Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

SGS Carpentry & Construction is a sole trader business operating from Rayleigh, Essex. We are the data controller for personal information collected through this website and in the course of our business.

Contact: sam@sgscarpentry.co.uk  ·  07946 651704

2. What Data We Collect

We may collect the following personal data from you:

• Contact details — name, phone number, email address
• Project details — address or location of proposed works, description of the job
• Communications — any messages you send us via the website enquiry form, email or phone
• Technical data — IP address, browser type, pages visited, time on site (collected via cookies)

We do not collect sensitive personal data (such as financial information or health data) unless you specifically provide it in connection with a project.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry and provide a quotation
• To manage and deliver contracted work
• To send you relevant communications about your project
• To improve our website and services
• To comply with our legal obligations

We will not use your data for unsolicited marketing without your consent.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

• Contract — processing necessary to fulfil a contract with you or take pre-contractual steps at your request
• Legitimate interests — responding to enquiries and improving our services
• Legal obligation — where processing is required to comply with the law
• Consent — for cookies where required

5. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to analyse traffic and improve your experience. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device. We use:

• Essential cookies — necessary for the site to function correctly
• Analytics cookies — to understand how visitors use our site (e.g. pages visited, session duration)

You can accept or decline non-essential cookies using the banner shown on your first visit. You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Declining cookies will not affect your ability to use the site.

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it only where necessary:

• With trusted subcontractors or trades people for the purposes of delivering your project (they are contractually bound to handle your data securely)
• With professional advisors such as accountants, where legally required
• With authorities if required by law

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary:

• Enquiries that do not proceed to work — deleted within 12 months
• Customer records relating to completed jobs — retained for 6 years in line with HMRC requirements and potential liability periods
• Financial records — retained for 6 years as required by law

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Erasure — ask us to delete your data where there is no lawful reason to retain it
• Restriction — ask us to limit how we use your data
• Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent — where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at sam@sgscarpentry.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss or disclosure. Our website uses HTTPS encryption. Enquiry data is stored securely and accessed only by SGS Carpentry staff.

10. Third-Party Links

Our site may contain links to third-party websites (such as Facebook). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to read their policies.

11. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your data, please contact us first. If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection regulator:

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
ico.org.uk  ·  0303 123 1113

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on this page with the date of last update shown above.