Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Marylebone

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Marylebone collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing tree surgery and related arboricultural services. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Marylebone customers in the area, including individuals, homeowners, landlords, managing agents, and business clients who enquire about or receive our services. We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, transparently, and in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Tree Surgeons Marylebone provides professional tree care services such as pruning, crown reduction, tree removal, stump grinding, inspections, emergency call-outs, and related advice. In connection with these services, we may collect and use personal data about customers, site visitors, and other individuals involved in an enquiry or service arrangement. We act as a data controller for the personal data we determine the purposes and means of processing.

2. Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for delivering our services, managing enquiries, and meeting legal obligations. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as name and title.
Contact information such as telephone number, email address, and postal address.
Property and site information including access details, location notes, photographs, and descriptions of trees or works required.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and appointment details.
Payment and billing information where applicable, such as invoice details and transaction records.
Service history including quotations, work orders, site assessments, and completed job records.
Technical data collected through website or device interactions, such as IP address, browser type, and basic usage data, where relevant to security or service improvement.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and lawful to do so. If such data is ever provided to us unintentionally, we will handle it with additional care and only retain it where there is a lawful basis to do so.

3. How we collect data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

make an enquiry or request a quotation;
book or receive a service;
communicate with us by phone, email, text, or online forms;
provide instructions, site access details, or payment information;
respond to a survey, feedback request, or complaint process.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary, such as property managers, tenants, neighbours affected by works, insurers, subcontractors, or public sources where appropriate and lawful.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process personal data only where a lawful basis applies under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, the main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract – to prepare quotations, manage bookings, carry out services, issue invoices, and fulfil our obligations to customers.
Legitimate interests – to manage our business operations, improve service quality, respond to enquiries, maintain records, prevent fraud, and ensure the safety and efficiency of our work, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Legal obligation – to comply with tax, accounting, health and safety, insurance, and other regulatory requirements.
Consent – where we rely on your permission for specific optional activities, such as certain marketing communications, and where consent is required by law.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect processing that has already taken place or processing based on another lawful basis.

5. Why we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to plan and deliver tree surgery services safely and effectively;
to communicate about appointments, work progress, and aftercare;
to keep accurate business, financial, and operational records;
to handle complaints, queries, and warranty-related matters;
to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
to protect our business, customers, staff, and third parties;
to improve our services, processes, and customer experience.

We do not sell personal data. We do not use your information for unrelated purposes unless we have informed you and, where required, obtained a lawful basis to do so.

6. Sharing your data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers used for email, data storage, secure backups, and business administration.
Accounting and invoicing providers used to manage billing, tax records, and financial administration.
Communication service providers used for telephone, messaging, and customer correspondence.
Scheduling or job management systems used to organise bookings, staff allocation, and service delivery.
Payment service providers where online or card payments are processed.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, legal advisers, or health and safety consultants.

Where processors act on our behalf, they are required to process personal data only under our instructions, to keep it secure, and to use it only for the agreed purposes. We may also share data with public authorities, insurers, or law enforcement where required by law or where it is necessary to protect legal rights.

7. International transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure your personal data remains protected. These safeguards may include UK adequacy regulations, approved contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under UK data protection law.

8. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Enquiry records may be retained for a reasonable period to allow follow-up and maintain business records.
Customer and service records are generally retained for the duration of the relationship and for a period afterwards where needed for legal or administrative purposes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Health, safety, and incident records may be retained longer where necessary to manage risk, defend claims, or comply with legal obligations.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe and lawful manner. We do not keep personal information indefinitely.

9. Data security

We take 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 awareness, password protection, and limited access on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the nature of the data and the risks involved.

10. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions, exemptions, or limits depending on the circumstances.

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 data.
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 cases.
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 may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law and within the required timeframes. You may need to provide information to verify your identity before we can act on your request.

11. Complaints

If you are concerned about how we handle your personal data, you have the right to raise the matter with the relevant data protection authority in the UK. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concern promptly and fairly. We will take all complaints seriously and investigate them with care.

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. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

13. Summary of our commitment

Tree Surgeons Marylebone respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. We only collect data that is relevant and necessary, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it only as long as required, and share it only with trusted processors or where the law permits. We aim to be transparent in all our data practices and to support your rights as a data subject.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or otherwise providing personal data to Tree Surgeons Marylebone, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to you as a customer in the area.