Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Hartleys Professional Tree Surgeons Ltd ("we", "us", "our") provides arboricultural services across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. This policy explains how we collect, use and protect personal data you provide when you contact us, request a quote, or use our services.

2. The personal data we collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services and communicate with you. This may include:

• Contact details: name, address, phone number, email
• Property details: site address, access information, photographs of trees/grounds
• Payment information: card or payment reference (we do not store full card numbers)
• Job records: quotes, invoices, service notes, risk assessments
• Marketing preferences and consent choices

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for these purposes:

• To provide quotes, carry out work, and issue invoices
• To contact you about bookings, safety information, or follow-up queries
• To process payments via our chosen payment provider
• To comply with legal obligations (e.g., health & safety, tax)
• To respond to complaints or requests about our services
• To send one reminder if a quote has not been answered or an invoice has not been paid, and to ask once, after the work is paid for, whether you would leave us a review

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process your personal data on the following lawful bases as applicable:

• Contract performance — to fulfil a contract for services you request
• Legitimate interests — to manage and improve our business operations and service delivery
• Consent — where you opt in to marketing communications
• Legal obligations — where required by law (e.g., taxation, accident reporting)

5. Sharing and disclosure

We will not sell your personal data. We may share information with:

• Payment processors and banks to complete transactions
• Subcontractors engaged to perform specific services (for example, waste removal) — only data necessary to perform the work is shared
• Professional advisers, auditors or insurers where required
• Law enforcement or statutory authorities where required by law
• Our website host, Netlify, which handles each visit to the website, stores our visit statistics (see section 10) and stores our enquiries, customer records, quotes, invoices and job photos in the EU
• Our email provider, Resend, which sends our quote, invoice and reminder emails

6. Data retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the purpose collected and to meet legal and accounting obligations. Typically:

• Job records and invoices: up to 7 years for HMRC purposes
• Marketing preferences: until you withdraw consent

7. Your rights

You have rights under data protection law, including:

• The right to access your data
• The right to have inaccurate data corrected
• The right to request erasure in limited circumstances
• The right to restrict or object to processing
• The right to data portability where applicable

To exercise these rights contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

8. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Where we use third-party services (for example payment providers), we select reputable providers who maintain appropriate security standards.

9. Photography and publicity

We may take photographs of completed work for our records and marketing. We will ask for consent before publishing photographs that clearly identify individuals or private property. You may withdraw consent at any time.

10. Cookies and tracking

Our cookie usage is explained in our Cookie Policy. We use only minimal cookies needed for site functionality.

We also count visits to this website ourselves, without Google Analytics or any other analytics company, so we can see what is useful. We record which pages are viewed and for how long, which links and buttons are pressed, when the enquiry form is sent, the first half of any postcode typed into the “Areas we cover” checker (never the full postcode), how you reached us (for example a Google search), your rough town (worked out by our website host, Netlify, from your connection) and whether you use a phone, tablet or computer. Your browser keeps a random code so we can tell a first visit from a return visit; clearing your browser’s data for this site removes it. We do not record your name, phone number, email address or IP address, and we do not use cookies for this. We use this for statistics only, on the basis of our legitimate interest in improving our service. It is stored by Netlify in the EU and deleted after 12 months. Netlify’s servers handle each visit, as they do for any website they host, and some of those servers are outside the UK (see section 11). You can stop your visits being counted at any time with the button on our Cookie Policy page.

11. Third-country transfers

Where data is transferred outside the UK or EEA (for example services hosted in the US), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or the provider's certification. This includes our website host, Netlify, whose servers handle visits to this website and some of which are in the US, and our email provider, Resend, which is based in the US.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy occasionally. We will publish changes on this page with the date above.

13. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, contact us:

• Contact: 07903323304
• Postal: Hartleys Professional Tree Surgeons Ltd, Altrincham, Cheshire