Privacy Policy - Carpet Cleaners Bermondsey

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpet Cleaners Bermondsey collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Carpet Cleaners Bermondsey customers in the area, including current, past, and prospective customers who enquire about, book, or receive our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Carpet Cleaners Bermondsey is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. This means we decide why and how your personal data is used. We take our responsibilities seriously and only process data where we have a valid legal basis to do so.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data:

Identity information such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your business or property manager.
Contact details such as your address, phone number, and email address.
Service information such as the type of cleaning service requested, booking details, preferred dates, property access notes, and job history.
Payment-related information such as transaction records and payment status. We do not store full card details where payment is handled by a secure third-party provider.
Communication records such as emails, messages, complaint details, feedback, and any notes from your interactions with us.
Technical and usage data where applicable, including basic records relating to how you interact with our digital services or correspondence systems.

We only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal obligations.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may obtain personal data directly from you when you:

request a quote or make a booking;
communicate with us by phone, email, or other channels;
provide information during service delivery;
submit feedback, complaints, or queries;
make a payment or request an invoice.

In some cases, we may also receive personal data from third parties, such as property owners, managing agents, or payment service providers, where this is necessary for service administration or legitimate business operations.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data where there is a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the purpose, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging appointments, delivering cleaning services, managing billing, and handling customer support related to the service.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax, accounting, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may use your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include service management, quality improvement, internal administration, fraud prevention, and responding to customer issues. We ensure such processing is proportionate and limited to what is reasonably required.

Consent

Where required, we will ask for your consent before processing your personal data for specific purposes. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before it was withdrawn.

5. Why We Use Your Information

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide cleaning services and manage bookings;
to communicate with you about appointments, job updates, or service matters;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
to deal with complaints, disputes, or customer enquiries;
to improve our services and customer experience;
to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements;
to protect our business from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will never use your data in a way that is incompatible with the purposes for which it was collected, unless we are required or permitted to do so by law.

6. Sharing Your Data with Processors and Others

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These processors only handle data according to our instructions and are required to keep it secure and confidential. They may include:

IT and hosting providers who support our systems, data storage, and communications;
payment service providers who process card or electronic payments;
accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial administration;
customer communication tools used to manage messages or service updates;
professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers where necessary.

We may also share data with third parties where required by law, to enforce our rights, to protect the safety of our staff or customers, or to respond to lawful requests from authorities.

We do not sell your personal data.

7. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your information remains protected. This may include using approved contractual safeguards or working only with providers that offer an adequate level of protection.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected and for any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

Customer and booking records are kept for the duration of our relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are typically retained for the period required by law.
Complaint and communication records may be kept for as long as needed to resolve the matter and protect our legal position.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

9. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and data minimisation practices. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work continuously to reduce risk and safeguard information.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances of processing:

Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in certain cases, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request that certain information be provided to you or another organisation in a reusable format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you make a request, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will aim to respond within the time required by law.

11. Complaints and the Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how we process your personal data, we encourage you to raise them so we can try to resolve the matter. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

12. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer for a legitimate service-related reason, such as access arrangements or household instructions. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate consent or lawful basis, we will take steps to remove it where required.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational requirements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how your data is protected.

14. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Carpet Cleaners Bermondsey customers in the area and to any personal data we process in connection with our cleaning services. By using our services or contacting us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy and how we handle personal information.

Carpet Cleaners Bermondsey values privacy, transparency, and responsible data handling. We are committed to processing personal data only when necessary, protecting it carefully, and respecting the rights of every customer.