Last updated: 17 September 2026
Who we are
Souter Garden Maintenance Ltd is responsible for the personal information we use to handle enquiries and provide our gardening services. Our company number is SC604795.
Contact us about privacy at info@soutergardening.co.uk, on 01467 670152, or by post to The Shed, Amulree Garage, South Road, Insch, AB52 6XF.
Information we use
When you enquire or become a customer, we may use your name, address, postcode, email address, telephone number, customer reference, details of the work requested and information you send us. We also keep relevant quotations, service records, correspondence and payment records.
We normally receive this information from you. If someone contacts us on your behalf, we may receive it from them and confirm the relevant details with you. Payment providers also supply information needed to identify and reconcile payments.
Our website and the services it uses may process technical information such as your IP address, browser information and access logs to deliver the pages and protect against misuse.
Why we use your information
We use enquiry and service information to prepare quotations, discuss your requirements, carry out agreed work and manage payments. The lawful basis is taking steps at your request before a contract, or performing our contract with you.
We use records to manage our business, respond to questions or complaints, recover outstanding payments and protect our services. We rely on our legitimate interests in running a reliable business, resolving problems and preventing misuse, balanced against your rights.
We also use information where necessary to meet legal obligations, including accounting, tax and responding to valid requests from authorities. If we rely on your consent for a particular use, you can withdraw it by contacting us. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before you withdrew consent.
We need enough contact and property information to respond to an enquiry and arrange work. If you do not provide the relevant information, we may be unable to quote or provide the service.
Enquiry forms and payments
Our enquiry forms are hosted by Google Forms and appear within our contact pages. The information you submit is processed through Google so that we can handle your enquiry.
Online card payments take place on Stripe's payment page. Direct Debit mandates are handled by Access PaySuite through the shared G & S Souter Ltd account used across our network. Relevant customer and payment information is shared with these organisations to administer and reconcile payments.
Enter card and bank details only on the payment provider's form, not in a gardening enquiry. This website does not have its own form for collecting card numbers or bank account details.
Who receives information
We share relevant information with people and organisations helping us provide the service, including gardeners and subcontractors assigned to work, payment providers, business administration and accounting providers, and suppliers of email, customer records, hosting and backup services. Information is shared as needed for the relevant task.
This website is hosted through OpenAI Sites, using Cloudflare infrastructure. Our pages also load fonts from Google. These services may receive technical information when your browser connects to them.
We may disclose information to authorities where required by law, to advisers where necessary to establish or defend legal rights, or in connection with a business sale or restructuring subject to appropriate protections.
Services outside the UK
Some technology suppliers operate internationally, so information may be processed outside the UK. Applicable protections depend on the provider and service, including recognised adequacy arrangements or contractual safeguards where required. Contact us if you would like details of the arrangements relevant to your information.
How long we keep information
We retain information for as long as needed to deal with your enquiry, provide and administer services, resolve complaints or disputes, and meet legal and accounting obligations. We take account of whether you remain a customer, whether a payment or other matter is outstanding, and whether a record is needed for a legal or insurance purpose.
Our existing retention policy keeps records needed for tax returns for at least six years after the relevant financial year. This does not mean every enquiry or website record is kept for that period. Records needed for an ongoing claim or legal obligation may need to be retained longer.
Cookies and external services
We have not added advertising trackers or a separate audience analytics service to this website. Hosting, security, embedded forms and payment providers may use cookies or similar technologies for their services. Google Forms loads on the enquiry pages; payment providers load when you follow their links. Browser controls can restrict cookies, although this may affect how forms or payment pages work.
For information about these providers, see Google's privacy notice and Stripe's privacy notice. Access PaySuite provides its privacy information on its Direct Debit page. Other external websites, including Facebook, have their own privacy notices.
Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you can ask to access your personal information, correct inaccurate information, erase information, restrict its use, or receive a portable copy. Some records may still need to be kept to meet legal obligations or deal with claims.
You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests. You can also object at any time to use of your information for direct marketing. Contact us using the details above to exercise your rights or withdraw consent.
The enquiry forms on this website do not make automated decisions about whether we will provide gardening services; enquiries are for us to review and respond to.
Questions or complaints
Please contact us if you have a concern about how we use your information. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Visit ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or call 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this notice
We will update this page when our website or relevant information practices change. The date at the top shows when this notice was last updated.