Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Hornsey

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Hornsey collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our tree surgery services. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Hornsey customers in the area, including individuals, household clients, landlords, property managers, and commercial customers who enquire about, book, or receive our services.

1. Who We Are

Tree Surgeons Hornsey provides tree care and related outdoor services. In the course of delivering quotations, arranging site visits, carrying out work, and managing customer relationships, we process personal data. We are committed to handling that 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.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, the name of your business or organisation.
Contact details such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Property and service information such as location details, access notes, tree-related concerns, photographs, and job specifications.
Billing and transaction records such as invoice details, payment status, and service history.
Communication records including emails, call notes, messages, and enquiry forms.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you interact with our digital channels, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it, or there is another lawful basis under data protection law. If such information is ever shared with us, we will handle it with extra care and only for a specific and lawful purpose.

3. How We Collect Data

We may obtain personal data directly from you when you:

make an enquiry or request a quotation;
book a service or approve proposed work;
communicate with us by phone, email, message, or in person;
provide access details or site instructions;
pay for services or ask for an invoice;
submit feedback, complaints, or follow-up requests.

We may also receive information from third parties where necessary, such as property owners, managing agents, contractors, insurers, or publicly available sources, but only when relevant to the service requested.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Tree Surgeons Hornsey relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract – to provide quotations, arrange and deliver services, manage bookings, issue invoices, and fulfil our obligations to you.
Legitimate interests – to operate and improve our business, respond to enquiries, keep appropriate records, prevent fraud, and manage customer relationships, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Legal obligation – to retain certain records for tax, accounting, health and safety, or regulatory purposes.
Consent – where required, for example for certain types of marketing or where you have actively agreed to specific processing.

If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. How We Use Your Personal Data

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

providing quotes and assessing service requirements;
planning and carrying out tree surgery work safely and effectively;
communicating about appointments, access, and completion of works;
creating invoices, processing payments, and maintaining accounts;
managing customer records and service history;
meeting legal, insurance, and compliance obligations;
handling complaints, disputes, or claims;
sending relevant updates where permitted by law.

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.

6. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for business operations and service delivery. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, separate controllers. Processors only handle data on our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that store customer records or support communication systems;
accounting or bookkeeping providers that assist with invoicing and financial records;
payment service providers that process card or bank payments;
communication platforms used for email, message delivery, or customer management;
subcontractors who support the delivery of tree surgery services under our instructions;
professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers where necessary;
public authorities or regulators when the law requires disclosure.

We do not sell your personal data. Any sharing is limited to what is necessary for the relevant purpose and is carried out using appropriate contractual and security safeguards.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the record, the service provided, and the legal requirements that apply.

Typical retention considerations include:

Customer and job records retained for the duration needed to manage the service and address follow-up issues;
financial and tax records retained for the periods required by law;
complaints or dispute records retained for a reasonable period to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims;
communication records retained where needed for customer service, auditing, or contractual purposes.

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

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unlawful access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, and staff awareness of data protection responsibilities.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection that is appropriate to the risks presented by the processing of personal data.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights include:

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 certain 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 we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to be informed about how your data is used, which is the purpose of this policy.

Exercising Your Rights

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, we will respond in line with data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before we act on your request. In some cases, we may not be able to fully comply if a legal exemption applies or if the request would adversely affect the rights of others.

10. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. This may include the use of approved transfer mechanisms and contractual protections designed to keep your information secure and protected to a standard consistent with UK data protection law.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and property-related customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided in the context of a service request and where collection is necessary and lawful. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our internal practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your personal data is handled.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Tree Surgeons Hornsey respects your privacy and is committed to processing personal data responsibly. We collect only what we need, use it for clear purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, share it only with appropriate processors or where legally required, and protect your rights under the UK GDPR.

In short: your information is handled carefully, used lawfully, and retained for no longer than necessary for the services we provide across the Hornsey area.