Privacy Policy – Carpet Cleaners Kensington

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpet Cleaners Kensington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services to customers in the Kensington area. It applies to all Carpet Cleaners Kensington customers in the area, including individuals who request quotations, book services, receive services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, rug cleaning, stain treatment, and related services.

We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Policy is designed to be clear and transparent about what data we collect, why we collect it, the legal bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your information.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Carpet Cleaners Kensington acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this Policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing personal information used to deliver our services, manage bookings, maintain records, and meet legal and business obligations.

We only process personal data that is relevant and necessary for running our services, and we take reasonable steps to ensure it is accurate, secure, and handled fairly.

2. Data We Collect

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

Identity data such as your name, title, and, where necessary, business name.
Contact data including your phone number, email address, and service address in Kensington.
Service information such as booking details, requested cleaning services, access instructions, special requirements, and appointment history.
Payment information such as payment method, billing records, and transaction status. We do not retain full card details where payment processing is handled securely by a third-party provider.
Communication records including enquiries, feedback, complaints, and correspondence related to quotes or completed services.
Technical data such as basic device or browser information when you interact with our digital systems, where applicable.
Property and cleaning-related notes such as carpet type, stain description, or service preferences needed to complete the job safely and effectively.

We generally do not collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have chosen to provide it. If such information is ever needed, we will only process it in line with data protection law and appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and manage bookings.
To deliver carpet cleaning and related services at your premises.
To communicate with you about appointments, changes, and service updates.
To process payments, refunds, and invoicing where applicable.
To respond to questions, complaints, and customer support requests.
To keep internal records and manage our business operations.
To meet legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.
To protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will only use your information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and such use is permitted by law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases where appropriate:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, carrying out cleaning services, handling payments, and managing service-related communication.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain records to comply with tax, accounting, employment, consumer, or other legal obligations.

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 improving our services, maintaining business records, preventing fraud, and handling complaints.

Consent

In limited situations, we may ask for your consent, for example where it is required for a specific optional purpose. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to fulfil contractual, legal, and operational requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

Booking and service records are kept for a reasonable period to support service history, customer support, and business administration.
Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaints and correspondence may be retained for as long as needed to resolve disputes and maintain service records.
Technical or operational data is kept only as long as needed for security, analysis, or maintenance purposes.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices and legal requirements.

6. Processors and Sharing of Data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These processors only use your data under our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment providers who process secure transactions.
Booking or administration systems used to schedule and manage appointments.
IT and cloud service providers that support secure storage, communication, or data backup.
Accountants or professional advisers who assist with legal, tax, or business compliance.
Waste disposal or specialist subcontractors where needed to complete a service safely and lawfully.

We may also disclose information where required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to protect our rights, property, customers, or staff. We do not sell personal data.

7. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

8. Security of Your Data

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to help protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of processors.

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we aim to maintain a level of protection that is appropriate to the nature of the data and the risks involved.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal limitations. If you make a request, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will handle requests in accordance with applicable law and within the required timeframes.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults who arrange cleaning services for homes or businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently received such data without appropriate justification, we will take steps to remove it where required.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it takes effect. We encourage customers to review this Policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Carpet Cleaners Kensington is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to provide our services, rely on appropriate lawful bases, retain data only for as long as necessary, and use trusted processors under suitable controls. We also respect your rights and aim to make it easy for customers in the Kensington area to understand how their information is used.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.