Privacy Policy - Landscaping Mortlake

This Privacy Policy explains how Landscaping Mortlake collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing landscaping and related services to customers in the Mortlake area. It applies to all Landscaping Mortlake customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, make enquiries, book services, receive maintenance work, or otherwise interact with our business. We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to current, former, and prospective customers of Landscaping Mortlake, as well as anyone whose personal data we may process in the course of delivering our services. This can include householders, tenants, property managers, business clients, and other authorised representatives. If you provide us with someone else’s information, you should ensure that you have their permission to do so and that they are aware of this policy.

2. Information we collect

We collect only the information needed to provide our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations. Depending on the nature of your enquiry or project, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity information such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your business or property management company.
Contact details such as postal address, email address, and phone number.
Service information including details of the landscaping work requested, property access notes, preferences, and instructions.
Payment and billing information such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records. We do not intentionally store full card details if payments are processed through secure third-party providers.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and enquiry history.
Technical information that may be collected automatically when you interact with digital systems we use, such as IP address, device information, and usage logs, where applicable.
Contract and account records including quotations, estimates, schedules, service notes, and historical work records.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is necessary and lawful to do so, for example if you voluntarily provide information that is relevant to site access, safety, or accessibility requirements. Where special category data is processed, we will ensure an appropriate lawful basis and additional safeguards are in place.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to plan, schedule, deliver, and manage landscaping services;
to communicate with you about appointments, access arrangements, updates, and project changes;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
to keep records of completed work and customer preferences;
to handle complaints, disputes, or insurance-related matters;
to maintain safety, quality, and operational standards;
to comply with legal, accounting, tax, and regulatory requirements;
to improve our services, business operations, and customer experience.

We will only use personal data in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected, unless we have a valid lawful reason to do otherwise.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Landscaping Mortlake relies on the following lawful bases, depending on the situation:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations at your request, delivering landscaping work, managing schedules, issuing invoices, and handling customer service during the life of the contract.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided that your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include improving our services, maintaining records, preventing fraud, securing our systems, and managing business administration. We carry out appropriate balancing tests when relying on this basis.

Legal obligation

We process certain information to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, health and safety, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where we send certain types of optional marketing communication or process data that requires explicit permission. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing your information

We only share personal data when necessary and with appropriate safeguards. We may share information with:

Service providers and processors who support our business operations, such as accounting services, payment processors, scheduling tools, IT support, and secure document storage providers;
Subcontractors or specialist trades engaged to assist with a project, where disclosure is necessary to complete the work;
Professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or accountants;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to respond to a lawful request;
Emergency services or other relevant parties if there is an urgent safety concern.

Where we use processors, they act only on our instructions and are contractually required to protect your data, use it only for the agreed purpose, and apply suitable security measures. We do not sell personal data.

6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, tax, and dispute resolution needs. The exact retention period depends on the type of data and the context in which it was collected.

Enquiry records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up, quotes, and customer service.
Contract and service records are kept for the duration of the service relationship and afterwards where needed for warranty, complaint handling, or legal purposes.
Invoice and accounting records are retained in line with legal and financial obligations.
Communication records may be kept for operational or evidential purposes for a limited period.

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

7. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, restricted permissions, and staff training. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take data protection and information security seriously and regularly review our controls.

8. International transfers

Where any service provider processes data outside the UK, we take steps to ensure your personal data receives an adequate level of protection. This may include using approved contractual safeguards or relying on other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

9. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the legal basis and the context of the processing:

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you may ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you may request a copy of certain data in a machine-readable format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concern promptly and fairly.

10. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided by an adult customer and is necessary for service delivery or safety. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where required.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal information.

12. Summary of our approach

Landscaping Mortlake is committed to lawful, transparent, and secure processing of personal data. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We respect your privacy rights and aim to make it easy for all customers in the Mortlake area to understand how their information is handled. If you choose to use our services, you can be confident that your data will be treated with care, confidentiality, and accountability.