Privacy Policy - South Hackney Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how South Hackney Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all South Hackney Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotations, book services, receive services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with carpet cleaning and related domestic or commercial cleaning services.

We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what data we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for us to provide our services and manage our business effectively. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity details such as your name, title, and any business name you provide.
Contact details such as address, phone number, and email address.
Service details such as the type of cleaning requested, property access information, preferred appointment times, special instructions, and any notes relevant to the job.
Payment and billing information such as invoicing records, payment status, and transaction references. We do not store unnecessary card details where payment is handled by secure payment providers.
Communication records such as messages, emails, booking confirmations, complaints, and service feedback.
Technical information where relevant, such as limited device or browsing data if you contact us through digital channels. This may include basic log data, but only if needed for security and service administration.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you voluntarily provide information that is necessary for a specific service request. If such information is provided, we will handle it carefully and only where there is a lawful basis to do so.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for legitimate operational purposes connected with our services. These uses may include:

Providing carpet cleaning and related services.
Managing bookings, quotations, schedules, and service updates.
Processing payments, issuing invoices, and keeping financial records.
Responding to enquiries, complaints, and customer requests.
Maintaining accurate business records and service history.
Improving our customer service, processes, and service quality.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
Protecting our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We will never use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we have a valid legal basis or your consent where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. South Hackney Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases where appropriate:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, confirming bookings, completing services, taking payment, and managing related customer administration.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain records to comply with legal duties, such as tax, accounting, insurance, consumer law, and other regulatory requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Examples include maintaining service records, managing business operations, preventing fraud, improving services, and handling customer communications.

Consent

Where consent is required, we will ask for it clearly and separately. You may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These processors are only allowed to use your data according to our instructions and must protect it appropriately. Typical processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle secure card or electronic payment processing.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support invoicing, tax reporting, and financial administration.
IT and cloud storage providers that help us store records securely and operate business systems.
Scheduling or customer management providers that assist with appointments, service records, and operational communications.
Professional advisers such as lawyers, insurers, or auditors when necessary for compliance, legal claims, or risk management.

We may also share data where required by law, court order, or regulatory request, or where it is necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of South Hackney Carpet Cleaners, our customers, or others.

We do not sell your personal data. If any transfer outside the UK is required by a processor, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, tax, insurance, and business recordkeeping requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and why it is held.

Customer booking and service records are typically retained for a reasonable period after the service in case of follow-up, dispute resolution, or customer support.
Invoices and financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records are retained only as long as needed to manage the enquiry, complaint, or contractual relationship.
Technical logs are kept for a limited period for security and operational purposes.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

6. Your Rights

As a data subject under the UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – in certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your data.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in specific situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability – in some cases, you can request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law.

7. Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to data on a need-to-know basis.

While we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a data incident occurs, we will assess it promptly and take appropriate action in line with our legal obligations.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or operational practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

9. Additional Information

South Hackney Carpet Cleaners respects your privacy and is committed to ensuring that all personal data is processed in a responsible and lawful way. Our approach is based on data minimisation, purpose limitation, and accountability. We only collect what we need, keep it only as long as needed, and use it only for valid business and legal purposes.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy. Where consent is required, we will obtain it separately and clearly. Where processing is based on contract, legal obligation, or legitimate interests, we will ensure the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Effective for all South Hackney Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, this policy is designed to provide transparency and reassurance about how personal data is handled throughout the customer relationship.