Privacy Notice

Last updated: May 2026

Handyman James ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice explains what information we collect when you use our website at handymanjames.co.uk or contact us about our handyman services in Essex, how we use that information, and your rights under UK data protection law.

1. Who we are

Handyman James is a sole-trader handyman business operating across Essex. For the purposes of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, Handyman James is the data controller for any personal data you share with us. You can contact us about anything in this notice through the contact form.

2. What information we collect

We only collect the personal information we need to provide a quote, carry out the work you've asked us to do and stay in touch with you about it. The categories of data we may hold are:

• Contact details — your name, email address, phone number (if you give one) and the address where the work is to be carried out.
• Job details — a description of the work, photos you may send us, measurements, materials chosen, and the dates and times we attended.
• Correspondence — any emails, messages or notes from our conversations about your job.
• Payment information — basic invoicing records (we don't store credit or debit card numbers; payments are typically made by bank transfer or cash).
• Website analytics — basic anonymous information about how visitors use our website (page visits, browser type and similar). We don't use this to identify individuals.

3. How we use your information

We use the personal data you provide for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry and prepare a quote for the work.
• To carry out the work and communicate with you while it's in progress.
• To send you an invoice and keep a record of the transaction for tax and accounting purposes.
• To respond to follow-up questions, warranty issues or repeat work after the original job is finished.
• To keep our records up to date and ensure we can find your details quickly if you contact us again.

We will not use your data for marketing purposes, profile-building, automated decision-making, or to send you newsletters or promotional emails. We do not pass your data to advertising networks.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR:

• Contract — to take steps at your request before entering into a contract with you (for example, preparing a quote) and to perform the contract once it's agreed.
• Legal obligation — to keep accounting and tax records as required by HMRC.
• Legitimate interests — to keep records of past work for warranty and quality purposes, and to operate our website securely.

5. Who we share your information with

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it with third parties for marketing. The only people who see your details are:

• Specialist tradespeople brought in to assist with parts of your job that require certified expertise (e.g. Gas Safe engineers, registered electricians). They only ever see the information they need to do the work.
• Our accountant for the purposes of tax returns and bookkeeping.
• Our website host (20i.com), which processes contact-form submissions on our behalf as our data processor under a written agreement.
• Law enforcement or regulators where we are legally required to disclose information.

6. How long we keep your data

We keep enquiry data for up to 12 months from your last contact with us, in case you decide to proceed with the job at a later date. Records of completed jobs (including invoices, quotes and job notes) are kept for at least 6 years to satisfy HMRC requirements, and may be kept for longer where there is an ongoing warranty or legal reason to do so. Once the retention period has passed, your data is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. How we protect your data

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data. Records are kept on password-protected devices and in encrypted cloud storage. Email correspondence is held in mainstream email accounts protected by strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Paper records (where they exist) are stored in a locked location. We are a small business, and only Handyman James himself has routine access to your data.

8. Cookies and analytics

The handymanjames.co.uk website uses minimal cookies. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. The only cookies set by the site are essential ones used for site functionality. If we add any analytics in future, we will use a privacy-friendly provider that does not require a cookie banner.

9. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Be informed about how your personal data is being used (this notice does that).
• Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Ask us to delete your data, where there is no good reason for us to continue holding it.
• Restrict or object to certain types of processing.
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk if you believe we have mishandled your data.

To exercise any of these rights, please use the contact form. We will respond within 30 days.

10. Changes to this notice

We may update this privacy notice occasionally to reflect changes in the law or in how we operate. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page tells you when it was last revised. We encourage you to check this page from time to time.

11. Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how Handyman James handles your data, please get in touch through the contact form.