Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Chessington

Tree Surgeons Chessington is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers, website visitors, and service users in the Chessington area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information, and sets out your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all Tree Surgeons Chessington customers in the area, including anyone who requests quotations, books services, receives arboricultural work, or otherwise interacts with us.

1. Who We Are

Tree Surgeons Chessington provides professional tree surgery and related arboricultural services to residential and commercial customers. In the course of delivering our services, we may act as a data controller for personal data we collect and determine the purposes and means of processing. This means we are responsible for ensuring that personal data is handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal information that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal obligations. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity data such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact data such as postal address, email address, and telephone number.
Service and property data such as details about the trees, land, garden, access arrangements, and instructions relating to the work requested.
Transaction data such as invoicing details, payment status, service records, and quotations.
Communication data such as messages, emails, notes from phone calls, and feedback.
Technical data such as IP address, browser type, and basic usage information if you use any online enquiry form or digital service linked to our business systems.
Legal and compliance data such as records required for insurance, health and safety, tax, or dispute handling.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily or a legal reason applies. If such data is ever needed, we will handle it with additional safeguards.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quotation or consultation;
book or receive tree surgery services;
communicate with us by phone, email, or message;
complete forms or provide information during a site visit;
make a payment or receive an invoice;
leave feedback or make a complaint.

We may also receive information from third parties where appropriate, such as landlords, managing agents, insurers, professional advisers, local authorities, or subcontractors involved in delivering the service.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases depending on the nature of the processing:

Contract - when processing is necessary to provide a quotation, carry out work, manage a booking, or fulfill our agreement with you.
Legal obligation - when we must keep records or process data to comply with tax, accounting, health and safety, insurance, or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests - when processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our services, handling enquiries, maintaining security, or managing customer relationships, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Consent - where we need your permission, for example for certain marketing communications or optional processing activities. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we ensure that any impact on your privacy is proportionate and limited to what is reasonably necessary for running our business.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations, advice, and tree surgery services;
to arrange visits, assess work requirements, and plan safe operations;
to communicate with you about bookings, changes, or service updates;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
to comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
to keep internal records of work completed and customer instructions;
to resolve complaints, disputes, or insurance matters;
to improve our services, administration, and customer experience;
where permitted, to send relevant marketing or follow-up information.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary and only for legitimate business purposes. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service they provide. Processors may include:

accountants and bookkeeping providers;
IT and cloud storage providers;
payment processors and invoicing systems;
subcontractors or specialist service providers assisting with tree work;
insurance providers and claims handlers;
professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers.

All processors are required to handle personal data securely and only in accordance with our instructions, appropriate contractual terms, and data protection law. We do not sell your personal data. We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or a competent authority.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, and insurance requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of record and the reason it is held.

Typical retention periods

Quotation and enquiry records - retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up, disputes, and business administration.
Customer and service records - retained for the duration of the relationship and afterwards where needed for warranty, legal, or insurance purposes.
Financial records - retained for the period required under tax and accounting law.
Health and safety records - retained where necessary to evidence compliance and manage risk.

When data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, alteration, loss, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of service providers. Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take privacy and security seriously and continually review our controls.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that suitable safeguards are in place, such as UK-approved contractual protections or transfers to countries with an adequate level of protection. Any such transfer will be limited to what is necessary for the services we use.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances of the processing and any legal exemptions. Your rights include:

Right to be informed - to know how your data is collected and used.
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 restrict processing - to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability - to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object - to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Rights relating to automated decision-making - although we do not ordinarily use automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with data protection law and may need to verify your identity before taking action.

11. Marketing Preferences

Where we send marketing communications, we will do so only when permitted by law. You can object to marketing at any time. If you opt out, we will stop sending promotional messages, although we may still contact you for essential service, legal, or administrative reasons.

12. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If any online tools or digital forms are used, we may use basic cookies or similar technologies to support functionality, security, and performance. Where cookies are used, we will only collect what is necessary and will comply with applicable cookie rules. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings.

13. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a specific service and appropriate consent or legal basis exists. If we become aware that we have collected such data without proper basis, we will take steps to delete it.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, services, or operational practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers in Chessington and the surrounding area to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

15. Contact and Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you may raise them with us. We will review any issue and aim to resolve it fairly and promptly. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been breached.

Summary of our approach: we collect only necessary information, use it on a lawful basis, keep it securely, share it only with trusted processors, and respect your rights under UK data protection law. This policy applies to all Tree Surgeons Chessington customers in the area.