Privacy & Cookie Policy

1. Who We Are

This Privacy & Cookie Policy applies to The Tree Amigos Landscaping & Gardening Ltd ("we", "us", "our"), a company registered in England and Wales, operating across all 32 London boroughs.

We are the data controller for the personal information collected through this website (thetreeamigoslandscapingandgardening.netlify.app) and through our day-to-day business operations.

This policy is written in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. If you are based in the EU, the EU GDPR also applies to your data.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

When you contact us, request a quote, or communicate with us, we may collect:

• Your name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Property address or postcode (to assess your project)
• Details of your project or enquiry
• Any photos or documents you send us

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type and version
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring website or search query
• Date and time of your visit

This data is collected via cookies and analytics tools (see Section 8).

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from review platforms (such as Checkatrade or Google Reviews) and social media platforms if you interact with our pages there.

2.4 Sensitive Data

We do not intentionally collect any special category data (such as health information, racial or ethnic origin, or financial account details) through this website.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• Responding to enquiries — to reply to your quote requests and general questions
• Providing our services — to plan, quote, and deliver your landscaping project
• Project communication — to send you progress updates, photos, and scheduling information
• Invoicing and payments — to send invoices and process payments for completed work
• Marketing (with consent) — to send you information about promotions or seasonal offers, only if you have opted in
• Website improvement — to analyse website usage and improve our online presence
• Legal compliance — to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations

We will never sell your personal data to third parties or use it for any purpose incompatible with the reasons it was collected.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The bases we rely on are:

• Contract — Processing is necessary to fulfil a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract (e.g., providing a quote or delivering work)
• Legitimate Interests — We have a legitimate business interest in processing data for enquiry management, website analytics, and fraud prevention, provided this does not override your rights
• Consent — Where we send marketing communications, we rely on your freely given, specific consent
• Legal Obligation — Where we are required by law to retain certain records (e.g., tax and accounting records)

5. Sharing Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share it in the following limited circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We use trusted third-party services to operate our business. These may include:

• Website hosting — Netlify (USA; covered by Standard Contractual Clauses)
• Email and communication tools — e.g., Google Workspace
• Analytics — e.g., Google Analytics (see Cookie section)
• Accounting software — for invoicing and financial records

All service providers are required to process your data only on our instructions and in accordance with applicable data protection law.

5.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law, a court order, or a regulatory authority.

5.3 Business Transfers

If our business is sold or restructured, your data may be transferred to the new owner, who will be required to honour this policy.

5.4 International Transfers

Some of our third-party providers (such as Netlify and Google) are based outside the UK. Where data is transferred internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (such as UK adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses).

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes outlined in this policy:

• Enquiries that do not result in a project — up to 12 months after your last contact
• Customer project records — up to 6 years after project completion (to comply with legal and tax obligations)
• Financial and invoice records — 6 years (required by HMRC)
• Marketing consent records — until you withdraw consent, plus 1 year
• Website analytics data — as per the analytics provider's retention settings (typically 14–26 months)

After the applicable retention period, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of Access — You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Subject Access Request)
• Right to Rectification — You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure — You can ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten"), subject to legal retention obligations
• Right to Restrict Processing — You can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
• Right to Data Portability — You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to Object — You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing at any time
• Rights Related to Automated Decision-Making — We do not use automated decision-making or profiling that significantly affects you
• Right to Withdraw Consent — Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 11. We will respond within 30 days. There is no charge for most requests, though we may charge a reasonable fee for manifestly unfounded or excessive requests.

8. Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help us understand how our site is used and improve your experience.

8.1 Types of Cookies We Use

8.2 Your Cookie Choices

When you first visit our website, a cookie banner will ask for your consent to non-essential cookies. You can:

• Accept all cookies — including analytics and marketing cookies
• Accept necessary cookies only — essential cookies only, no analytics or marketing
• Manage preferences — choose which categories to allow

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of our website.

8.3 Managing Cookies in Your Browser

You can also control cookies directly through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• See what cookies are stored and delete them individually
• Block third-party cookies
• Block all cookies from specific sites
• Set your browser to notify you when a cookie is set

Please note that blocking all cookies may impair some website functionality. For more information, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

8.4 Google Analytics Opt-Out

To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

9. Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

• Secure, encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) on our website
• Restricted access to personal data within our organisation
• Use of reputable, security-certified third-party service providers
• Regular review of our security practices

In the unlikely event of a personal data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) within 72 hours and, where required, notify affected individuals without undue delay.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy & Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact & Complaints

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us:

Right to Complain

If you believe we have not handled your personal data correctly, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection authority:

We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.