service address.
Property and site information such as access notes, photographs, tree locations, risk details, and descriptions of the work required.
Service records such as quotations, invoices, job notes, inspection records, correspondence, and work completion details.
Payment and accounting data such as transaction records and invoice history.
Communication data including emails, messages, call notes, and records of complaints or follow-up requests.
Technical data if you interact with our digital systems, such as IP address, browser details, or basic usage information.

We normally do not seek to collect special category data. However, if such information is unintentionally shared with us, for example in correspondence, we will only process it where a lawful basis applies and where necessary for the specific purpose.

3. How we collect personal data

We collect information in several ways, including:

when you make an enquiry or request a quotation;
when we carry out a site visit or undertake work at your property;
when you communicate with us by phone, email, or message;
when you provide documents or access details relevant to a job;
when we receive information from landlords, agents, contractors, or property owners acting on your behalf;
when we need to maintain records for invoicing, compliance, or dispute handling.

4. Why we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to assess trees, sites, and access arrangements;
to plan, deliver, and manage tree surgery services;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records;
to keep records of completed work and customer preferences;
to manage complaints, warranties, and follow-up issues;
to meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to improve our services, administration, and customer care;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and third parties from fraud, misuse, or safety risks.

5. Lawful basis for processing

We only process personal data when we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the situation, the lawful basis may be one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, arranging work, carrying out services, and managing payments.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain personal data where needed to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, health and safety, insurance, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include maintaining service records, handling customer enquiries, improving services, and protecting our business from fraud or claims.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where we need permission to use certain optional information. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

6. Sharing your personal data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us run our business and deliver our services. These may include:

subcontractors and specialist trades involved in fulfilling a job;
accountants and bookkeepers supporting financial administration;
IT and software providers who host, maintain, or secure our systems;
payment processors and banking providers used for transactions;
insurers and professional advisers where needed for claims, disputes, or compliance;
regulators, authorities, or law enforcement where disclosure is required by law.

We only share the minimum amount of data necessary and require processors and service providers to protect personal information and act only on our instructions where applicable.

7. Data processors

Where we use external service providers to process personal data on our behalf, they act as processors. These processors may handle data such as contact details, job records, billing information, or system data. We choose processors carefully and expect them to maintain appropriate technical and organisational safeguards.

Examples of processor arrangements may include cloud storage services, email hosting, invoicing software, scheduling systems, and secure backup providers. Processors are only permitted to use your data for the services they provide to us and must not use it for their own independent purposes.

8. International transfers

If any processor stores or accesses personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include standard contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

9. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, or as long as we are required to retain it by law. Retention periods may depend on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up requests and business administration.
Customer service and job records may be retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a period afterwards in case of queries, disputes, or claims.
Invoices, payment, and accounting records are typically kept for statutory tax and financial record-keeping periods.
Health and safety or legal compliance records may be retained where necessary to demonstrate compliance or defend legal claims.

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

10. Security of your data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include restricted access, password protection, secure storage, staff awareness, and regular review of data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risks and handle data responsibly.

11. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These may 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 information.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit processing in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to request transfer of data you have provided, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions or limitations. We will respond to valid requests in line with applicable law.

12. How to exercise your rights

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, please provide sufficient information so we can identify you and respond appropriately. We may need to verify your identity before taking action. We will aim to respond within the timeframe required by law.

13. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your data is handled, you can raise them with us first so we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority if you believe your data has been mishandled. We encourage you to contact us with any privacy concerns so we can address them promptly and fairly.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, services, or our data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers of Tree Surgeon Kingstonuponthames in the area to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how we process personal data.

15. Summary

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeon Kingstonuponthames collects and uses personal data, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep information, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to customers in the area. Our aim is to handle all personal data with care, transparency, and respect.