Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Westham

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Westham collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to all customers in the Westham area. It applies to anyone who engages with our services, requests a quote, books work, makes an enquiry, or otherwise interacts with Tree Surgeons Westham in connection with tree surgery, arboricultural care, site clearance, stump removal, pruning, felling, hedge maintenance, and related services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy sets out what information we collect, why we collect it, the legal bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to you.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all Tree Surgeons Westham customers and prospective customers in the area, including private homeowners, landlords, tenants, businesses, property managers, local organisations, and anyone else receiving or requesting our services. It also applies to individuals who communicate with us about quotes, surveys, bookings, invoices, complaints, or service follow-up.

2. Information we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, meeting legal obligations, and managing our business operations. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity data such as your name and, where relevant, the name of a business or property owner.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Property and service data such as property location, access notes, tree or site details, photographs, and descriptions of the work requested or completed.
Transaction data such as payment status, invoices, quotations, booking records, and service history.
Communication data such as messages, emails, call notes, feedback, and complaint records.
Technical data if you use electronic communication channels, including basic device or usage information where required for security or troubleshooting.
Legal and safety data where relevant to site access, risk assessment, insurance claims, or compliance with health and safety obligations.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and there is a lawful basis for doing so. If such information is ever provided to us, we will treat it with additional care and limit processing to what is required.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, assess work requirements, and schedule services.
To carry out tree surgery and related work safely and effectively.
To manage customer accounts, records, and service communications.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory requirements.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, or requests for follow-up.
To protect the safety of staff, customers, contractors, and members of the public.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access to our systems or services.

We use your data only for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe we need to use it for another compatible purpose permitted by law.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Tree Surgeons Westham relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, arranging site visits, delivering services, sending invoices, and managing payments.

Legal obligation

We may need to process and retain data to meet legal obligations, including tax and accounting requirements, health and safety obligations, insurance documentation, and record-keeping obligations under applicable laws.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving our services, maintaining security, handling enquiries, and protecting our business from fraud or liability. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we ensure that the processing is proportionate and appropriate.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may ask for your consent, for example where it is required by law for a specific communication or use of information. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, insurance, or operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of record and the reason it is held.

Customer and service records are generally kept for the duration of the working relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to support warranty, dispute resolution, and continuity of service.
Financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Health and safety records are retained as long as necessary to demonstrate compliance and manage any claims or incidents.
Enquiry records may be kept for a shorter period if no service is booked.

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

6. Who may process your data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who process information on our behalf or assist us in delivering our services. These processors are only allowed to use your data under our instructions and must keep it secure. Categories of processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that host our systems, email, or data storage.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help with invoicing, tax, and financial administration.
Payment service providers that process transactions securely.
Administrative or scheduling services that assist with bookings and customer records.
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, legal advisers, or consultants where needed.
Waste disposal, subcontractors, or specialist service partners where necessary to complete a job safely and effectively.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, by a court order, or to a regulator or public authority. We do not sell your personal data.

7. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and careful selection of processors. While no system is completely risk-free, we work to ensure that data is handled responsibly and securely.

8. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and legal basis for processing:

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 situations.
Right to restriction - to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object - to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability - to request transfer of certain data to you or another provider.
Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We would appreciate the opportunity to address any concerns directly first, where appropriate.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any updates will take effect when published in the revised version. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how Tree Surgeons Westham handles personal data.

10. Summary of our commitment

Tree Surgeons Westham is committed to processing personal data lawfully, transparently, and securely. We collect only what we need, use it for clear business and legal purposes, retain it only for as long as necessary, and share it only with appropriate processors or where required by law. We respect your rights and aim to ensure that all customers in the Westham area receive services with privacy and data protection in mind.