Privacy Policy - Landscaping Westham

This Privacy Policy explains how Landscaping Westham collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing services to customers in the Westham area. It applies to all Landscaping Westham customers in the area, including prospective customers, current clients, and former clients whose information we retain for legitimate business purposes. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Landscaping Westham is a landscaping service provider that may collect and process personal information in connection with quotes, site visits, project planning, garden maintenance, design work, installation, and aftercare. This policy describes the categories of data we may handle and the rights available to individuals whose personal data we process.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and comply with legal obligations. Depending on the nature of your interaction with us, we may collect the following types of information:

Identity details such as your name or the name of your business or property representative.
Contact details such as postal address, email address, and telephone number.
Property and service details such as garden size, access arrangements, requested works, project preferences, and service history.
Payment and billing data such as invoice records, transaction status, and accounting references.
Communication records such as messages, enquiries, complaints, instructions, and feedback.
Technical information where applicable, such as limited website usage data or device-related information if you interact with digital services.
Photos and site records for quoting, planning, progress tracking, quality control, or dispute resolution.

We do not seek to collect special category personal data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or unless another lawful basis applies. If such information is ever provided, it will be treated with additional care and only processed where appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How We Collect Data

We may obtain personal data directly from you when you request a quote, arrange a service, communicate with us, or submit a payment. We may also receive information from:

third parties acting on your behalf, such as property managers or family members;
publicly available sources, where relevant to the service requested;
business partners or subcontractors assisting with a project;
accounting, invoicing, or administrative systems used to manage our operations.

We aim to collect data in the most limited way possible, using only what is needed for a clear and lawful purpose.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We rely on one or more lawful bases under UK GDPR to process personal data. These may include:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, scheduling services, carrying out landscaping work, issuing invoices, and managing customer accounts.

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. Examples include managing enquiries, improving services, maintaining records, preventing fraud, ensuring site safety, and handling disputes or claims.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including accounting rules, tax obligations, health and safety requirements, and recordkeeping duties.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example if we wish to use certain optional information for a purpose not covered by another lawful basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide landscaping services and related support;
to prepare estimates, plans, and service agreements;
to arrange appointments, visits, and project delivery;
to communicate about work progress, scheduling, and service updates;
to manage invoicing, payments, and accounting;
to keep internal records and improve operational efficiency;
to protect our business, staff, clients, and property;
to resolve complaints, disputes, or claims;
to comply with applicable law.

We will never use your personal data in a way that is incompatible with the original purpose for which it was collected unless we have a valid legal basis to do so.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to deliver our services or run our business. These third parties act either as processors or independent controllers, depending on the context.

Processors

Processors are organisations that process personal data on our behalf and under our instructions. They may include:

accounting and bookkeeping providers;
cloud storage and IT support providers;
payment processing services;
customer administration and scheduling tools;
professional advisers who support business operations;
subcontractors carrying out work under our direction, where required for a project.

We require processors to protect personal data, to use it only for authorised purposes, and to maintain appropriate technical and organisational security measures. Where necessary, we put written data processing terms in place.

Other Sharing

We may also share information with public authorities, insurers, legal advisers, or regulators where required by law or where it is necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal rights. We do not sell personal data.

7. International Transfers

If any service provider stores or processes information outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure your data is protected to an equivalent standard. This may include the use of approved contractual safeguards or transfers only to jurisdictions with adequate data protection measures.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the relationship.

Customer and service records are usually retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Project correspondence, photos, and site notes may be retained for warranty, dispute handling, or quality assurance purposes.
Enquiry records may be kept for a limited period if no contract is formed, in order to respond to follow-up questions or maintain business records.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices. We do not keep personal data indefinitely.

9. Data Security

We apply appropriate security measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures may include restricted access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to protect the information we process.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 how we use your data in some situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise these rights, you may contact us using the details provided through our usual customer service channels. We may need to verify your identity before responding. In some cases, legal requirements may limit or prevent us from fully acting on a request, but we will explain our position clearly.

11. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you believe your data has not been handled properly, you have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We would appreciate the opportunity to address any concerns first, and we encourage you to contact us through the normal service channels so we can review the issue promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or operational practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how personal data is handled by Landscaping Westham.

By using Landscaping Westham services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.