Privacy Policy & GDPR Compliance Notice

Suffolk Stoves LTD Last Updated: June 2026

At Suffolk Stoves LTD, we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains when, why, and how we collect personal information about our customers, how we keep it secure, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others, and your specific rights regarding your personal data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Suffolk Stoves LTD is a professional fireplace restoration, stove installation, and chimney maintenance specialist operating in Suffolk and the surrounding areas. For the purposes of data protection laws, we operate as the “Data Controller” of the personal information you provide to us.

2. The Information We Collect and How We Store It

We only collect basic personal information essential to fulfilling our services, completing financial transactions, and ensuring structural and operational safety compliance. This information typically includes your name, installation/property address, billing address, phone number, and email address.

We store and manage your data across three main professional channels:

  • Accounting & Invoicing Software (QuickBooks): To maintain accurate tax and business accounts, your contact details, financial records, and invoice histories are processed and stored securely within our QuickBooks accounting software.

  • Business Scheduling & Diaries: To manage bookings for stove installations, chimney sweeps, and showroom appointments, your contact information and address are noted in our secure operational diaries and calendars.

  • Job Paperwork & Technical Records: Physical and digital records of your technical job requirements, chimney certifications, stove models, and installation specifications are securely retained at our office. This allows us to safely and accurately revisit your property for future maintenance, sweeps, warranty support, or technical queries.

3. Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases to process your personal data:

  • Contractual Necessity: To fulfill quotes, carry out agreed stove installations, or conduct scheduled chimney sweeps.

  • Legal Obligation: To maintain accurate business accounts for HMRC tax compliance, and to issue mandatory building regulation compliance certifications (such as OFTEC self-certifications).

  • Legitimate Interests: To retain a clear historical safety record of solid fuel and fireplace works completed at your property, ensuring we can provide accurate long-term structural and maintenance support.

4. Data Retention and Your Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”)

We do not hold onto your personal data indefinitely without cause. We retain operational job paperwork and technical records to ensure we can seamlessly assist you should we need to return to your property for any reason.

Your Right to Destruction: If you wish for your customer details, contact records, or historical job paperwork to be permanently destroyed, we will fully comply with your request without delay.

Please note that while we will immediately delete scheduling details and job paperwork upon your explicit request, we are legally required by UK law to retain certain financial and invoicing transactions within our QuickBooks software for a minimum of 6 years to fulfill our statutory HMRC accounting obligations.

5. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We value your privacy and will never sell, rent, or distribute your personal details to third parties for marketing purposes. Your information is only shared with trusted third parties strictly necessary to perform our core operations, including:

  • Cloud-based business services protecting your data (such as QuickBooks for secure financial management).

  • Industry regulatory bodies (such as OFTEC) strictly for logging building compliance and issuing legal safety certificates for your home.

6. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

As a data subject, you hold several legal rights concerning your information:

  • The right to access the personal data we hold about you.

  • The right to request immediate correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.

  • The right to object to or restrict certain types of data processing.

  • The right to request the deletion or destruction of your personal records (as outlined in Section 4).

7. How to Contact Us or Exercise Your Rights

If you have any questions regarding this policy, want to know what details we hold, or wish to formally request the erasure of your records from our diaries and job paperwork files, please get in touch directly via our main office channels:

  • Company Name: Suffolk Stoves LTD

  • Data Request Handling: Privacy & Compliance Officer

  • Core Business Activity: Fireplace Restorations, Stove Installations & Chimney Services