1. Who We Are
Tree Surgeon UK is operated by UK Trades Portal Ltd ("we", "us", "our"), a company registered in England and Wales. We operate as a lead generation and matching platform connecting homeowners with local tradespeople.
We are the Data Controller for personal data collected through this website. Contact: [email protected]
2. What Data We Collect
When you submit a job request
- First name and last name
- Phone number (required — used to connect you with a tradesperson)
- Email address (optional)
- Postcode and region
- Job description, service type, and urgency level
- IP address and browser information (for fraud prevention)
When you create an account
- Name, email address, phone number, postcode
- Password (stored as a one-way hash — we cannot read it)
- Account preferences and communication settings
Automatically collected data
- IP address, browser type, device type
- Pages visited, time on site, referral source
- Cookies (see our Cookie Policy)
3. How We Use Your Data
- To match you with a tradesperson — your job details (not contact info) are shared with available tradespeople. Your contact details are released only after a tradesperson accepts your job.
- To communicate with you — confirmation messages, follow-up on job completion, service updates.
- To improve our service — anonymised analytics to understand how the platform is used.
- For marketing — only if you have opted in. You can unsubscribe at any time.
- Legal obligations — fraud prevention, legal compliance, and responding to lawful requests.
4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)
- Contract performance — processing your job request and connecting you with a tradesperson.
- Legitimate interests — fraud prevention, platform improvement, security.
- Consent — marketing communications (where you have opted in).
- Legal obligation — compliance with applicable law.
5. Who We Share Your Data With
- Tradespeople in our network — your contact details are shared only after they accept your job.
- Service providers — hosting, SMS/email delivery, analytics. All are bound by data processing agreements.
- Legal authorities — where required by law.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not share your data for advertising purposes without your explicit consent.
6. How Long We Keep Your Data
- Job request data: 2 years from submission
- Account data: until account deletion plus 90 days
- Financial/billing records: 7 years (legal requirement)
- Marketing opt-in records: until you unsubscribe plus 1 year
7. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of your personal data
- Rectification — correct inaccurate data
- Erasure — request deletion of your data (subject to legal obligations)
- Portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
- Object — to processing based on legitimate interests
- Withdraw consent — at any time for marketing communications
To exercise any right, email [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.
8. Cookies
We use essential cookies to operate the platform. See our Cookie Policy for full details.
9. Security
We use industry-standard security measures including HTTPS encryption, hashed passwords, and access controls. However, no system is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy. The "last updated" date at the top will reflect any changes. Significant changes will be communicated to registered users.
11. Contact
Email: [email protected]