Privacy Policy - Stockwell Carpetcleaning

This Privacy Policy explains how Stockwell Carpetcleaning collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Stockwell Carpetcleaning customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, receives a service, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with carpet cleaning and related cleaning services.

We are committed to handling personal information in a fair, lawful, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over it.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process personal data that you provide directly to us, data generated during the provision of services, and limited technical data where relevant. The information we collect depends on your relationship with us and the nature of the service requested.

Examples of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as property access instructions, appointment details, cleaning requirements, and service history.
Billing and payment information such as payment status and transaction records.
Communication records such as messages, notes from calls, complaints, and feedback.
Technical information where you interact with digital systems, including limited device or usage data if applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and lawful to do so. If such information is ever needed, we will ensure that an appropriate legal basis and additional safeguards are in place.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business and service-related purposes. These uses may include:

Providing quotations and managing bookings.
Delivering carpet cleaning and related services.
Confirming appointments and handling customer communications.
Processing payments, issuing invoices, and maintaining accounts.
Responding to enquiries, complaints, and service requests.
Maintaining records for quality, safety, and administrative purposes.
Meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations.

We may also use information to improve our service operations, manage our business efficiently, and prevent fraud or misuse. We only use personal data in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, scheduling services, completing cleaning work, and managing related customer administration.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate interests where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests may include managing customer relationships, improving services, protecting our business from fraud, and maintaining internal records.

Consent

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before processing certain data. If we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as it is needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for holding it.

In general:

Customer and service records are retained for a period necessary to manage the service relationship and handle any follow-up queries.
Billing, payment, and accounting records are retained in line with applicable financial and tax requirements.
Communication records may be retained for a reasonable time to resolve disputes, support service quality, or document customer instructions.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. We review retention regularly to ensure data is not kept longer than necessary.

5. Processors and Third Parties

We may use trusted third-party service providers, sometimes referred to as processors, to help us run our business. These parties process personal data only on our instructions and must keep it secure and confidential.

Examples of processors or third parties may include:

Payment processing providers.
Accounting or bookkeeping services.
IT, software, and data storage providers.
Communication and scheduling systems.
Professional advisers, such as legal or tax advisers, where needed.

We may also disclose information where required by law, for example to regulatory authorities, law enforcement, or courts. We do not sell personal data.

Where processors are used, we take steps to ensure that appropriate contractual safeguards are in place and that personal data is handled in accordance with data protection law. We remain responsible for ensuring your data is processed lawfully and securely.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the data we hold and the risks involved.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risk through access controls, secure storage, limited data access, and staff awareness. If a personal data breach occurs and poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will act in accordance with legal requirements.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights regarding your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, these may include the right to:

Be informed about how your data is used.
Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances.
Restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and household customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is unavoidably included in service-related communications or records. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or business operations. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

10. Summary of Key Points

This policy explains how Stockwell Carpetcleaning handles customer data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. In summary:

We collect only the personal data needed to provide and manage our services.
We rely on lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where appropriate.
We keep data only as long as necessary and then delete or anonymise it securely.
We may use trusted processors to support our operations, but only under appropriate safeguards.
You have rights over your data, including access, correction, deletion, objection, and complaint.

By using our services, requesting a quotation, or otherwise engaging with us, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law. We are committed to respecting your privacy and handling your information responsibly.