Privacy notice

Who is responsible for your information?

Peter Sellicks is a sole trader trading as Root Down and is responsible for your personal information. Root Down is based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. You can write to Peter at 7 Sussex Close, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5DT, or email hello@rootdown.uk about this notice or your information.

What information do we use?

The enquiry form asks for your name, email address, garden town or postcode area, and a description of your garden and the help you are seeking. These fields are required so Peter can understand and respond to your enquiry. You do not have to make an enquiry, but if you choose to do so and leave a required field blank, Peter may not have enough information to respond usefully. Please do not include sensitive personal information.

Why do we use it?

Peter uses enquiry information to review and respond to your message, discuss the Root Down service you have asked about, and keep the enquiry available while that discussion is active. It is not used to send unrelated marketing.

For an enquiry asking Peter to discuss or take steps towards a particular Root Down service before a possible contract, the lawful basis is UK GDPR Article 6(1)(b): taking steps at your request before entering into a contract.

Who processes the information?

The website is hosted by Netlify. Enquiry forms are submitted through Netlify Forms, which stores submissions in the Root Down site dashboard and sends a notification to hello@rootdown.uk. Netlify uses Akismet, provided by Automattic, to screen form submissions for spam; the form also uses a hidden honeypot field.

The hello@rootdown.uk address is managed through IONOS and forwards to Peter’s existing Gmail inbox, provided by Google. Peter uses that inbox to review and reply to enquiries.

The website’s Libre Caslon Text font files are hosted with the site and loaded directly from Netlify to display the chosen typography.

Where information is processed

Netlify’s published subprocessor information identifies US locations for the AWS infrastructure used to run its platform and for Akismet’s spam-filtering service. Netlify’s Data Processing Agreement describes the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and, where that does not apply, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum and EU Standard Contractual Clauses as transfer safeguards. Further information is available from Netlify’s Trust Center.

IONOS forwards enquiry notifications to Peter’s Gmail inbox, provided by Google. Google’s handling of Gmail data is described in Google’s Privacy Policy.

How long do we keep enquiry information?

If an enquiry does not become a commission, Peter keeps it for six months after the last substantive contact and then deletes it. Enquiries that become commissions may be kept as client records under a separate retention policy, for as long as needed to provide and document the service and meet relevant obligations.

Enquiries are reviewed monthly. When an unsuccessful or inactive enquiry reaches the six-month point, Peter deletes the submission from Netlify Forms, the related email copies from the Root Down and forwarded inboxes, including sent items and trash, and any downloaded or working copies.

Your rights

You can ask for access to your personal information, correction of inaccurate information, erasure, or restriction of its use. You may also have the right to receive certain information in a portable format and to object to processing in some circumstances. These rights are subject to legal conditions and exceptions. To make a request, email hello@rootdown.uk.

You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) about how your information has been handled.

Automated decisions

Root Down does not make decisions about enquiries solely by automated means or use enquiry information for profiling. Netlify and Akismet use automated spam filtering to identify suspected spam submissions; it is not used to decide whether to offer a garden service.