Privacy Policy
Last updated: 28 October 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Japanese Knotweed Expert collects and uses personal information when you use our website, contact us or use our services, and what your rights are under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).
Who we are
Japanese Knotweed Expert is a trading name of [COMPANY LEGAL NAME], a company registered in England and Wales (company number [COMPANY NUMBER]) with its registered office at [REGISTERED OFFICE ADDRESS]. We are the “controller” of your personal information and are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration number [ICO REGISTRATION NUMBER].
Contact: Japanese Knotweed Expert, Waterbridge Farm, Yarnfield Lane, Stone, ST15 0NE. Email info@japaneseknotweedexpert.co.uk. Phone 0800 1337 444.
The information we collect
- Enquiries and survey requests: your name, email address, phone number, the address of the property or site, what you need help with, and any photos or documents you send us.
- Customers: the above, plus details of the survey or treatment, site reports and photos, quotes, invoices, payment records and correspondence. Reports may include information about a property and its owners or occupiers.
- Newsletter: your email address, if you sign up.
- Job applications: the details in your CV and covering letter.
- Website use: if you accept analytics cookies, information about how you use the site, collected by Google Analytics (pages viewed, rough location by town or country, device and browser type, and how you found us). See our Cookie Policy.
- Technical information: your IP address and browser details, used by our hosting provider and Cloudflare Turnstile to keep the site secure and stop spam.
We don’t ask for special category information (such as health details). Please don’t include it in messages unless it’s needed.
How we use it and our lawful basis
| Purpose | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Replying to enquiries, arranging surveys and giving quotes | Steps you ask us to take before entering into a contract, or our legitimate interest in answering enquiries |
| Carrying out surveys, treatment and removal, and writing reports | Performance of our contract with you |
| Invoicing, accounts and record keeping | Legal obligation (tax and accounting law) and contract |
| Expert witness and legal reports | Contract, and our legitimate interest in supporting legal claims |
| Sending our newsletter | Consent (you can unsubscribe at any time) |
| Website analytics | Consent, given in the cookie pop-up |
| Keeping the website and forms secure and free from spam | Legitimate interest in protecting our site |
| Handling complaints, guarantees and legal claims | Legitimate interest and legal obligation |
Who we share it with
We don’t sell your personal information. We only share it where needed with:
- our website hosting provider [HOSTING PROVIDER] and email provider [EMAIL PROVIDER];
- Cloudflare (Turnstile spam protection on our forms);
- Google (Google Analytics, only if you accept analytics cookies);
- our newsletter provider [NEWSLETTER PROVIDER], if you sign up;
- our accountants, insurers, professional advisers and IT support;
- people you ask us to share reports with, such as your solicitor, mortgage lender, surveyor or the other party in a sale;
- courts, regulators and the police where the law requires it.
These organisations must keep your information secure and only use it to provide their service to us.
Transfers outside the UK
Some providers (such as Google and Cloudflare) may process information outside the UK, including in the USA. Where they do, we make sure there is protection in place, such as UK adequacy regulations (including the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework) or the ICO’s International Data Transfer Agreement.
How long we keep it
- Enquiries that don’t go ahead: up to 2 years.
- Customer, survey, treatment and guarantee records: for 6 years after the job ends, or until the end of any guarantee period if longer (treatment guarantees can last 10 years or more).
- Invoices and accounting records: 6 years after the end of the financial year.
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe.
- Job applications: 6 months after the role is filled.
- Google Analytics data: 14 months.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct information that’s wrong or incomplete;
- ask us to delete your information;
- ask us to limit how we use it;
- object to us using it on the basis of legitimate interests, including for marketing;
- ask us to send your information to you or another organisation in a common format;
- withdraw your consent at any time, for example by unsubscribing or changing your cookie settings.
Some rights only apply in certain cases. To use any of them, contact us using the details above. We’ll reply within one month and won’t usually charge a fee.
Keeping your information secure
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections, access controls and secure, reputable providers.
Complaints
If you’re unhappy with how we’ve used your information, please contact us first so we can try to put it right. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated at the top.