Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Camden

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Camden collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing tree surgery, arboricultural, and related services. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Camden customers in the Camden area, including private homeowners, landlords, tenants, property managers, commercial clients, and anyone who makes an enquiry, requests a quote, or receives services from us.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy sets out the categories of data we collect, the lawful basis on which we process it, how long we keep it, the processors we use, and the rights available to individuals.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process a range of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you request. The information we collect is limited to what is necessary for legitimate business and legal purposes.

Information you provide directly

Identity details such as your name or business name
Contact details such as address, telephone number, and email address
Property details relevant to the work requested, such as site access, tree location, and service requirements
Enquiry details including messages, quotations requested, and service preferences
Billing and payment information needed to manage invoices and payments
Records of communication including emails, notes from calls, and service instructions

Information collected automatically or indirectly

Technical information such as device type, browser type, and basic usage logs if you interact with digital systems
Operational records such as job completion notes, site visit logs, and service history
Risk and safety information relevant to carrying out work safely and efficiently

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and provided by you in the context of a specific request. If such information is ever shared with us, we will only process it where a lawful basis applies and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations
To assess work requirements and plan services
To deliver tree surgery and related services safely and effectively
To manage appointments, site access, and customer communications
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records
To keep service records and handle follow-up work
To meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations
To maintain business records and manage disputes or claims
To improve our operations, training, and service quality

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

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the circumstance, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, arranging services, delivering work, managing payments, and handling follow-up obligations.

Legal obligation

We may process information where it is necessary to comply with legal duties, such as tax and accounting requirements, health and safety obligations, and record-keeping duties.

Legitimate interests

We may use personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include responding to enquiries, maintaining business records, protecting against fraud, improving our services, and defending legal claims.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where we ask to use information in a way that requires explicit permission. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Tree Surgeons Camden does not rely on a single lawful basis for all processing activities. The basis depends on the specific purpose and the context in which the data is collected and used.

4. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for business operations, legal compliance, or service delivery. These third parties act either as independent controllers or as processors acting on our behalf.

Processors we may use

IT and cloud service providers that store data securely and support our systems
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help manage invoicing and financial records
Payment service providers that process transactions
Administrative support providers that help with scheduling, record management, or communications
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, legal advisers, or tax advisers

Where processors are used, we require them to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with data protection law. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose information where required by law, where necessary to protect our rights or property, or where needed to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, tax, insurance, and operational needs. Retention periods vary depending on the type of record and the reason it is held.

Enquiry records are usually kept for a limited period if no work is instructed
Customer and service records are generally kept for the duration of the business relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law
Claims, disputes, and legal records may be retained longer where needed to establish, exercise, or defend legal rights

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in line with our retention practices. We review retained data periodically to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited authorisation, confidentiality obligations, and periodic review of our data handling practices.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of security appropriate to the risk and the nature of the information processed.

7. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal conditions and exceptions.

Rights available to you

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
Right to erasure – to request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances
Right to restrict processing – to request limited use of your data in certain cases
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests
Right to data portability – to request transfer of data you have provided in a structured format, where applicable
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will consider your request in line with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has not been handled lawfully.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adult customers and property stakeholders. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in the ordinary course of business. If information relating to a child is incidentally provided, it will be handled carefully and only where necessary and lawful.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the way we handle personal data. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers in Camden to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

10. Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to all personal data processed by Tree Surgeons Camden in connection with our services across the Camden area. By engaging with us, making an enquiry, or receiving services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this policy and the principles of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity, and confidentiality.

We are committed to handling customer information responsibly and to respecting the privacy rights of every individual whose data we process. If our data practices change, we will ensure that any processing remains consistent with GDPR requirements and with the expectations of our customers.