Privacy Policy – Landscaping Blackwall

This Privacy Policy explains how Landscaping Blackwall collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing landscaping and related services. It applies to all Landscaping Blackwall customers in the area, including prospective, current, and former customers, as well as individuals who make enquiries or receive our services on behalf of a household, business, or property owner.

We are committed to handling personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to be clear, transparent, and easy to understand.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you request. The information we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Property and service information such as the location of the site, garden or landscaping requirements, access instructions, and service preferences.
Billing and transaction information such as invoices, payment records, payment status, and service history.
Communication records including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and notes from calls or messages.
Technical information if you interact with us electronically, such as basic device or usage data where relevant to security or service administration.
Photographs or site records taken for quotation, planning, quality control, or evidence of work completed.

We generally do not collect special category personal data unless it is strictly necessary, for example where you voluntarily provide information relevant to access needs or safety requirements. If we ever need to process special category data, we will only do so where there is a lawful basis and an additional condition under data protection law.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only for legitimate and specified purposes related to our services. These purposes may include:

Providing quotations and arranging consultations.
Delivering landscaping, maintenance, design, installation, and related services.
Managing bookings, schedules, and site access.
Preparing and issuing invoices, processing payments, and maintaining financial records.
Responding to enquiries, service requests, complaints, or disputes.
Maintaining service quality, internal administration, and record keeping.
Meeting legal, regulatory, insurance, and tax obligations.
Preventing fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use your data in ways that are compatible with the reason it was collected. Where we wish to use personal data for a new purpose, we will ensure that this is permitted by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Landscaping Blackwall relies on the following lawful bases where appropriate:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, carrying out agreed work, managing appointments, and processing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include managing customer relationships, improving services, handling complaints, protecting our business, and preventing fraud or misuse. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we balance our interests against the impact on you.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or for processing information that requires explicit permission. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services, run our business, or comply with legal obligations. These third parties act either as independent controllers or as data processors acting on our instructions.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that store records, emails, or administration files.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with invoicing, financial reporting, or tax records.
Payment service providers that process card or electronic payments.
Scheduling or customer management systems used for booking and service administration.
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, legal advisers, or consultants where necessary.
Subcontractors or suppliers involved in carrying out work on your property, where required for service delivery.

Where we use processors, we ensure there are appropriate contractual safeguards in place so that your data is protected and used only for the purposes we specify. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose information if required by law, by a court order, or to protect our rights, property, staff, customers, or the public.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, insurance, and operational reasons. The retention period depends on the type of information and the purpose of processing.

Customer and contract records are normally kept for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterward.
Invoices, payment records, and tax documents are usually retained for the period required by law and accounting practice.
Enquiry records may be kept for a limited time if no service is booked, to support follow-up and administration.
Site photographs and service notes may be retained for quality, dispute resolution, or evidence of work completed.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it so that it is no longer used in an identifiable form.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and good record-management practices.

Although we take care to protect information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If a data breach occurs that affects your personal data, we will take steps required by law, including notification where necessary.

7. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing, you may have the following rights under data protection law:

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 cases.
Right to restrict processing – 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 information in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. If you make a request, we will assess it in accordance with applicable law.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and property owners or authorised representatives. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental and necessary for service delivery, such as where a household contact is provided for access or safety reasons.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the services we provide. Any updated version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Landscaping Blackwall respects your privacy and uses personal data responsibly, fairly, and lawfully. We collect only the information needed to deliver our services, keep it only as long as necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards. We also ensure that all processing has a valid lawful basis and that your rights are respected.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or allowing us to carry out work, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.