Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Norwood

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Norwood collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Norwood customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, request quotations, book work, or otherwise interact with us. 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.

1. Who We Are

Tree Surgeons Norwood provides tree surgery and related outdoor property services. In the course of providing our services, we may collect and process personal data about customers, site visitors, suppliers, and other individuals who contact us or are connected with a job. We act as a data controller for the personal information we collect and decide how and why that information is used.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect information that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Depending on your interaction with us, the personal data we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Service information such as the type of tree work requested, property access details, job notes, quotations, and instructions.
Billing and payment information such as invoicing details and payment status.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and complaint or query history.
Site and safety information that may be needed to carry out work safely, such as risk notes, photographs, and access considerations.
Technical information collected when you interact with digital systems, such as basic device or usage data if relevant to maintaining service records.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and lawful to do so. If such information is ever provided to us, we will only process it where a valid legal basis applies and where additional safeguards are in place.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

submit an enquiry or request a quotation;
book or use our services;
communicate with us by phone, email, or other messaging methods;
provide payment or billing information;
complete forms, provide feedback, or raise a complaint.

We may also receive information from third parties where necessary for service delivery, for example from property owners, managing agents, insurers, subcontractors, or other parties acting on your behalf.

4. Why We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business and legal purposes. These include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
planning, scheduling, and delivering tree surgery services;
managing customer accounts and records;
issuing invoices and handling payments;
maintaining safety, quality, and operational records;
dealing with complaints, disputes, or insurance matters;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
improving our services and maintaining internal records.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was originally collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where required, we have informed you.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Tree Surgeons Norwood relies on the following bases where appropriate:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, arranging visits, carrying out agreed work, issuing invoices, and managing job-related communication.

Legal Obligation

We process certain records to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, health and safety, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate interests to run and improve our business, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include keeping business records, preventing fraud, managing service quality, and handling customer enquiries.

Consent

Where consent is required, we will request it clearly and separately. You may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing already carried out before consent was withdrawn.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our services, comply with the law, or protect our rights. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that store or support our records;
accounting and bookkeeping providers that help with invoicing and tax compliance;
payment service providers that process transactions;
communication service providers that facilitate email, telephone, or messaging functions;
subcontractors engaged to assist with specific works, where access to limited personal data is required;
professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers.

We require processors to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to use appropriate technical and organisational measures. We do not sell personal data.

7. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections designed to preserve the security and rights associated with your information.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and for any additional period required by law or operational necessity. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the context in which it was obtained.

Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up and business administration.
Customer and job records are generally retained for the duration needed to complete services and handle post-service issues.
Accounting and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Safety and compliance records are kept where needed to demonstrate safe working practices and legal compliance.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it.

9. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our procedures. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection seriously and continually work to reduce risks.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

The right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes called the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing in certain situations.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to withdraw consent where consent is the legal basis for processing.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve any concerns promptly and fairly.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business or property-related customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to a service request and legally appropriate to do so. If we learn that we have collected children’s data without the proper basis, we will take steps to delete it where required.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your data.

13. Summary of Our Commitments

Tree Surgeons Norwood is committed to handling personal data responsibly, transparently, and lawfully. We collect only what we need, use it for clear purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where the law requires it. We respect your rights and aim to give you confidence that your information is being managed with care.