Privacy Notice

Last updated: October 2026

Sprucen is the trading name of Oliver James. I am responsible for the personal information described in this notice. You can contact me at enquiries@sprucen.co.uk or 07533 949920.

Information I collect

When you contact Sprucen or ask me to carry out work, I may collect your name, contact details, property address, information about the job, photographs you send, and our messages. If you become a customer, I may also keep visit notes, photographs, quotes, invoices and payment records.

The website may collect technical information needed to operate securely, such as an IP address and basic server logs.

How I use it

I use your information to respond to enquiries, assess and quote for work, arrange visits, carry out agreed work, keep customer records and deal with questions afterwards. This is generally necessary to take steps you request before a contract or to fulfil a contract with you.

I keep accounting records because I have a legal obligation to do so. I may retain relevant correspondence where necessary to manage the business, answer questions or deal with a dispute; my legitimate interest is in keeping an accurate record of work and communications.

I may use technical website information, such as server logs, where necessary for my legitimate interests in keeping the website secure, reliable and protected from misuse.

I will ask separately before using photographs of your home or project for my website, portfolio or social media. Sending a photograph with an enquiry does not give me permission to publish it. Where I rely on your permission to publish photographs, my lawful basis is consent and you can withdraw that consent at any time. I do not add you to a marketing mailing list simply because you make an enquiry.

You do not have to provide personal information, but I may be unable to respond to an enquiry, provide a quotation or carry out work without the information reasonably required to do so.

Who may handle your information

I use service providers to host the website and email, store business files, manage appointments and support the enquiry system. These currently include Hostinger for website hosting, Google services for business email, file storage and calendar functions, and Meta services such as Instagram and WhatsApp where you choose to use them. Information may also be shared with an accountant, insurer or suitably qualified tradesperson where necessary for the work or a legal obligation.

Website enquiries and the Sprucen Control Centre

Information submitted through the Sprucen website enquiry form is stored privately within Sprucen’s website and business systems so that I can respond to the enquiry and, where work progresses, manage visits, customer records, jobs, quotations and related work through the private Sprucen Control Centre. Photographs submitted with an initial website enquiry may also be sent to the Sprucen business email account. They are not automatically published or used for marketing.

Service providers and AI-assisted tools

I use OpenAI services within the private Sprucen Control Centre for optional AI-assisted features. When I deliberately use one of these features, relevant information may be sent to OpenAI, such as selected project photographs, job or site-visit notes, voice recordings or transcripts, measurements and descriptions of work. This may be used to transcribe notes, prepare internal work summaries, or draft website, project and social-media wording. AI-generated material is reviewed before it is used or shared with a customer.

Google services and the Sprucen Control Centre

The Sprucen Control Centre can connect to Google services using Google OAuth. This connection is used to access the Google Drive files and Google Calendar information needed to operate the Control Centre, for example to browse, retrieve, prepare and store Sprucen project photographs and to create or manage Sprucen calendar entries.

The Control Centre stores Google OAuth authentication tokens so that the connection can continue without requiring you to sign in each time. These tokens are used only to provide the connected Google features. Google access can be revoked through your Google account or by disconnecting the Google connection in the Control Centre.

Google user data is not sold or used for advertising. Selected Google Drive content may be sent to another service, such as OpenAI, only when I deliberately use a Control Centre feature that requires that content in order to provide the requested feature.

The use and transfer of information received from Google APIs will comply with the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

International transfers

Some service providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred internationally and UK data protection law requires safeguards, I take steps to ensure an appropriate safeguard is in place, such as an applicable UK adequacy regulation or approved contractual safeguards. You can contact me if you would like more information about the safeguards used for a particular service.

I do not sell your personal information.

How long I keep it

I normally delete enquiries that do not lead to work after 12 months. I keep essential job, invoice and payment records for six years after the end of the tax year in which the work was completed. I review other photographs and messages and delete them when no longer needed for the purpose for which they were collected.

Your choices and rights

You can ask me for a copy of your personal information, to correct it, or to delete it where the law allows. Depending on the circumstances, you may also ask me to restrict its use, object to its use, or receive certain information in a portable format. Contact me using the details above.

If you have given permission for a photograph to be published, you can withdraw that permission by contacting me. This will not change the use that was lawful before you withdrew it, but I will stop future use and address existing publications where I reasonably can.

You can raise a concern with me first or complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Information about making a complaint is available at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/.

Automated decision-making

I do not use solely automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. AI tools may assist with drafting, transcription or organising information, but their output is reviewed by me.

Cookies and device storage

The public Sprucen website does not currently use cookies for advertising or visitor analytics. Cookies or similar technologies may be used where they are necessary for security and the basic operation of the website.

The private Sprucen Control Centre uses necessary login and session technologies to keep authorised users signed in. It may also use local browser storage, including localStorage and IndexedDB, to preserve work in progress and temporarily retain site-visit photographs or recordings on the device when a connection is unavailable. This information is used only to provide the requested Control Centre functionality and, where applicable, is removed from temporary device storage after it has been successfully transferred.

If I introduce analytics, advertising, embedded third-party tracking or other non-essential storage technologies in future, I will explain their purpose and provide any consent or other choices required by law.

Changes to this notice

I will update this notice if the way I use personal information changes.