Privacy Policy - Carpetcleaning Clapham

Carpetcleaning Clapham is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Clapham area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when we provide our carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Carpetcleaning Clapham customers in the area, including private households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services.

We process personal data 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 information we hold, why we hold it, and the rights you have in relation to it. By engaging our services, communicating with us, or requesting a quote, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the delivery of our services, for administration, and for compliance with legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name or the name of your business or property manager.
Contact details such as your telephone number, postal address, and email address.
Service information such as the type of carpet cleaning requested, room details, property access notes, and preferred appointment times.
Billing and payment information where needed for invoicing, payment processing, and accounting records.
Communication records including correspondence, booking notes, complaints, service feedback, and customer service interactions.
Technical data that may be collected when you communicate with us electronically, such as device or message metadata, if relevant to service delivery or security.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is strictly necessary and you provide it for a specific purpose. If such information is ever provided to us, we will handle it with appropriate care and only where a lawful basis applies.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only for legitimate and clearly defined purposes. These may include:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
Managing bookings, scheduling visits, and delivering carpet cleaning services.
Preparing invoices, processing payments, and maintaining financial records.
Communicating with customers about appointments, service updates, or follow-up matters.
Handling complaints, refunds, or service disputes.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
Protecting our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original reason it was collected, unless we have a valid legal basis to do so. We aim to keep all processing fair, transparent, and proportionate.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis before processing your personal data. Depending on the situation, we may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes managing bookings, providing cleaning services, issuing invoices, and delivering customer support.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where needed to comply with legal requirements, such as tax law, accounting obligations, insurance duties, or lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing our operations, improving service quality, keeping accurate records, and preventing fraud or misuse.

Consent

In limited situations, we may ask for your consent, for example if you choose to receive certain optional communications or if processing is not covered by another lawful basis. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary for the operation of our services. These third parties act as processors or independent data controllers depending on the nature of the service they provide. We only share the minimum information required and expect all recipients to protect data appropriately.

Processors may include:

Payment processors who handle card or online payment transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with invoicing, tax, and financial record management.
IT and cloud service providers who store or secure business data, email systems, and administrative tools.
Scheduling or customer management tools used to organise appointments and service records.
Professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where necessary.

Where a third party acts as a processor, they are only allowed to process your information on our instructions and must keep it secure and confidential. We do not sell personal data. We do not permit processors to use your data for their own marketing purposes.

In some cases, we may need to disclose information to public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement agencies if required by law or to protect our legal rights.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of record and the reason for processing.

Customer and booking records are kept for the period necessary to manage the service relationship and any follow-up issues.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be stored for a reasonable period to resolve queries or protect against disputes.
Security and operational logs are kept only as long as needed for safety, administration, or technical maintenance.

When data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed. We do not keep personal data longer than is necessary.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality duties, and limited access based on business need.

Although we work to protect all data, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to risk your rights and freedoms, we will take appropriate steps in line with legal obligations.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have several rights under data protection law. These rights may be exercised subject to legal conditions and exemptions.

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in some circumstances, you may request that we delete your data.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we process your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you may request that we provide your data in a structured format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully or unfairly. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so that we can try to resolve them promptly and professionally.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are generally aimed at adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental to service delivery and provided by an adult customer or authorised representative. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where required.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data processing practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review it periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

10. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Carpetcleaning Clapham customers in area and covers personal data processed in connection with quotations, bookings, service delivery, billing, support, and compliance. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.

If you have questions about how your personal data is handled, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, you may contact us through the usual service channels provided at the time of booking or communication. We will do our best to respond promptly and in accordance with applicable law.