Privacy Policy - Carpetcleaning Hackney

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpetcleaning Hackney collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Carpetcleaning Hackney customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who request or receive our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Carpetcleaning Hackney provides professional carpet cleaning and related cleaning services. In the context of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal information we collect and use for our own business purposes. This means we determine why and how your data is processed. Where we use third-party service providers, they may act as data processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing our business operations, and meeting our legal obligations. The information we may collect includes:

Identity data such as your name and title.
Contact data such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service data including appointment details, service instructions, property access notes, and cleaning preferences.
Payment data such as billing address, transaction records, and payment confirmation details. We do not usually store full card details where payment is processed securely by a third party.
Communication data including messages, enquiries, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data where applicable, such as device information, IP address, and basic website interaction data if you use our online services.
Marketing preferences where you choose to receive updates or promotional information.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you provide it for a specific reason. If you choose to share information that may reveal health conditions, access requirements, allergies, or other sensitive details, we will handle it with additional care and only use it for the purpose you have made clear.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To manage enquiries and provide quotations.
To schedule, confirm, and deliver cleaning services.
To communicate about bookings, changes, or follow-up matters.
To process payments and maintain business records.
To handle complaints, service issues, and customer support.
To improve our services, training, and operational efficiency.
To comply with legal, tax, and accounting requirements.
To send marketing communications where permitted by law and where you have not opted out.

We will always process your personal data only where we have a valid legal reason to do so and only to the extent necessary for the relevant purpose. We use the principle of data minimisation, meaning we aim to collect and use only the information required.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Carpetcleaning Hackney relies on the following bases:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes booking services, confirming appointments, delivering cleaning work, and taking payment for services requested.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include responding to enquiries, maintaining service quality, improving operations, preventing fraud, and keeping internal records.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information where required by law, such as for tax records, accounting, insurance, and compliance obligations.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent. This may apply to optional marketing communications or the use of certain non-essential data. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Personal Data

We keep your information confidential and only share it when necessary for the purposes described in this policy. We may share data with:

Service providers who support our operations, such as payment processors, booking systems, IT support, cloud storage providers, and administrative tools.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers where needed.
Public authorities or regulators where required by law or to protect our legal rights.
Subcontractors or cleaners acting on our behalf, but only to the extent necessary to deliver the service.

Where we use processors, we ensure they are bound by written agreements that require them to process personal data only on our instructions, keep it secure, and comply with applicable data protection requirements. We do not sell your personal data.

6. International Transfers

In some cases, our processors may store or access data outside the UK. If this happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal mechanisms, so that your data receives a level of protection consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Customer and booking records are typically retained for the period needed to manage service history and resolve disputes.
Payment and invoice records are kept for the time required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records may be retained for a reasonable period to handle follow-up questions, complaints, or service matters.
Marketing preferences are retained until you opt out or withdraw consent where applicable.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices. Data minimisation and retention control are important parts of our privacy approach.

8. How We Protect Your Information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of processors. Although no system is completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect the information entrusted to us.

9. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these may include:

Right of access to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure in certain circumstances, also known as the right to be forgotten.
Right to restriction of processing in certain situations.
Right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests and to direct marketing at any time.
Right to withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.
Right not to be subject to automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects, where applicable.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been mishandled.

10. Marketing Preferences

If you receive promotional messages from us, you may opt out at any time. We will respect your preferences and stop sending marketing communications where required. Even if you opt out of marketing, we may still send important service-related messages such as booking confirmations, service updates, or information needed to fulfil a contract.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers arranging cleaning services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to a service arrangement and necessary for access, safety, or property-related reasons. If we become aware that we have collected child-related data without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, operational practices, or service arrangements. The latest version will apply to the handling of personal data from the date it is published. We encourage customers in the area to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is protected.

13. Summary of Our Privacy Commitments

In summary, Carpetcleaning Hackney processes personal data fairly, securely, and only when necessary. We collect information to provide cleaning services, manage bookings, communicate effectively, and meet legal obligations. We rely on lawful bases such as contract, legitimate interests, consent, and legal obligation. We retain data only as long as needed, use trusted processors under written agreements, and respect your rights under GDPR. Our approach is to keep your information safe, relevant, and lawfully handled at all times.