Privacy Policy - Tree Surgeons Edmonton

This Privacy Policy explains how Tree Surgeons Edmonton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Tree Surgeons Edmonton customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, arrange services, receive site visits, or otherwise interact with our business. 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, where applicable.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to anyone whose personal information is processed by Tree Surgeons Edmonton in connection with our tree surgery and related services. This includes residential customers, commercial customers, property managers, contractors, and any other person whose details we collect during the course of providing services. By engaging with us, you acknowledge that some of your personal data may be collected and used for legitimate business and compliance purposes.

2. Information we collect

We may collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The data we collect may include:

Identity information, such as your name, title, and business name if applicable.
Contact information, such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details, including information about the trees, property, access requirements, requested work, and site conditions.
Billing and payment information, including invoicing details and payment status.
Communication records, such as enquiries, quotations, messages, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Technical information, where relevant, such as basic website usage data, device information, and log data if you contact us through digital channels.
Safety and compliance information, including risk assessments, work notes, and records required for insurance or legal obligations.

We only collect data that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. In some situations, the information you provide may include limited sensitive details, for example where access arrangements or site conditions reveal information relevant to safety. We do not seek to collect special category data unless there is a clear lawful reason and necessity to do so.

3. How we use personal data

Tree Surgeons Edmonton uses personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To plan, deliver, and manage tree surgery services.
To communicate about bookings, scheduling, and site access.
To prepare invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records.
To meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, internal processes, and customer experience.
To protect the safety of customers, workers, contractors, and the public.
To handle disputes, complaints, and claims.

We will only use your personal data in a way that is compatible with the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that another lawful basis applies.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for every processing activity. Depending on the circumstances, Tree Surgeons Edmonton may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes at your request, arranging services, carrying out the agreed work, and managing payment or post-service issues.

Legal obligation

We may process data to comply with legal obligations, including tax requirements, business record-keeping, health and safety duties, insurance documentation, and other statutory responsibilities.

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 customer relationships, maintaining service records, improving operations, preventing fraud, and ensuring security at work sites.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, particularly where the law requires it. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These parties act as processors when they handle data on our behalf and only in accordance with our instructions. Processors may include:

IT and hosting service providers.
Accounting and bookkeeping systems.
Payment service providers.
Customer management or scheduling tools.
Professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors.
Subcontractors or specialist service providers involved in completing work.

We require processors to keep personal data secure, to use it only for agreed purposes, and to implement appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. In some cases, we may also share data with public authorities, regulators, courts, or law enforcement if required by law or necessary to protect our legal rights.

We do not sell personal data. Where third parties receive data, we aim to ensure that only the minimum information needed is shared.

6. Data retention

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

Quotation and enquiry records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up questions and future service requests.
Customer and invoice records may be retained for tax and accounting purposes.
Site safety records, work notes, and compliance documents may be retained for periods required by law or insurance obligations.
Complaint and dispute records may be kept longer where necessary to defend legal claims or resolve issues.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. We review retention practices periodically to ensure they remain appropriate and lawful.

7. Data security

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of trusted processors. While we work hard to protect personal data, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. International transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK or EEA, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other approved transfer mechanisms. We will only transfer data where permitted by law and where suitable protections exist.

9. Your rights

Depending on your circumstances and applicable law, you may have the following rights regarding 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 data.
Right to erasure - to request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction - to ask us to limit how we use your data in specific cases.
Right to object - to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability - to request transfer of certain data to you or another controller, where legally available.
Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

10. Children’s data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided by an adult customer in connection with property ownership, access, or service arrangements. Where we become aware that we have collected data improperly, we will take reasonable steps to delete it or handle it appropriately.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, or our business practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

12. Summary of our approach

Tree Surgeons Edmonton is committed to processing personal data lawfully, transparently, and securely. We collect only the information needed to provide services, meet legal obligations, and operate effectively. We rely on lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where appropriate. We retain data only for as long as necessary, share it only with trusted processors or where legally required, and respect your data protection rights.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Tree Surgeons Edmonton customers in area.