Gardeners Lee Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gardeners Lee collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to its customers in the service area. It also explains the legal bases we rely on under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the EU General Data Protection Regulation, as applicable, and sets out your rights in relation to your personal data.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Gardeners Lee customers in our operating area and to anyone who contacts us or uses our services, whether online, by post, or in person.

Who We Are

Gardeners Lee is a gardening and grounds maintenance service provider. For the purposes of data protection law, Gardeners Lee is the data controller of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we determine how and why your personal data is processed.

Personal Data We Collect

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

Identification and contact details, such as your name, postal address, billing address, and general contact details.

Communication records, such as messages you send to us, notes of conversations, and information you provide when you request a quotation, make a booking, or give feedback.

Service information, such as details about your property relevant to gardening services, including garden size, layout notes, access details, service preferences, and any relevant photographs you choose to share.

Contract and billing information, such as records of services provided, invoices, payment history, and information necessary to manage our relationship with you as a customer.

Technical and usage information, such as general information about how you interact with our website or digital services, including date and time of visits and basic device information. We do not seek to identify you from this information unless it is necessary for security or legal reasons.

Sensitive or special category data is not intentionally collected. If you provide such information voluntarily, for example by explaining health-related needs that affect how we deliver services, we will handle it carefully and only for the specific purpose for which you provided it.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data in the following ways:

Directly from you when you contact us, request a quote, make a booking, enter into a contract with us, or communicate with us in any way.

When we provide services at your property, including information our staff record to enable safe and efficient delivery of services.

Automatically when you visit our website or use our online services, through basic technical logs and similar technologies that help us operate and secure our services.

Purposes and Lawful Bases for Processing

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis for doing so. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases.

Performance of a contract. We process personal data to provide our services to you, including handling enquiries, preparing and sending quotations, arranging site visits, carrying out gardening and maintenance work, issuing invoices, and managing ongoing service agreements.

Legitimate interests. We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes managing our customer records, planning and improving our services, addressing queries and complaints, protecting our business and staff, and maintaining accurate financial and operational records.

Legal obligations. We process personal data where it is necessary for compliance with legal obligations, for example in relation to tax, accounting, or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent. In certain circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where you ask us to retain information for future services beyond what is necessary for existing contracts. Where we rely on consent, you are free to withdraw it at any time, and we will explain how to do so at the point where we obtain your consent.

Data Retention

We will keep your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.

Customer and contract records are typically retained for a period necessary to manage our relationship with you and to comply with legal and tax requirements. After this period, data will be securely deleted, anonymised, or archived where continued retention is required by law.

Communication records are kept for as long as needed to handle your enquiry or support request and for a reasonable period afterwards to ensure continuity and to manage any follow-up issues.

Technical and usage information is generally retained for a shorter period necessary for security, troubleshooting, and analysis, after which it is deleted or anonymised.

If we need to retain data for longer in connection with a dispute, investigation, or legal claim, we will do so only for as long as necessary to resolve the issue.

Data Processors and Third Parties

We may share personal data with trusted external service providers who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors only process personal data in accordance with our instructions and for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. They are required to implement appropriate security measures and to protect your personal data.

Categories of processors may include providers of information technology and system support, data storage and backup services, accounting and invoicing systems, and other professional or administrative service providers that help us run our business.

We may also share personal data with third parties where required by law, where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims, or where you have specifically requested or authorised us to do so.

We do not sell your personal data and we do not use it for unrelated marketing by third parties.

International Transfers

If any of our service providers are located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal data is adequately protected. This may include using standard contractual clauses or other approved safeguards. Where such safeguards are used, you may request further information about them.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures include access controls, secure record keeping, and restricting personal data to staff and processors who need it to perform their duties.

While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We continually review and update our security measures to reflect best practice and legal requirements.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply to all Gardeners Lee customers in our service area, subject to any legal limitations or exemptions.

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and to obtain a copy of that data, together with certain information about how and why it is used.

Right to rectification. You have the right to ask us to correct or complete personal data that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.

Right to erasure. You have the right to ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and no other lawful basis applies.

Right to restriction of processing. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we are considering a request to rectify your data.

Right to data portability. Where we process your personal data on the basis of your consent or for the performance of a contract, and the processing is carried out by automated means, you may have the right to receive that data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to request that it be transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, including profiling based on those interests. We will stop processing your data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds which override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or where the processing is for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.

Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you are concerned about the way we handle your personal data. You can raise your concerns with the authority in the country where you live, work, or where you believe a breach has occurred.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the services we offer. The latest version will always apply to the personal data we hold about you. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.