Privacy Policy - Cleaners Southkensington

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaners Southkensington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Cleaners Southkensington customers in area, including individuals who enquire about our services, book appointments, receive cleaning services, or communicate with us in any way. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary to provide and manage our services effectively. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

• Identity information such as your name.
• Contact details such as address, phone number, and email address.
• Service information such as booking details, service preferences, special instructions, and property access requirements.
• Payment information such as billing records and transaction details, where relevant.
• Communication records such as emails, messages, or notes from calls relating to bookings, complaints, feedback, or service changes.
• Technical information if you contact us through digital systems, which may include basic device or usage information used to maintain functionality and security.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily or it is required for a legitimate operational reason, such as health-related access needs relating to service delivery. Where such data is processed, we apply additional safeguards.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
• To manage bookings, service delivery, and customer accounts.
• To process payments, refunds, and account-related records.
• To communicate about appointments, changes, service updates, or complaints.
• To maintain internal records and customer service history.
• To improve our services, training, and quality control.
• To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
• To protect our business, customers, staff, and systems from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We always aim to keep our processing relevant and limited to what is necessary for the specific purpose.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. We rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging services, confirming bookings, delivering cleaning services, and managing related communications.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include maintaining business records, improving service quality, preventing fraud, and handling customer support efficiently. We carefully balance our interests against your privacy rights.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain data where required by law, such as for tax, accounting, insurance, or regulatory compliance purposes.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you have given us permission to use information beyond what is necessary for a service contract. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, although this will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us deliver and manage our services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share information when necessary and only with parties that provide appropriate safeguards.

Typical processors may include:

• Payment service providers that handle transactions securely.
• Scheduling, administration, or booking system providers.
• IT and cloud storage providers that support data hosting and business operations.
• Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers.
• Service subcontractors or operational partners who assist in fulfilling customer requests, where relevant.

Where processors act on our behalf, they are bound by contractual obligations to process data only according to our instructions, keep it secure, and not use it for their own purposes. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or a lawful request from public authorities.

5. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal data receives an adequate level of protection. This may include the use of approved safeguards such as adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses where applicable.

6. 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, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service.

• Customer and booking records are generally retained for a period necessary to manage ongoing service history and business administration.
• Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
• Communication records may be retained for a reasonable period to resolve disputes, maintain service continuity, and improve customer support.
• Security or system records are retained only as long as needed for monitoring and safeguarding purposes.

When data is no longer required, we securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it.

7. How We Protect Your Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling procedures. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable steps to reduce risks and maintain an appropriate level of protection.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exemptions depending on the circumstances.

• 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 information.
• Right to erasure – in certain cases, you may request deletion of your personal data.
• Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
• Right to data portability – where applicable, you may request that we provide data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where relevant.
• Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond within the time limits required by law and may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use automated decision-making or profiling in a way that produces legal or similarly significant effects for customers. If this changes, we will update this policy and provide clear information about how such processing works and what safeguards are in place.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers arranging domestic or commercial cleaning services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental and necessary in the course of providing a service, such as when an address includes family household information. Where children’s data is inadvertently collected, we will handle it with care and only for the minimum time necessary.

11. Complaints and Further Information

If you are concerned about how your data is handled, you may raise a complaint with us so that we can review and address the issue. We encourage customers to contact us first so that we can work to resolve concerns promptly and fairly. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Cleaners Southkensington is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, share it only with trusted processors when necessary, and retain it only for as long as required. Our approach is designed to respect your privacy while allowing us to deliver reliable cleaning services to all customers in the area.

This policy is intended to be read as a general privacy notice and does not limit any rights you may have under applicable data protection law.