Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Docklands

Tree Surgeons Docklands is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Docklands area and anyone who contacts us for tree surgery, arborist, tree removal, pruning, stump grinding, emergency tree work, or related services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Docklands customers in the area, including private homeowners, landlords, tenants, businesses, managing agents, and property managers.

1. Who we are

Tree Surgeons Docklands acts as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal information. We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so, and we do so in a fair, lawful, and transparent manner.

2. Information we collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data:

Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
Contact details including address, email address, and telephone number.
Property information such as the site address, access notes, and details about trees or outdoor areas requiring work.
Service and project details including quotations requested, work instructions, job history, and records of completed services.
Payment and billing data such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction references.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and any feedback or complaints.
Technical data such as basic website interaction data or device information, where collected through our systems.
Safety and site-related information if needed to assess hazards, access conditions, or legal and operational requirements.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and lawfully required in a specific situation. If such information is ever provided to us, we will handle it with additional care and only where a lawful basis applies.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, assessments, and tree surgery services.
To manage bookings, work schedules, and customer accounts.
To communicate about job progress, site access, and service updates.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To respond to enquiries, feedback, and complaints.
To maintain internal records and service quality.
To comply with legal, accounting, insurance, and safety obligations.
To protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or liability.

We only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe we need to use it for a compatible purpose or another lawful reason.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a valid lawful basis before processing your personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as providing a quotation, carrying out tree surgery, issuing an invoice, or managing related customer services.

Legal obligation

We may process data when needed to meet legal requirements, including tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, and record-keeping obligations.

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 operations, preventing fraud, improving services, handling enquiries, and maintaining secure records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for a specific type of marketing or optional processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing your information

We only share personal data when necessary and with appropriate safeguards. This may include sharing with:

Service providers and processors who help us operate our business, such as scheduling, administration, IT, or payment support.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or needed to meet regulatory obligations.
Subcontractors or specialist contractors who assist with specific aspects of a job, where relevant and under proper instructions.

We do not sell your personal data. Any processor or third party acting on our behalf is required to handle data securely, follow our instructions, and only use the data for the agreed purpose.

6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected and to satisfy legal, accounting, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the nature of the service provided.

Customer and project records are typically retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and invoice records are kept for the period required under tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be retained to manage queries, complaints, or follow-up work.
Safety and compliance records may be kept longer where needed to demonstrate lawful and safe work practices.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it or anonymise it securely. This retention approach helps us balance service quality, legal obligations, and data minimisation.

7. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited data access on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection seriously and regularly review our safeguards.

8. International transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will only do so where adequate safeguards are in place and where the transfer complies with applicable data protection law. This may include the use of approved contractual protections or transfers to countries with recognised adequate protection.

9. 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 personal 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 processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

Your rights are not absolute, and some requests may be limited by legal obligations, contractual necessity, or the rights of others. We will always review requests carefully and respond within the time required by law.

10. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults and property-related customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally included in a communication and there is a valid reason to process it. If we become aware that data has been collected inappropriately, we will take steps to remove it where required.

11. Marketing

We will only send marketing communications where permitted by law. You may opt out of marketing at any time if you no longer wish to receive it. Administrative or service-related communications, such as job updates or invoices, are not marketing and may still be sent where necessary to fulfil our services.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. The latest version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers in the Docklands area to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

13. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we use your personal data, you can raise them with us so that we may review and address the issue. You also have the right to contact the UK data protection regulator if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern quickly and fairly.

Tree Surgeons Docklands values privacy, accountability, and transparency. We are committed to handling all personal data responsibly and to maintaining the trust of our customers throughout the Docklands area.