Privacy Policy - Landscaping Brixton

This Privacy Policy explains how Landscaping Brixton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Landscaping Brixton customers in the area, including individuals who request quotations, book services, receive maintenance visits, or otherwise interact with us in connection with landscaping 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.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal obligations. The information we may collect includes:

Identity data: name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and service location details.
Service data: details of the landscaping work requested, site notes, preferences, access information, and service history.
Payment data: billing details and payment status. We do not store full card details where payments are processed securely by third parties.
Communication data: correspondence, enquiries, complaints, quotations, and feedback.
Technical data: limited information such as IP address or device data if you communicate with us electronically.
Photographic data: images of gardens, outdoor areas, or completed work where needed for planning, quality control, or record keeping.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, enter into a service agreement, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may receive data from third parties such as property managers, tenants, or contractors when this is necessary for service delivery.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to deliver landscaping services and manage appointments;
to assess site conditions and plan work safely and effectively;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
to communicate about service updates, changes, or follow-up visits;
to handle complaints, disputes, or warranty-related matters;
to maintain business records and improve our services;
to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, and legal requirements;
to protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud or misuse.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that we need to use it for a compatible purpose or where the law permits otherwise.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the nature of the interaction, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as providing a quotation, carrying out agreed landscaping work, managing invoices, or arranging service visits.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal duties, including accounting, tax compliance, record keeping, and other obligations imposed by law.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining customer records, improving operations, preventing fraud, and managing service quality. We only rely on this basis where the processing is proportionate and appropriate.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you specifically agree to receive certain non-essential communications or where we use data for a purpose that requires permission. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing and Processors

We do not sell personal data. We may share personal data only where necessary and only with trusted third parties that assist us in operating our business. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers.

Processors may include:

accounting and bookkeeping providers;
payment processing services;
IT, cloud storage, and system support providers;
email and customer communication platforms;
subcontractors or specialist service providers engaged to complete parts of a project;
professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where necessary.

Where we use processors, we require them to handle personal data securely, only on our instructions, and in accordance with data protection law. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any processor provides appropriate safeguards.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, to enforce our terms, to protect our rights or property, or to respond to lawful requests from authorities.

5. Data Retention

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

Customer and service records: retained for the duration of the working relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by applicable accounting and tax laws.
Correspondence and complaints: retained as long as needed to address issues, prove compliance, or manage claims.
Photographs and project notes: retained while relevant to service history, dispute resolution, or quality assurance.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. Retention is limited to what is necessary, and we review stored data periodically to reduce unnecessary holding of personal information.

6. Security of Personal Data

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

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain safeguards that are appropriate to the nature of the data we hold. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to pose a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will act in accordance with legal requirements.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights over your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights include:

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 ask us to delete personal data in certain circumstances;
Right to restrict processing: you may request that we limit how we use your data in certain situations;
Right to data portability: you may request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format;
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time;
Right to complain: you may raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been breached.

We will respond to requests within the time limits required by law and may need to verify your identity before taking action. Some rights may not apply in all circumstances, especially where we must retain information to comply with legal obligations or defend against claims.

8. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. We will only transfer data where necessary and where suitable protections exist.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are aimed at adults and property owners or managers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided in the context of a service arrangement and only where necessary. If we become aware that we have collected such data without appropriate basis, we will take steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology, or our operations. Any updated version will apply from the date it takes effect. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Landscaping Brixton is committed to protecting personal data and using it responsibly. We collect only the information needed to provide landscaping services, rely on lawful grounds for processing, work with trusted processors under appropriate safeguards, and retain data only as long as necessary. We also respect your rights and aim to process all information in a transparent and secure manner.

This policy applies to all Landscaping Brixton customers in the area.